What is the Russell Meerdink Company Ltd.?
The Russell Meerdink Company Ltd. has published books and videos of interest
to horsepeople since 1985. We are a niche publisher in a niche business. We
began by publishing information for the Thoroughbred racing industry and, later,
information for the Standardbred racing industry. We now publish items of
interest to all horse owners involved in all equine disciplines.
What types of books and videos do we publish?
All of our books and videos are "how - to" or have a "how -
to" flavor about them. Our goal is to provide horsepeople with specific
instructions on how to solve problems and to provide accurate, factual
information that will assist owners in making decisions regarding their horses.
We do not publish biographies, fiction or poetry.
We believe that many of the accepted ways of breeding, keeping and training
horses are based on little more than tradition dating back hundreds of years.
Our aim is to provide 21st century ideas and information to those horsepeople
who are eager to read, learn and implement new strategies. Finally, we seek to
appeal to those who have a lifestyle based around involvement with horses.
How do we develop ideas for new books and videos? What about unsolicited
manuscripts or book ideas?
Most of our books and videos are a result of concepts we develop "in-house"
followed by a search for an author suited to carry out the project.
We accept unsolicited manuscripts from published and unpublished authors.
Our experience has been that most unsolicited manuscripts do not fit our
publishing goals. We are always flattered when an author sends us a manuscript
for review and we recognize the amount of work that went into preparing it. In
some instances, we have been able to refer authors to other publishers more
suited to market the author's work.
We are willing to review book "concepts" from published authors or
others with strong credentials.
What types of projects are under consideration for the future?
A portion of our publishing schedule includes books that will be compiled from
many different sources and edited into single volumes by our staff. Writers
will be assigned specific chapters or topics. Selected authors will be hired to
write on a wide variety of topics. Assignments will range from a few paragraphs
to entire sections of the books.
What should I know about the business arrangements of writing for the
Russell Meerdink Company Ltd. and how much will I be paid for my work?
- All of our outside writers are independent contractors and not our
employees.
- We will enter into a short, written contract with you which details the
agreement we have made.
- We will assign writing projects and deadlines. It is your
responsibility to research the topic and prepare the manuscript. In some
instances, we will provide materials or contacts that will be useful in carrying
out the assignment.
- All manuscripts are submitted on a "upon acceptance" basis. We
reserve - in our sole judgment - the right to accept or reject any manuscript
you send to us. If we reject a manuscript, you are free to market it elsewhere.
- Long writing assignments are made on a negotiated fee basis. We will
negotiate a fee with you to complete the project. Generally, this fee is paid
in increments over the course of the project.
- Short writing assignments - generally those of 5,000 words or less - are
paid on a per-word basis. The majority of our assignments are made under this
arrangement. The fee will be based on the final manuscript, after any rewrites,
additions or deletions required by our editors.
What should I know about copyrights?
There are several things you should know about copyrights:
- We purchase only original work which does not contain copyrighted
material owned by others. You, as the author, must warrant to us that any
manuscript you submit is your original work and that it does not violate the
copyright of someone else.
- If you agree to undertake an assignment for us, you are doing so with the
understanding that your work is being performed as a "work for hire"
and that the copyright in that work is the property of the Russell Meerdink
Company Ltd.
In what form should I submit my manuscripts?
There are three ways to submit manuscripts:
- We use Word for Windows and prefer to receive manuscripts on disk in this
format.
- We can read manuscripts submitted on disk in plain text format.
- Internet email is a useful means to handle short assignments and
revisions.
Okay! I'm interested in being considered for writing assignments. What
should I do next?
- Send us a few samples of your work, preferably articles you have
published elsewhere.
- Send us a short letter explaining your involvement with horses and your
areas of interest and expertise.
- We will answer all serious inquiries within about four weeks of
submission.
Send your information to:
Editor
The Russell Meerdink Company Ltd.
1555 South Park Avenue
Neenah,
WI 54956 USA |
