In every walk of life, there is always someone claiming to have reinvented the wheel. Naturally these claims should be met with a healthy dose of skepticism but that does not mean there aren’t genuine revolutions that take place over time.
In the publishing world, the main evolution that has taken place in recent years is the uptake in hybrid publishing, whereby authors pay a fee to have their work published but gain the services and expertise of the company to help maximise the chances of success for the book. Typically this is for authors who are pursuing the route or self publishing, but wish to enlist some outside help as they may feel that their focus should be on writing and they would like industry experts to take care of things like marketing, promotion etc.
However, with the hybrid publishing model, it is increasingly difficult to stand out and more outlandish and bold claims are made by companies looking to separate themselves from the pack. A company doing just that is Wordeee.
In this review we will take a detailed look at exactly what Wordee claim to do that is so different, whether those claims hold up to examination and finally if an author should consider using their services to help them with their publishing goals.
What is Wordeee?
Wordeee is a social platform and literary hub supporting emerging authors and connecting them to new readers. Founded in 2015, the company describe themselves as the ‘new kids on the block’ and very much play into the idea that they are a fresh, disruptive force in the world of publishing.
As book professionals, they have fielded thousands of inquiries over the years from frustrated authors who wanted to know how to succeed at the one thing they know how to do best – write. With so many emerging and experienced authors asking the same question and the barriers to entry for publishing so high, the “what if” question for Wordeee was, how can they help these authors find homes for their art, make a living doing what they love and give them an opportunity to change their lives through their work.
The founders of Wordeee claim to have the right combination of publishing, technology and entrepreneurial skills, and a 360-degree view of all aspects of the publishing industry to apply that knowledge to the world of publishing.
Their primary goal is to enhance connectivity between artists and their audience, and turn the now mundane world of words into exciting, engaging, and inspiring books. So how exactly is this done?
Wordeee describe themselves as a literary ecosystem by offering a full-service publishing platform that includes robust promotional, marketing and social tools therefore enabling emerging and well-established authors to unlock their creativity and potential.
Authors can create, publish and distribute their work and connect seamlessly with their worldwide audience. Every author can benefit from Wordeee’s capability to extend and cross-platform their written works into other formats such as audio, video, movies and beyond.
What Books do Wordee Publish?
Wordeee are not so much focused on a specific genre but instead on both the type of book and the personality of the author. On the FAQ tab as per their website, they list a few criteria for those considering a submission, which can be seen below.
“You have an incredible idea.
A breath-taking story…
A world-changing perspective…
Believe it deserves to be heard
Considered the self-publishing route”
They do also state that at present they only have the capacity to select 20-25 manuscripts per year so there is limited scope in what they can accept and unlike other hybrid publishers, no guarantee that a writers submission will proceed.
A selection of titles as found on their website can be seen below to add further insight into the types of work they are looking for.
All Jobs Are Important – Alejandro Vinasco
Art is Love – Anthony Liggins
Sweet Flight – Blossom Martindale
Death in Delhi – April Chloe Evans
A Body Made To Win – Joann Love
Single Mum Side Hustle – Fortune Walker
Goodnight Little Owlet – Anne Marie Brown
Blunt – Thomas Easley
A Guide to Legacy Wealth – Dr Pamela C V Jolly
Hair, Hair Everywhere – Danielle Pitts
As you can see above there really is a wide variety of titles and perhaps to fully emphasise this point, their website has over 50 genre sub categories for anyone looking to browse their books.
What is the Process to Work With Wordeee?
The process is fairly straightforward and typical but they’re a couple of points worth focusing on.
The Author uploads their manuscript on the platform for review which is then reviewed by the Wordeee editors and is either accepted or rejected. There is a $50 submission fee.
If accepted, the book will then go through the full process to determine its needs: editing, fact-checking, line editing, proofreading, layout, design etc.
Each aunties will be assigned a manuscript administrator who will send you bespoke pricing information for their services and the author will then accept a sign a full publishing contract with Wordeee or reject and go their separate ways.
Manuscripts that are rejected will receive an editorial letter breaking down why it was not accepted and what changes they recommend to be made.
Wordeee has a revolving publishing process, but typically a book will take 6-8 months to completion so publication dates will also follow on from this timeline.
What are the Alternatives to Wordeee?
Generally speaking, a writer would have three main alternatives to using Wordee. Firstly, the most traditional route of making a submission to a publisher. This comes with prestige and financial reward without any financial commitment from the author themselves. However, as you can imagine, the competition to be accepted is fierce and often publishers work within strict time windows of acceptance and only seek certain genres, so there are limitations.
Second, a writer could consider a different hybrid publisher. Perhaps they feel that for whatever reason Wordeee does not align with their vision and another company does.
Finally, a writer could pursue fully self publishing. Naturally, this places more of a burden on the writer to take care of all the things that a hybrid publisher provides like marketing, cover design etc, but reduces the financial spend and allows the author to maintain control with regards to both creative direction as well as timeline.
Wordeee Review – Final Thoughts
What to make of Wordeee then? Honestly, it is rather difficult. At the beginning we mentioned how important it is to cut through the jargon and ascertain if a companies claims stand up to scrutiny, but there is not sufficient evidence one way or another to decide with Wordeee. The integrated platform is certainly a fascinating idea and one that if successful could be game changing, but there is little to no proof of concept yet, that it has the desired impact. Perhaps that comes later in the process but if a writer is going to spend $50 on a submission fee it would be helpful to have more insight from the jump.
The fact that even rejected submissions receive detailed feedback is a huge positive and a practice that a lot of other companies could learn from, but ultimately the extended publishing timeline combined with the ambiguity over concept and final pricing is enough to create hesitation.
A writer with the flexibility to wait as well as the finances to undertake this process may well find Wordeee a brilliant company to work with. But for anyone else, the chances are that a different path may be just as rewarding.
