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Creators' Frequently Asked Questions

Creator's Royalties	Payment details	Differences	What about print?	Exposure	Art size
Unlicensed	Comp copies	How to Submit	Tribute pieces	Other question

What will Phase 5 Publishing do after works are submitted?

Submitted works are reviewed for quality, and if approved, the creator will receive an email detailing the licensing offer. Once the terms are ageed upon, Phase 5 will tender a licensing agreement. Once the signed licensing agreement is received, we have your work edited (for large changes we may request you to revise) prior to publication. We will format the work for different readers/viewers or print and include it as an issue of one or more of Phase 5's publications, Phase 5 Monthly Review at the minimum, and make it available for purchase through the Phase 5 Catalog and through third-party providers with appropriate distribution agreements.

How much do the creators make on each sale?

The amount creators make on each sale depends upon a variety of factors. Creators are paid royalties based upon the sale of their individual works and any collections or anthologies their work appears in. The amount of the royalty paid depends upon the amount of the net proceeds from the sale and upon the percentage agreed upon in the licensing agreement. Creators may also receive donations and subsidies from patrons through the website and other avenues, and make royalties off merchandising.

How do creators get paid?

Creators are paid quarterly, within 30 days after the end of the quarter, via PayPal. If a creator does not have access to PayPal, we will see what other arrangements can be made.

Why focus on electronic formats?

Phase 5 Publishing doesn't relegate electronic formats to an afterthought of publishing, but instead promotes it as an equal format and takes advantage of the lower overhead, inexpensive and instant distribution, and the popularity of digital readers and other devices to target an underserved audience.

How is Phase 5 Publishing different from other publishers?

Rather than spend a great deal of money to develop a new, proprietary format in an effort to make more money, Phase 5 utilizes common formats, third-party providers and other means to provide fiction, art, music and video entertainment in the existing formats fans have already adopted want for a reasonable price. The lower risk (time and money expended) involved in publishing each work allows us more freedom in selecting creators and works to publish, and the lower overall cost of publishing electronically allows us to produce a greater volume and variety of work than publishers have in the past. We do not focus on just one medium of entertaiment, but use the internet and mobile devices to allow us to deliver all kinds of work to all kinds of people.

What about people who still want books - old fashioned, paper books?

We love paper books, too. Art books, novels, anthologies, we love them all. So, Phase 5 Publishing also offers old fashioned printed books. We use an on-demand model at first until demand for a particular work or collection or anthology makes it feasible to produce a small print run. When demand increases sufficently again, we produce a larger print run, just like most publishers. However, if you buy a book, anthology or collection, you can also download its electronic counterpart. It's all about giving fans what they want, however they want it.

What does Phase 5 Publishing do for its creators for its cut of the net profit?

Phase 5 Publishing has two goals: the first is giving fans what they want and the second is giving creators exposure they are not likely to get on their own. By publishing each creator's work along with a myriad of others, Phase 5 Publishing offers fans a large variety of entertainment to experience. The reasoning is that this variety draws a large number of people looking for something different. This large number of people will be exposed to each creator's work and given the opportunity to purchase works from or to patronize each creator.

Phase 5 Publishing gives each creator a bio page listing and (when possible) links to other works for sale. This gives each creator a "mini-site" to promote their other works and to interact with their fans.
And we do not just sell issues and works from our site. We will distribute through any channel, website, or distributor with favorable and agreeable terms. We will have the works made available (when possible) through providers fans tell us they want and providers we think will reach a larger audience.

We also promote creators and publications through social networks (on- and off-line), press releases, advertising, and any other means that presents itself.

Phase 5 Publishing also promotes creators in person at conventions and other events providing the opportunity to expose more fans to the website, the publications and the creators.

If you publish some of my images in your publication, will I still have the right to have them displayed online elsewhere, like in DeviantArt, or do I have to remove them?

We can do a non-exclusive license if you already have your work available elsewhere. "Unlicensed" means you have not given someone else permission to publish your work. If you have works that are under a non-exclusive license (such as DA), then we can only do a non-exclusive license unless you choose to remove the work from the other sites, etc. In some cases, say if we want to publish a collection of your work, we may request an exclusive agreement which would require you to remove your works from other sites for the term of exclusivity. If you have works under an exclusive license, we cannot publish until that license expires.

Most of my art works are fairly small in terms of pixel size because of the slowness of the rendering engine in calculating them. Whereas for electronic format this will probably not be a problem, it could be for paper publishing. Would this be a problem?

The print formats would necessarily have to include the work printed at 300 to 600 dpi, so a 1200x1500pixel piece would print at 4"x5" at the largest, although the electronic version could include the piece at a lower resolution (larger size).

What exactly is an "unlicensed work"?

"Unlicensed" means you have not given someone else permission to publish your work. If you have works that are under a non-exclusive license (such as DA), then we can only do a non-exclusive license unless you choose to remove the work from the other sites, etc. If you have works under an exclusive license, we cannot publish until that license expires.

Will I receive a copy of your publications where my images are displayed?

Yes, we will provide you with an electronic version of the publications in which your work is included.

What is the procedure to submit my work?

Go here: www.phase5publishing.com/submit.htm. The instructions should be fairly clear, please email for help if not.

Does tribute art that does not specifically depict a character or specific setting in a copyrighted work but imitates the emotion and feel of that copyrighted work count as fan art?

Without familiarity with the original work, I cannot say specifically. However, if your piece incorporates terms, icons, insignia, costumes, characters, unique beings or layouts from the original piece, I would be reluctant to clear it. However, if the details ARE NOT the same as the original's, I would be interested in exploring it further.

What about...?

Have other questions? Please email them to questions@phase5publishing.com.