BenBella is a niche publishing company run by Glen Yeffeth. Yeffeth has a marketing background but he is also a lover of books. They have a good distributor and are a marketing-oriented company. The editors receive high praise for their ability to edit books. They only publish works of non-fiction. They publish between 30-40 books a year. Fourteen of their books have been number one on the New York Times Best Sellers list.
The books they publish cover a range of topics, including cookbooks for herbivores, self-help books, and books about pop culture. By focusing on niche topics they are able to successfully market books to the right audiences. If your non-fiction topic appeals to a wide audience and covers a broad topic, it is most likely not for BenBella. They are interested in books by entrepreneurs, celebrities, and by individuals that are knowledgeable about specific events or ideas.
They are interested in books focused on pop culture, not in a general way, but on a specific show, movie, or book that already has an established fan base. For example, their Smart Pop line has had a lot of success by publishing books like The Psychology of Harry Potter, and the Unofficial Mad Men Cookbook. For more ideas of what kind of authors and works they are looking for, visit their submission page and also browse through their catalog. As a marketing focused house they have a team of seven full-time marketers and they also work with a range of outside publicists. They work with each author to create an individual marketing plan.
They offer advances of between 4K-10K dollars. But their focus is on paying high royalties either in the form of royalty escalators or profit-sharing. For all books they pay standard big-house royalties (10%) or better.
It is not that difficult to pitch a book to BenBella. In the pitch you have to convey that you have a clear understanding about what your book is about and how it distinguishes itself from other books. Also include a statement about why you are qualified to write this book. Make it clear why you think this book would sell.
To learn more visit their submission page here.
