Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)...
LINKED LIST OF FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Click on the links below to find answers to the questions listed, or scroll down and browse at your leisure...
BUYING OUR BOOKS
OUR BOOK RATINGS (Content Warnings)
OUR BOOK PRICING
PROS AND CONS OF EBOOKS
OUR PRIVACY POLICY
OUR NEWSLETTER AND GROUPS
ABOUT / CONTACT US
WHAT WE OFFER
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
How do I buy books from Penumbra Publishing? Right now buying our books can be a bit confusing, as some of them can purchased direct from the printer, or direct from the online retailer, or direct from our site. Some books are available only from the retailer, while others are available only from the printer. The BUY links associated with each book will let you know how you can buy the book.
BUYING DIRECT FROM RETAILER. To purchase direct from the printer or retailer, find the book you want and click on the link to buy the format you want from the source you want. For instance, if you click on the link to buy direct from Amazon, you will be directed to a new web page on the Amazon site where the book is sold. You can sign into your Amazon account and continue shopping for other items, and pay for all your purchases when you are ready to check out.
BUYING DIRECT FROM PRINTER. We have an arrangement with our printer to ship direct to buyers via our sales page on the printer's site. Click on the link to buy direct from the printer, and you will be taken to a new web page where the book you select is listed for sale. You can add the book to your shopping cart, then click on our web site for links to other books and add them to your cart too. When you're all done, you can check out and pay for all your selections.
BUYING DIRECT FROM PENUMBRA PUBLISHING. Send us an email to PENUMBRAPUBLISHING@GMAIL.COM and include the following information:
_______________Your Name
_______________Your Shipping Address
_______________The quantities and titles of the books you want to buy
We will send you a purchase confirmation email with the amount due for your order and give you shipping choices for your order with the associated costs included in the total.
_______________Choose the shipping method (if more than one is offered) and note the total due.
_______________Send your PayPal payment to PENUMBRAPUBLISHING@GMAIL.COM
Your books will be shipped to the address you specify by the shipping method you choose. Right now we do not have ebook downloads available directly through our site but plan to soon. Ebooks when available are usually sold through an online retailer.
One-stop shopping on our web site is coming soon - we promise! We apologize for the inconvenience, but at the present time we do not have direct access to all the books we offer for sale on our web site. As a cooperative service and to offer readers a wider variety of books, we publicize books from other publishers. Many of those books are warehoused at different locations and are available only through outside purchasing portals controlled by the other publishers. We are working to streamline the purchase process for one-stop shopping convenience at our web site and hope to have these changes incorporated soon. Meanwhile, please note we do list books by buying source as well as by genre so readers can organize their purchases to maximize combined shipping discounts.
What do Penumbra Publishing’s book ratings mean? Penumbra Publishing wants to help readers make informed buying decisions regarding the books we offer for sale through our web site. To do this, we provide a rating description at the end of each book description. Rather than use catchy terms like spicy or steamy that may not encompass all content aspects, we simply note content we feel may impact reader purchasing decisions. Content covered in the rating statement may include the following:
- Sexual content. Excessive or explicit sexual references or descriptions of sexual activity are noted, and the level of content is assessed, if present.
- Violence. Explicit or excessive violence is noted if present.
- Language. Profanity, vulgar or obscene phrases or references, and the frequency of such content, is noted if present.
- Religious references. Content that may be offensive to deeply religious readers is noted if present.
- Other content. Any content that does not fall within the prevalent categories above and is deemed to be potentially offensive or objectionable to some readers will be noted if present. If no objectionable content is noted, a general assessment of appropriate reader groups will be noted.
Why aren't the prices listed everywhere for the books for sale on Penumbra Publishing’s web site, and why is the pricing different for some books? At Penumbra Publishing we strive to offer competitive pricing on all the trade paperbacks and ebooks we publish. We do not control pricing on books listed on our site that are offered by affiliate authors and publishers. Because books may be listed on several different pages, to simplify price discounting and minimize web page changes, we list purchase prices for the books published through Penumbra Publishing only in the "all books" catalog page.
What are some pros and cons of buying an ebook? Penumbra Publishing offers authors the opportunity to publish their books in print format as well as electronic book format, whereas many online or small independent publishers offer only ebooks, and seldom offer titles in print. Penumbra Publishing solicits affiliate small publishers to list their books with us so we can offer readers a greater variety of books in multiple formats that give more pricing choices.
Some advantages of ebooks (electronic books) compared to print books...
- Usually ebooks cost less (about half) than paperbacks or hardback books.
- Most online stores allow you to shop and buy 24 hours a day.
- There’s no shipping cost.
- You usually get your ebook immediately after you pay for it.
- Less storage space is needed to keep your library.
- Most handheld electronic readers allow you to take several ebooks with you (some reading devices can hold hundreds of books).
- Depending on the native electronic format you purchase, you can read on several different devices including your phone, your computer, your palm device, as well as specialized readers. Some formats and/or delivery devices allow you to change settings like font size and other attributes that can enhance your reading experience.
Some disadvantages of ebooks compared to print books...
- You need a storage/display device to keep the book and read it.
- Some devices are hard to read in strong light conditions.
- Batteries or AC cords are required to keep your device powered up.
- You cannot legally give or sell your electronic copy of a book to someone else. Copying a book file and transferring it to someone else to read for free while the original file stays resident on your device is a direct violation of copyright laws. That would be like making copies of a print book and giving those copies to others while retaining your original copy – also an illegal activity. Even if you destroy your original file, you have made a copy to give to someone else, and copying rights are the essence of the copyright laws. Some ebook traders and resellers contract with ebook publishers to allow ‘trade-ins’ of ebooks for exchanges, but we have not been contacted or contracted to do this and therefore do not condone that practice with the books we offer through our site.
While some readers enjoy the pricing and convenience of electronic books, others still prefer printed books. Penumbra Publishing offers both formats for books we publish, allowing readers to decide which formats they prefer.
How will Penumbra Publishing use my information when I sign up for an account, make a purchase, join a group, or subscribe to a newsletter? Penumbra Publishing’ privacy policy is to collect and retain information that is only required to complete sales through our website. We do not process credit card payments directly and therefore will not gather or retain credit information. Penumbra Publishing will not retain customer names, addresses, email addresses, or phone numbers except for the purpose of order fulfillment and follow-up customer service. Customers will not be contacted except in the process of completing orders or resolving problems with orders. Customer contact will include order and shipment notification via email. Phone numbers are gathered as backup in case email fails. We reserve the right to retain customer information for archive purposes but will not distribute this information to others except in the process of order fulfillment. We urge all customers to set email spam controls to allow communication from our web site or email address so that emails do not end up in a spam folder.
We will not send notifications of future book offerings unless the customer selects this option when creating an account at our web site. Site visitors who subscribe to our newsletter will be contacted by email periodically when our newsletter is distributed to our email subscriber list. A list of email addresses will be retained for newsletter distribution. Users may unsubscribe at any time. We suggest customers set email spam controls to allow communication from our web site or email address so that emails do not end up in a spam folder.
What’s in your newsletter? Penumbra Publishing invites all prospective readers to subscribe to our free email newsletter announcing new additions to our catalog of available books. We may also send a newsletter with other special announcements. We anticipate no more than two newsletters per month. We will not share email addresses with anyone except through the distribution channel for the newsletter service. Users can unsubscribe at any time, and standard subscription links will be included in every email we send.
What online groups are available from Penumbra Publishing? Penumbra Publishing invites all prospective readers and authors to join our Yahoo groups. A Yahoo account is required to join, but creating an account if you don’t already have one is easy. Please see our home page and click on the join buttons, or click on the links below.
READER GROUP: Our reader group is set up especially for readers to interact with our authors by chatting and asking questions. Our newsletter announcing new books will be sent to subscribers of this group. The link for that group is...
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/penumbrapublishing_readers.
WRITER HELP GROUP: Anyone interested in becoming a writer and getting published can join our beginning writers’ group where free writing tips, chapter critiques, and special writing clinics are periodically offered. We also offer an advanced critique group for writers trying to edit their books. Please email us for more information regarding the next scheduled clinic or critique group. The link for that group is...
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/penumbrapublishing_writershelp
AUTHORS AND AFFILIATES GROUP: Authors and Affiliate Publishers will be invited by email to join our Yahoo group for information regarding promotional campaigns and other opportunities sponsored by Penumbra Publishing.
What and who is Penumbra Publishing, and what services are available? Penumbra Publishing is a new small independent online publishing company offering great books for our readers in both print and ebook format. We are a royalty-paying publisher and also offer additional services for independent authors and publishers.
Promotional Opportunities. Authors and publishers looking for additional promotion venues can get a free book listing or promotional link on our web site. Please email us for more details.
Production Services. Authors and publishers looking for affordable book production services can use our paid ala carte services or package deals. Please email us for more details.
Our Staff:
Managing Editor: Willa Kaye Danes
Promotion/Sales: C. Fern Cook
Production Coordinator: Dana Warryck
Business/Finance: Katrina May
Web Management: Inga Lee
Contact Us:
Mail:
Penumbra Publishing
4450 Meadowland Drive
Murfreesboro, TN 37127
Email:
penumbrapublishing@gmail.com
We do not accept inquiries by phone at this time.
Does Penumbra Publishing offer employment opportunities? We have no openings for full-time, part-time, or contract employees at this time; nor do we have any freelance opportunities available. However, if a future need arises, we will post openings on our web site.