reported by Stephen C. Johnson, FictionFanatic.com

For decades, the mention of book publishing has immediately brought to mind an industry steeped in tradition, bound to the most literate of professions, the printed word. However, Sensorotika Press (www.sensorotika.com), a publisher of erotic fiction, was launched in January 2006 with a heavy embrace of technology ? the imprint has been designed as a ?virtual imprint?, due to the fact that the editors, contributors, proofreaders, artists and proofreaders might not ever meet, or even work in the same country.

The approach by Sensorotika Press is that quality people are a necessity - and those quality people might reside anywhere. The fledgling imprint hopes that by starting with a foundation that allows those people to work where and when they want, the company?s culture will continue to grow with that expectation in the future. Although the imprint is based in the U.S., they are already collaborating with editors and contributors in Canada and the UK. Coordinating editors are responsible for managing project tasks and personnel, but those personnel can be anywhere there is an internet connection.

In order to facilitate collaboration, Sensorotika relies heavily on automated processes and the web. Everything about the business is automated, or in the process of being automated. The theme is that everything that can be is reported in real time, and every communication that can be shared is electronic ? email, web conferences, voice-over-ip and web based applications. Given that most writers live remotely, this isn?t a big change for them. It is, however, an adjustment for the office staff working on the projects to also be remote.

As an example of the online interaction process, the publisher utilizes a web application that allows editors and ?readers? ? individuals tasked with reviewing the bulk of submissions ? to update the status of a submission, including contact information, notes and needed tasks. Submissions are only accepted electronically, so any new submission can be quickly placed into the system and handled. Given that, like most small publishers, resources can often be stretched, it allows automation and flexibility to maintain accurate status of what has been submitted. Although response times can still be longer than most writers would like, Sensorotika hopes that the increased attention they can give to a submission, as well as being able to review all of the information about a submission on demand, will allow them to create better relationships with authors over the long term. Another hope is that when new editors join the company, they will be able to hit the ground running ? without much need for interaction.

Another goal is to be an adaptable organization ? to determine how their people work together and where improvement is needed ? a daunting task with a completely virtual organization.

Sensorotika Press, a new imprint of Neptune Media Group, officially launched in 2006 as a publisher of erotic fiction, with plans to release both electronic and print books. The company?s first title, a historical erotic romance titled The Red velvet Horse, penned by Iona Blair, is already available in electronic format from major retailers such as Amazon.com, Powell?s, Diesel eBooks and Ebook Eros (www.ebook-eros.com), as well as the imprint?s website (www.sensorotika.com) and will soon also be available in print.

Visit the website at http://www.sensorotika.com