Authors have many choices today in the world of publication — self-publishing, traditional publishing, small presses, and boutique agencies. In 2012, an online boutique agency called Reuts was established and already has over 20 authors under their belt. I had the pleasure of chatting with the founder, Ashley Ruggirello, to learn a little more.
Hi Ashley! As the Founder and Creative Director of Reuts, can you tell us what inspired you to establish a boutique YA/NA publishing agency? How exactly does Reuts differ from the traditional publishing route?
It all stems from a bad publishing experience, where I vowed I wouldn’t let that happen to another author, so long as I had the ability to change a corner of the industry. You always hear authors telling one another to “write the story you’d want to read.” I established REUTS on a similar premise: Be the publisher I’d want to publish with. And, thus, REUTS was born.
In considering ourselves a boutique publishing agency, we tend to take on less books per year, but each book receives the same unique attention throughout and after production. The “agency” aspect refers to the quality of our titles. I come from an advertising background, so I’m familiar with marketing, promo, and how a general aesthetic comes across to a consumer. So we put a heavy emphasis, not only on the quality of the content within the pages, but how it’s wrapped up in a nice and neat package.
Why did you choose the name Reuts?
It was a rather spur-of-the-moment decision. I found myself enamored by the trend of common words written in a unique way—similar to the company Lyft. After many days of brainstorming, consideration, requests for feedback from family/friends, I settled on REUTS, and as the years go by, it seems to fit even more perfect than I initially thought. Our tagline, Get REUTed in an amazing book, explains it all! Our books intend to suck you in, take hold, and keep you entertained even when the final page is turned (or swiped, for our electronic readers 😉 )
I noticed your website says, “We don’t limit ourselves within genres, but we require stories to be fictional and geared towards Young Adult and New Adult audiences.” Any tips for writers about what catches the eye of the Reuts team?
It’s going to sound cheesy, but unique narratives with a different perspective always catch our eye. Our acquisitions team members all have their favored genres, and we’re relatively open to anything, but a story that’s new, bright and shiny will almost always elicit a 
positive response from our team.
A few of my personal favorites include vampires, fairytale retellings, anything horror and satire.
Do you publish e-books only or print titles as well? Where can Reuts books be found?
We publish both electronically and trade paperback (our annual anthology is the only title we currently produce in a beautiful coffee table worthy hardcover). REUTS books can be found at most (if not all) large online retailers, including Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Apple, etc… We are also in select brick and mortar shops. If you don’t see a REUTS book on your local bookshelf, just ask the bookseller to stock it for you! They’re more than willing to oblige, and you don’t have to pay any shipping fees from our online retailers.
What advice do you have for unpublished authors? Are there any resources you’d recommend before they query/submit?
First and foremost (and you’ll hear this a lot): Read. Reading within, and even outside of, your genre is huge. It’ll help you develop an ear for the voice of that specific genre, pick up on current trends (though remember: if it’s a trend now, it won’t be by the time your book is published).
Research is also a huge component in any venture towards publishing, whether it be the traditional, indie, self-publishing route. Know the editor you’re subbing to, know the company they work for, know who has publishing similar works within your genre. You have to become a pro at your little slice of the industry.
Our Editorial Director, Kisa Whipkey, wrote a few blog posts on the subject that are worth looking into: What to do WHILE querying and What not to do while querying.
Thank you for chatting with me!
Thank you so much for having me! The pleasure is all mine 🙂
Learn more about Reuts on their website: www.reuts.com
Jennifer Mary G 