Why work with us? And will your book actually, you know, sell?

  1. We want a creative collaboration. We will partner with you to ensure that your vision and goals result in a beautiful book. We want to have fun, so we're looking for folks who are nice to work with. Really, why not? Otherwise it's pure misery slogging through a project.

  2. We can't stand poorly produced books. We LOVE books, and so they need to look great—something you can be proud to hold in your hands.

  3. Your book must have a reason for people to buy it. And people who want it. Otherwise it'll sit on the shelf.

  4. We don't have formulas for how long the book can be, and we won't ever ask you to "delete a chapter, any chapter, it just needs to be shorter." Yes, it happens to authors. We also won't force a book cover that you just can't stand.

  5. Our approach is a profit-sharing model, where we split the income 50/50 once all title-specific expenses have been recouped. Most publishers will offer a small percentage of retail, which is inevitably lower—especially after all the fine-print deductions.

  6. Authors are not asked to pay anything. At all. We cover all expenses for getting your book out the door. So-called "hybrid" publishers (and other related terms) make money by charging you to publish your book, either in a package deal or itemized services such as editing, and so on. Read their fine print very carefully, and go to www.writersbeware.com, which compiles complaints and updates for book publishers.

  7. We cannot write your book for you! Either take the time to get it in order or find another writer to help you. We will provide feedback, then edit and proof the text, but it’s your responsibility to have a fairly solid manuscript.

  8. We pay royalties every quarter; most publishers pay once or twice a year. Our model ensures earlier income for royalties; traditional models relying on distributed retail take months to see any cashflow, if any. And lots of returns, meaning if it doesn't sell in stores, they send them back. At our expense. We all lose.

  9. Traditional publishers pay advances, but royalties almost never earn this out, meaning no more for you. Advances might be less than $1k for unknown authors, so again, do your homework and see what model seems best for you.

  10. A good number of our titles are print-on-demand, meaning they are manufactured and shipped immediately after each sale. This is an ecologically sound approach that reduces waste from unsold books. Too many books are manufactured by the thousands, only to be "pulped" and dumped in a landfill. Of course, we also produce eBooks for most of our titles, which have almost no ecological impact.

  11. Bookstore retail and best-seller lists are not as great as you might think. Stores need to believe in your book—and have local, interested customers who will actually buy it—to take the risk of stocking it. Most of them don't sell and get returned to the publisher. We have a smarter, more effective strategy that allows anyone to buy your book—but you have to help us get the word out to them.

  12. While we are not contracting with you to provide marketing services, it's only logical that we will do what we can to help get the word out. The more people know about your book, the more sales we make.

  13. We focus on connecting directly with people. It's best for authors to establish a home base of some sort, such as a website, podcast, or strong social media presence, where they can offer resources and dialog with readers and fans.

  14. Having said all of this, there are no guarantees. Some fabulous books will not sell well for a variety of reasons.