Gina wrote to me with the following question:
I am wanting to get my first christian book published. I came across Strategic Book Publishng company who say they want to publish my book. They are telling me I need to pay $995.00 and will get royalty of 50%, then after selling 1000 books I would get a bonus of $1000.00.
Does this sound legit to you? Have you heard of this company?
Please let me know what you think.
My response?
I’m probably not the best person to ask since I’ve never paid a company to publish my work. Since I’m commercially published, I usually submit my work to a publishing house, and if they decide they want to publish it, they offer me a contract. The contract usually grants me an advance and after I’ve earned the advance back, I get royalties. I don’t get 50% in royalties, commercially published people usually get royalties somewhere between 5%-15% per copy sold, give or take…BUT commercially published people USUALLY sell several thousands of copies of books since our books are distributed widely via bookstores and places like Walmart, Kmart, etc.
Also, you have to remember, it’s a major feat to sell 1,000 copies of a self-pubbed book because you have to practically hand-sell each copy. Your book won’t have the same distribution as the books you’ll see on the shelves of most stores. Do you have a platform, or a means to sell your books so that your money is not wasted on this venture?
If you decide to pay to have your work published by this company, I’d see what kind of marketing support they give you. Also, you might want to see if there are any other writers online that have used Strategic Publishing’s services. You may want to ask Strategic Publishing’s customers if they’ve found their services useful. I just visted the site and saw that they have books advertised on the sidebar. I’d look through those published books to get authors to contact, and then see what they say.
You might also want to see if you can find other self-pubbed people who use other companies besides Strategic. I’ve heard you can publish your stuff cheap nowadays and I’ve heard others state that $1,000.00 is a bit pricey?
Another option would be to use Lightning Source to publish your novel. They’re cheap, BUT, your manuscript needs to already be edited and you’ll need your cover before you approach them. I’ve heard they publish the book “as is” so you’ll need to be sure it’s perfected before you send it to them. You might want to hire a professional editor to edit your book before you publish it yourself.
Hope that helps!
Hi Cecelia,
I have been in the self-publishing game and there are some good companies that don’t charge as much as the company Gina is speaking of. Some offer tutorials, technical support, assistance with designing covers and forums to ask specific question. For a first time author, I’d recommend Lulu or Createspace.
Both have reasonable rates that vary based on the services the writer needs and both have direct links to Amazon so their books are available for purchase online.
Lightning Source specifically works with large or indie publishers, but they do have a company for authors. I don’t know much about that although they have a link on their site. I recently heard Thomas Nelson also has a self-publishing arm called West Bow (SP). This is another option she can check. Hope this helps, too.
Thanks,
Melissa
Hi, Melissa.
Yes, Thomas Nelson does have a self-pubbed arm in their company now. It’s been running for about a year now. I’ve heard they’re a bit expensive but I haven’t spoken directly to anyone who’s used them. I did hear that if you use West Bow, and your book proves successful, then Thomas Nelson will consider publishing your book in the traditional/commercial format with their “regular” authors.
Harlequin also has a self-pubbed arm, but, I haven’t heard much about it since it was first started. I’ve wondered how the self-pubbed division of Harlequin is faring right now.
I wouldn’t go with that company if I was her. They claim to be a publisher, yet they want her to pay. That’s not a publisher- that is a glorified printing company. I know their type- they don’t edit, they don’t offer nearly enough marketing support to justify what the author pays them and they slip in enough hidden fees to where it’s not profitable for the author.
If she intends to pay to publish, your suggestion about Lightning Source is a much better idea. Your explanation about what it means to have a company publish your book is on point. What you do is through “real” publishers. Companies like this one tend to prey on an author’s ignorance and desire to get their work in print. I’ll take a look at their site too, but I bet they fall in with Authorhouse and IUniverse and all the other similar companies, none of whom I recommend.