Publishing

  

ACW Press offers excellent, ethical, and economic self-publishing.

Why should someone self-publish?

You’re probably aware that there are fewer and fewer publishers contracting fewer and fewer titles by fewer and fewer authors. (Nearly 99 percent of submitted manuscripts are turned down by royalty publishers.) But if you have a message or a story you feel compelled to publish, self-publishing is a popular—and now, economical— way to do just that.

Can self-publishing be successful?

Successfully self-published books include The Living Bible, T. D. Jakes Woman Thou Art Loosed, and Joseph Girzone’s Joshua, The Christmas Box and, of course, Paul Williams’ The Shack.

Other famous authors who began with self-publishing include Mark Twain, Edgar Rice Burroughs (Tarzan), Frank Baum (The Wizard of Oz series) and Zane Gray.

ACW Press has had a number of successful books including a Christy Award finalist J. Scott Featherstone’s Hallelujah and another featured in December 2005 on Regis and Kelly—John Kappe’s Silence. Many authors have had to go back for second, third and even fourth printings to keep up with the demand.

What exactly is “self-publishing”?

First, ACW Press is not a “vanity” publisher. Those companies usually provide no editing, poor-quality covers, and a reputation—stigma—that keeps them out of book stores and libraries.

Second, we would prefer the term “independent” publisher, where the author contracts professional editing and design and marketing to make the book a commercial success. But, the term “self-publishing” is here to stay.

Third, self-publishing means, that while you underwrite the costs of the production of your book, you also reap all the profits. A royalty book may sell for $14.95, but the author will often make less than $1.00 per sale. The same book self-published through ACW Press could bring home an income of nearly $8.00 per book! (Profits will vary with the quantity of books printed.)

What does ACW Press offer?

All of our packages includes full-color, custom-designed cover by designers who work for major publishing houses, editing for spelling, grammar and style, as well as an ISBN number and bar code so you can sell your books to book stores and other retailers, a free Web site for your book, and assistance in getting your book placed on amazon.com as an eBook.

Other services include fulfillment and international distribution through STL Distributors (free the first year for orders of 2,500 or more) and editorial services with our editorial advisor, James Watkins.

What does it cost to publish a book?

If you’ve been exploring various companies’ offers, you know the prices are all over the board. But here are some important questions to ask:

1. Does price include editing? Some companies charge from $2-5 per page extra to edit your book. At ACW, professional editing is included in all our packages.

   

2. Does price include a full-color, custom-designed cover? Many companies offer a choice of several standard covers or charge extra for custom designs. At ACW, all our books covers are custom-designed by artists working for some of the major Christian publishing houses.

3. Does price include custom typesetting? Again, many self-publishers offer one or two inside designs, but at ACW Press, each book is custom-designed.

4. Does price include ISBN number and Bookland/EAN bar code? These are essential for selling your book commercially—and expensive. Many self-publishers charge extra for this service, but at ACW Press, it’s also included in every book we publish.

5. Do you own all the rights to cover design, editing, ISBN, etc.? Yes! (At least one self-publisher holds the rights to your book for seven years!) We strive to not only be economical but completely ethical in all our work.

6. Does the publisher allow you to sell your books through other channels such as eBooks on amazon.com? Because you own all rights, you own all rights of electronic, foreign, film formats.

7. Does price include distribution? It’s important to remember that you, the author, are responsible for marketing your self-published book, but ACW Press can offer distribution through STL to the major book distributors such as Ingrams, amazon.com, and the Christian booksellers association for print runs of 2,500 or more. There is no charge for the first year of this service.

8. Are prices clearly posted? Many self-publishers offer complicated discount programs or refuse to post their prices. (Some even offer you a “royalty” on what you have purchased!) At ACW, all packages, as well as prices for unique sizes, art, etc. are clearly posted. Click here.

9. Have you done a “background check” on the publisher? There are many self-publishing scams! Please check out these links before signing with any self-publisher:
• Better Business Bureau
• Editors and Preditors
• Six Red Flags
• Writer Beware

10. Is the self-publisher accountable to any one? There are ethical self-publishers out that, but there are also a lot of scams. ACW Press is a service of American Christian Writers and is a member of the Evangelical Press Association, Evangelical Christian Publishers Association and the Global Network of Christian Ministries

All books must conform to ACW Press’ Statement of Faith

Our staff is made up of professionals in their respective areas who have worked in the business for over 100 combined years.

What if I edit the book and design the cover myself? Can I get a cheaper price?

You can at many other self-publishers. However, ACW Press is committed to the highest quality possible. Scripture requires us to produce only those things that are “excellent and praiseworthy.” No matter how good editors may be, they would never consider doing the final edit on their own books. Authors have a tendency to overlook their own mistakes—no matter how expert they are in editing. The same is true in cover design. There is a whole science and psychology to the art of cover design. Self-designed covers rarely match up to the professionally designed covers you see in book stores. So, ACW Press is willing to publish fewer books to publish better books.

How many books do I need to order?

With Print on Demand (POD) you can order as few as 15 books and can break even with as little as 200 copies. With traditional printing, the per book cost drops the more you print, so traditional is more economical for runs of 600 or more.

If you’re a public speaker, here’s a good rule of thumb. You will sell to about 10 percent of your audience. So, if you’re speaking to 10,000 people each year, you can reasonable expect to sell at least 1,000 copies in a year.

Can I go from POD to traditional printing?

Yes, you may want to print a few hundred PODs to test the market. If it’s successful, you can easily go traditional printing with the cost of editing and design deducted from the price since everything electronically transfers from print on demand to offset printing.

Recent books:

• Come, Ye Chosen Eva Marie
• Jesus in Prison Thomas Trock
• Journey to Patmos Jessica L. Matthews
• Over the Hill Onto the Mountain Louise L. Looney and James N. Watkins
• The Places Faith Will Take You Cindy Helvie
• Together Again Belinda Senter Kingsley
• With Gentle Authoriy Tim Howard and Brian Burke

How do I get started?

First, explore our site. Hopefully, you’ll find answers to all your questions.
• Endorsements
• Price list
• Preparing your manuscript
• Statement of faith
• Your part at ACW Press

Second, Reg Forder, our publisher, will be happy to send you a free, no obligation list of options if you will email your manuscript’s word count to: ACWriters@aol.com.

Fulfill your dream of publication starting today!