In traditional publishing, a publishing house picks up a manuscript and pays the author an “advance” on book royalties. They also pay the author royalties once the book’s profits have paid off the advance.

In self-publishing, you choose to invest time and money upfront to publish your own book.

More and more authors—including many who previously published with traditional publishers—are learning that not only is self-publishing affordable, the end product can be a professionally produced book you can be proud of.

This is because technology continues to support self-publishing. Print-on-demand resources allow authors to print and ship copies of their book as they need them. Orders can be placed at any time, and the product is not only crisp and professional, it is far more cost-effective than traditional offset printing. Social media, blogs and websites, and other digital marketing avenues have also made it easier than ever for self-published authors to market their books and interact with readers.

• You’re tired of chasing agents and publishers and just want to get your book out there for people to read.
• You’re passionate about your family history, autobiography, or a local story and want to publish it, but the subject might not appeal to a larger audience.
• You are ready to invest time and money into creating a professional-quality book you’ll be proud to call yours.
• You’re open to putting your own time and energy into marketing and selling your book.

After an internal review of your manuscript, we begin by meeting with you to discuss your book and our publishing process. Then we put together an estimate for the cost of the services you need—from editing and design to publishing coordination and printing. If you choose to proceed after receiving the estimate, we send a publishing contract. Once the contract is signed, we move forward with the project.

At the Write Place, the author retains the copyright of the book. You exert as much control over the editorial and design process as you would like. You may take advantage of the Write Place’s full range of publishing services, or you may pick and choose which services are right for your book.

The Write Place offers professional interior layout and cover design services. We custom design every cover and can incorporate photographs and artwork from the author or from an illustrator. The Write Place may also incorporate stock imagery into the book’s design.

The Write Place does not provide illustrations. Many of our authors who wish to have their books illustrated find illustrators online or through their own personal network. The Write Place can also provide authors the names and contact information of illustrators we have worked with in the past, though it is up to the author to personally contact the illustrator and create a separate business contract with them.

The Write Place offers a variety of professional book editing services for finished manuscripts. Our editing levels are:

• Basic – This option includes checking for grammar, spelling, and punctuation. There is one round of changes.
• Basic Plus – This option includes everything in the Basic level, plus work to improve clarity and syntax. There are two rounds of changes.
• Extensive – This option includes everything in the Basic and Basic Plus levels, as well as work to improve structure, characterization, plot, thematic content, and consistency. There are two rounds of changes.

The Write Place can provide a free editing sample upon request.

The cost of publishing with the Write Place depends on the length of the book, the complexity of the layout, and the level of editing and cover design services the author requests. After the initial meeting between the author and the publisher, the Write Place will provide an estimate of the cost of editing, designing, and coordinating publication.

The final contracted cost is included in the publishing contract. Our authors pay this cost in installments. The cost of printing and shipping the book is billed separately. Authors can pay online or with a check.

You work with the Write Place team to set the retail cost and royalty. If the book is available for online sale, you receive royalties on each copy sold. On the other hand, if you sell the book directly to the customer, you keep 100 percent of the profits.

We publish through a print-on-demand printer. After a book is complete and the final version is uploaded, you can choose how many books to order and you are invoiced. Books are shipped directly to you. Authors can order any number of books they desire, and the typical turnaround is ten days (though that is not guaranteed). The printer also offers discounts for large-quantity orders.

More books can be ordered at any time. You just need to contact us and let us know how many more you would like to order. We will then place an order with the printer and have the books shipped to you.

ISBNs are required if you want your book to be available for online retailers, bookstores, and libraries. The Write Place can provide one for you, or we can work with an ISBN you provide.

If an author chooses to purchase an ISBN, their book will be made available for sale on sites like Amazon and BarnesandNoble.com.

If you do not intend to sell your book and only plan to print copies to donate or give to family and friends, you may not need an ISBN.