Christian Writing Self-Publishers Recommendations

[tedsaul]

Hi all,

Waiting to hear from a potential literary agent but as time goes on I'm thinking of going back to Plan A, self-publishing. These companies have hounded me and per advice from another post, I want to run the names by this forum and look for at least a thumbs up or thumbs down. Keep in mind the book would fall into the category of Christian Growth. Here are the companies I constantly get contacted by ...

Xulu Press
Authorhouse Publishing
Dorrance Publishing

Appreciate your help. I'm back to looking for editing help but will start another thread to post that question.

Thanks,

Ted

 

[suspensewriter]

Don't use them. Use Draft2Digital.com.

 

[Zee]

I agree. It’s free, high quality, and easy to use.

 

[Accord64]

Xulu Press
Authorhouse Publishing
Dorrance Publishing

Click to shrink...

No, no, and NO!

These are not self-publishing companies. They are considered "vanity publishers." They charge you for things that you can do yourself (in most cases) for free.

When you self-publish, YOU are the publisher. Any company you decide to engage is a sub-contractor to you. You should have total creative and business control of your material.

 

[Accord64]

Use Draft2Digital.com.

Click to shrink...

Yes, Draft2Digital is considered an "aggregator." For a small portion of each sale, they distribute your book to a variety of retailers and distributors. Or you can do it yourself. Retailers like Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Google Play are free. Or you can have D2D do some and you do the rest. It's all up to you. That's what self-publishing is all about.

 

[HK1]

I agree with @suspensewriter and @Zee. Draft2Digital's what I use.

 

[carolinamtne]

The fact that these "publishers" are hounding you should tell you something. They only want your money. They don't care about your book. Real publishers don't charge you and they certainly don't hound you.

 

[tedsaul]

Thank you so very much. You are confirming things that I was thinking.

Checking out Draft2Digital. Looks like they are merging with Smashwords. Not familiar with them either but if it makes them a larger company, that can be a good thing.

I really appreciate you all.

 

[lynnmosher]

No, no, and NO!

Click to shrink...

My answer as well.

 

[Jessie P]

Hi all,

Waiting to hear from a potential literary agent but as time goes on I'm thinking of going back to Plan A, self-publishing. These companies have hounded me and per advice from another post, I want to run the names by this forum and look for at least a thumbs up or thumbs down. Keep in mind the book would fall into the category of Christian Growth. Here are the companies I constantly get contacted by ...

Xulu Press
Authorhouse Publishing
Dorrance Publishing

Appreciate your help. I'm back to looking for editing help but will start another thread to post that question.

Thanks,

Ted

Click to shrink...

Definitely don't self-publish with anyone who is reaching out to you. These companies prey on writers and do nothing for their careers, rights, or book success. They will take your money and leave you with little to show for it, but a stack of unsold print copies.

If you ever do self-publishing, look for print on demand services that don't charge anything to upload or submit. Draft-2-digital, KDP, Barnes and Noble Press, even Ingram Spark (though they are not very user friendly and do charge a fee to upload) are more reputable options than any of those.

 

[Accord64]

Checking out Draft2Digital. Looks like they are merging with Smashwords. Not familiar with them either but if it makes them a larger company, that can be a good thing.

Click to shrink...

I've been with Smashwords for years, but have also heard great things about D2D. Looking forward to the merger, hopefully combining the best of both.

Mark Coker, the founder of Smashwords, has been a fervent supporter of the self-publishing revolution. He's done a lot to help move it forward. Please check out his free resources on this subject.

 

[lynnmosher]

I hadn't heard anything about the two merging. Looked it up. They merged in March. Sounds like a great merge!

 

[Jeff Potts]

Stay. Away. From. Dorrance.

 

[Chris Brown]

I'm still a fan of IngramSpark for paperbacks, and the last go-round I did my own uploads to the big 5 eBook retailers, which is working well for me. Apple was a giant pain in the derriere to get set up, but it's fine now that it's up and running.

 

[suspensewriter]

Stay. Away. From. Dorrance.

Click to shrink...

Oh, yes!

 

[tedsaul]

Thanks for all the input. Very helpful and definitely know who I'm not going with.

One other question ... thoughts on Lulu? I have a friend who published a couple of books with them and they look ok. They are small devotional books. DTD looks real good to me but just curious what you experts think.

Thanks again,
Ted

 

[suspensewriter]

Don't use them.

 

[tedsaul]

Hmmm... don't have to tell me twice. Thanks