Below is a list of our most frequently asked questions:
1. How is Baxter Press different from Zondervan, Bantam, Doubleday, or some of the other major publishing companies?
The benefits of publishing with Baxter Press are:
- You have editorial control of your text. You decide what goes into the book.
- You have artistic control of the cover design.
- You retain all the rights, including subsidiary rights, to your book.
- You can get your book published much faster, usually 2-3 months, with Baxter Press, instead of one to two years.
- Instead of making a royalty on the wholesale distribution of your book, you will make much more money on the sale of each book you sell yourself. In addition, your sales through bookstores will net you much more than a royalty.
Publishers who provide marketing and distribution retain editorial and artistic control of the book, as well as the publication rights. Most publishers select only a very few books to publish each year. One receives 10,000 manuscripts and publishes only 10 books a year, so many writers choose to self-publish to be sure their work gets into print.
So if you have your own market as a business person, speaker, or singer, self-publishing with Baxter Press is a very attractive choice.
2. How is Baxter Press different from other self-publishers?
Most other self-publishing companies offer their clients a few templates of formatting styles and a few standardized cover designs to pick from. They also can take up to a year to actually print the book. Some of them say they offer marketing support, but this usually consists of only a small space in their company’s catalog.
Baxter Press works with authors to produce the book they have dreamed of writing and selling. We customize the format and the cover design to be sure it is exactly what the author wants, and our prices are often less than other self-publishing companies. (Go figure.)
3. Will you register my book for me?
Yes, we will assign an ISBN number to your book and list it in Books in Print for you. Your book will then be in that publication in the reference section in every library in the country, as well as on the Books in Print web site for every bookstore. You, the author, will retain the copyright to your book.
4. How long does it take to get my book published?
To some degree, that depends on you. Some authors get bogged down in finalizing their manuscript. From the time you send the disk of your work to us, we generally have printed books to you in 3 to 4 months.
5. What is the process of getting a book published with Baxter Press?
Here are the steps:
1. Call or e-mail us the specifications of your book. You won’t know the actual page count yet, but you probably know whether it will be 200 or 300 pages long. We need to know whether you want hardback or paperback, the page dimensions, and the number of copies you want printed. You can also tell us about any artwork or photographs which will be included in your book.
2. We will then get your specifications, we will work up a budget for you. That budget will be the basis of a written agreement, though the final page count and any other alterations will slightly affect the final cost.
3. We will then send you an agreement spelling out the cost of each part of the process: writing, editing, formatting, cover design, printing, and shipping.
4. If you have questions about the agreement, we will answer them for you. When you sign the agreement, we will then begin the process of publishing your book.
5. We will get detailed input from you on your desires for the format and cover design.
6. We will send you samples of our designs based on your input and let you choose the specific ones you prefer. When you are satisfied, we will proceed with the printing.
7. The printer will send you proofs (called bluelines) of the text for you to approve.
8. After about 6 weeks at the printer, the book should be ready to be shipped to you.
7. Does Baxter Press do any writing or editing?
Occasionally, one of our writers is hired by someone who has a book concept but not the time or literary skill to turn that concept into print. The fees for writing vary according to the amount of research and writing which are required.
We also occasionally edit an author’s manuscript prior to publication. The fees here depend on the level of work required. Some require only proofing; others require extensive rewriting.
8. How should I send you my manuscript?
Be sure your manuscript is thoroughly edited and proofed before you send it to us. Revisions in the text after the publishing process is begun can be time-consuming and expensive. Take time to read it over several times, and ask a very picky literary person to read it for you, too.
We need you to email us a Word document.
9. What kinds of books do you publish?
Most of our books are by Christian authors and cover a wide range of faith-oriented topics. Some of our books are autobiographies, and some are humor. We have also published several children’s books.
We reserve the right to decline any book that we find objectionable in content.
10. How can I be sure I’ll get what I want?
At every step in the process, you will give us your desires and then sign off on the proofs. These proofs come from Baxter Press as well as from the printer, so there will be no surprises!
11. How do I sell my book through Amazon.com?
If you would like an e-book format of your book, we offer that service as well. We will convert the finished book into an e-book and provide you with the necessary files to get started.
The first step is to create an account on Amazon.com if you don’t already have one. You might want to opt to create a different account for your organization separate from your personal Amazon.com account, in case others in your organization need to access the account.
You will be selling your ebook through a service called Kindle Direct Service or KDP. Click here to access the point in the process you will be, once we issue you your e-book file (since your e-book will already be prepared, you can skip the first part of the process.) Remember, you will be uploading the .mobi file format of your e-book to Amazon.com for use on the Kindle. Go through the steps outlined in this tutorial to upload your title and cover, set up price and distribution options, etc.
Note: If you decide to use Amazon.com to sell your printed book as well as your e-book, you will set up an account through one of two services: Amazon Advantage or Amazon + Fulfillment. Click here to check out the details of each service, and how to decide which is the best choice for you.
12. How do I sell my e-book through other online resellers?
iTunes Bookstore: Create an iTunes account and upload the book and cover file. You will be using the .epub file for this. This link will walk you through the steps to publish your ebook on iTunes.
Barnes & Noble (Nook): Click here to create a NookPress account and follow the instructions to upload the .epub file and cover file.
13. What step do I need to take now?
There are many details in getting a book published, so feel free to contact us and ask any and all questions you need to ask. Simply send us an e-mail, or call us at (281) 993-3756.