Have a question? We've listed our most often asked questions here.


Who, where, what and why is Elderberry Press?
 We are a small, feisty independent press located in Oakland, Oregon, a small town some compare to Carmel. Formed five years ago by a nationally reviewed author to publish both his own and other writers' books which were being ignored by New York publishing conglomerates.
   I've been where you are now. I've poured my life's blood into a book and sent it off to be ignored by publishers too busy to be bothered even to read it. It's frustrating. It's heartbreaking. It's a dead end for most beginning writers. It's no longer the only option.
  My novels were rejected by fifty agents and publishers, and now they are selling worldwide, reviewed by Booklist, Publishers Weekly, and NPR, among others. Now I get letters and orders from libraries and readers across the US and UK.


Why would I want to pay a publisher to publish my book?
 Let me answer by asking you a question: If you could cover the cost of a large publisher (Random House, Bantam, or Harper, say) publishing your book, would you? If it were possible, if you could hire the talents and expertise of a reputable publisher to turn your manuscript into a book as attractive as any on Borders' shelves, would you? For me the answer was an emphatic yes.
  One problem, it couldn't be done. Without connections in the literary world I couldn't get an agent and without an agent I couldn't get my book read by a publisher. Sound familiar? It was a classic catch-22 and there was no way out. That is why I formed Elderberry Press, to do the next best thing, produce a quality book and promote it professionally, giving authors an alternative to the Scylla and Charybdys of either being ignored by big publishing or wasting their money (and dreams) by publishing through a vanity press. Now, at last there is an alternative to tossing your MS into the sock drawer. Isn't it about time?

Are you ready to be read?


Isn't vanity publishing a waste of money?
 Often it is. That's why after contacting many subsidy presses and thinking long and hard I formed my own company to do the job right for myself and for my clients. To publish, distribute and promote books the way they should be at a fraction of the cost of vanity presses. More services at a third of the cost. A better product for less money. A book that looks every bit as good as one from Random House or Simon and Schuster. A book we both can be proud of. That's what Elderberry Press is about. Vanity presses have a bad reputation---in many cases deservedly so---but independent publishers are gaining good reputations as the quality of their books increase. If the book looks good, an author's arrangements with his publisher is a private matter. Some authors choose to reveal them and some do not.


How does Elderberry get books reviewed?
 A properly prepared review letter sent with a galley will do much to gain a reviewer's interest. Over the years I have discovered how to write letters that grab reviewers' attention, and to satisfy the idiosyncratic requirements of various reviewers. Our results speak for themselves.


What can Elderberry do for me?
 Here's a short list of how we work to get your book before readers across the U.S. If your goals for your book require active promotion, then we may be for you.

1. Provide advance notation in Ingram's database, accessable to every bookseller and library in the US.
2. Insure an internet presence at many bookstores, i.e., Walmart, B&N, Borders, amazon, Books-a-Million, etc.
3. Include your book in our full page color ads in national magazines and newspapers.
4. Include your book on our full color glossy brochure in every order from our toll free order line at Book Clearing House in New York to readers of small press books across the nation. This is targeted advertising at its most accurate.
5. Advertise your book in a one third page banner ad in The Washington Times National Edition.
6. Provide Autographed Copy stickers for your book.
7. Provide you with large, glossy, color posters featuring your book. 8. Design press releases upon request.
9. Send out galleys to book reviewers, both local and national.
10.Give you weekly tips on radio hosts in need of guests as they contact us. 11.Build a webpage on amazon.com, including author interview, cover, reviews, synopsis etc.
12.Advise author on how to set up signings in their home area.
13.Make books available for signings, accepting orders from local stores on a returnable basis.
14.List on elderberrypress.com and sending updates on promotion to authors as they arise.
15.Link to authors' websites.
16.Inform radio and TV producers of book through email and listing in RTIR (Radio/TV Interview Report)
17.Secure a Library of Congress Catalog number, Books In Print listing, and copyright © for every book.
18. Send you 1000 color postcards on heavy cardstock to use as bookmarks, calling cards, posters and signing announcements in your campaign to inform friends and associates of your book's publication.
19. Send you 50 softcover or 25 hardcover copies of your title at no charge to use as you will. 20. Make your book available 24 hours a day at our toll free line and available for order at every indie and chain bookstore across the nation.


Will the public buy books published by independent publishers like Elderberry?
 That's an easy one. Yes. They have bought thousands in the last five years. Few people look for a publisher's imprint before they buy. If the book looks worth reading they will buy it. The same goes for library buyers.


How is Elderberry Press different from vanity presses like Dorrance, Trafford and Vantage?
Although I do enter into joint publishing ventures with my authors, that is the only similarity. The differences are these:
1. We are selective. We offer to publish less than 20% of our submissions---only the best.
2. Lower costs: usually a third to a half of vanity press costs, with many times the promotion.
3. Quality books printed, promoted, reviewed, distributed and sold internationally, and authors interviewed on talk radio across the nation.
4. Our authors enjoy a close professional relationship with their editor. I spend time with each of our authors to tailor our services to their needs. We are often in daily contact over the course of the year of publication. Unusual in today's publishing world, but that's the way we do business. Why? Because bigger is not always better.


What if I'm no salesman?
That's the beauty of it. You don't have to be. Reviews, Press Releases, smart mailings, sponsorship on amazon.com, book review submissions, listings in PMA site and magazines, professional book distribution by Quality Books, Inc., bookshow exposure and networking can get your book out in the marketplace. This is what a good publisher is for. Of course, there is no substitute for author promotion, and I can give you some hints and contacts along these lines if you need them.


Can you guarantee me a bestseller and an appearance on Oprah?
 No publisher can. What we do guarantee you is that you will have published a book you can be proud of, that looks like those on the racks of any bookstore inside and  out, a book distributed and publicized nationally. With nearly a thousand books published every day, I can almost guarantee you won't be scheduled on Oprah. In fact you have a better chance of being struck by lightning on a clear day. But that's no reason not to try!


Will I earn back what it cost me to publish?
 Perhaps, but no assurances. We have several authors who have recovered their investment and more who are nearing that goal, but this is a very tight market. The facts are that most books published by the big houses lose money. In this age of growing illiteracy and the internet, the market share for written entertainment is barely holding its own. In fact, the average all-time royalty paid by X-Libris (an online vanity press) is $147.
That's right, $147.
Ours is higher, of course, due to our selectivity, but our authors aren't rolling in C notes either. Am I trying to discourage you? Not on your life. I am leveling with you. That is one difference you will notice between Elderberry and other subsidy publishers. No hard sell. No pie in the sky. Instead: the truth---are you ready to hear it? If so, let's talk.


I have heard about web publishers who are very cheap. Why are you more expensive?
 Because we spend the time to get to know our authors' goals and custom design precisely the book our authors imagine (inside and out) then seek reviews by national media (NPR Publishers Weekly Booklist National Review, Today's Books, Methodist Review, ForeWord) and then promote nationwide via color catalog mailings to libraries, ads in The Washington Times Weekly, Radio/TV Interview Report, American Library Association bookfair, Public Library Association bookfair and review copies sent to major reviewers.
We send our books to both the American Library Association Bookshow and the Public Library Association Bookshow, register copyright, Library of Congress, assign ISBN and barcodes---in short, we take care of everything so you don't have to. We also have been having great results in securing radio interviews for our authors on dozens of national radio shows, including Art Bell's Radio Coast To Coast Am and Clear Channel Broadcasting.
Want more? We also provide our authors with 50 free softcover copies of their book and all the additional copies they need, usually at more than 50% off the retail price.
If working closely with an experienced author and publisher to produce a book with professional appearance and marketing is your goal, we might be a match for you.


Who will print and distribute my book?
 Your book will be printed on demand by Lightning Source Inc., a subsidiary of Ingrams Book Company.
POD books are printed one at a time...as they are sold. Unthinkable only a decade ago, POD is opening up new dimensions in publishing. I believe that soon every major bookstore will print on site and hand books to readers still warm from the press, filling orders instantly. A dream? No... only the logical progression as POD technology drops in price. Remember, you read it here first.
Your book will be distributed in the US by Ingram Book Company and in the UK by Bertram's.


Where can people order my book?
 At their favorite bookstore (for 72 hour delivery), Barnes and Noble, Borders, B.Dalton's, Waldens, on the web at amazon.com., B&N.com, borders.com., or 24 hours a day from our toll free order line: (800) 431-1579, where they may pay with any card and will receive their book in 3 days.


Do I keep my rights?
 You keep all rights and may elect to remove your book from our system at any time.


Do you pay royalties?
 We pay royalties of 10-25% of retail price dependent upon page count. We profit from the sale of your book. Thus, we have a stake in the success of your book and, we are encouraged to make it the best it can be.


Do you ever refuse a manuscript?
 Often. In fact we have turned down one MS by an author only to publish a subsequent MS.
We do not publish plagiarous, racist, hateful, graphic or libelous material, or anything that leaves the world a poorer place for it having been published. That we leave to the big publishers.


May I contact your authors?
We hope you will. We are happy to furnish dozens of our authors as references. From them you may learn what it is like to work closely with us. Our authors are more than happy to share their experiences. They are a great bunch of people, both talented and generous with their time and expertise.


How much does your service cost?


About what you would pay for printing 1000 unsalable books at a local print shop. Our fees, inclusive of all included services are:

Adult books: $5900 plus 2¢ per word all inclusive.
Children's color books: $7200 including illustration by our award winning illustrators.


Expensive? Each must judge for himself. Though our fees are a fraction of the fees of vanity publishers, our services are not within reach of all new authors. We do our best to provide value for our authors' investment in their books. For authors on a limited budget we recommend these reputable, large, inexpensive publishers: publishamerica.com, lulu.com or i-universe.com.


How are your fees payable?
To assure of your safety and satisfaction, publishing fees are payable in three installments: One third with signed contract. One third when final proof of text and cover are approved. One third when sample book is approved. We often arrange for 12 monthly payments at zero percent interest.


Are your fees tax deductable?
Your CPA can best answer this question for you. What I can say is that many of our authors have structured their book publishing enterprises as a small business and are thus able to deduct 100% of their expenses involved in publishing, and so reducing their out of pocket expenses by as much as a third. Consult your CPA for details.


Do your authors recoup the cost of publishing their books?
Several of our authors are well on their way to doing just that. Others have not been so fortunate. Some books, and some authors, are more marketable than others.


Have radio interviews been successful in promoting your authors and selling their books?
Successful beyond our expectations. We have had several authors invited onto national radio shows for as long as four hours to speak about their books. Sales have been respectable. Some authors have spoken on dozens of shows. We have yet to have one author who has not garnered at least a few interviews on radio.


To What Professional Associations does Elderberry Belong?
We are associate members in good standing with PMA (Publishers Marketing Association) and are listed on their site. You may link to their site on from our home page links.




If you still have questions, please email or call me and I will do my best to answer them honestly and realistically.





Dave St.John
Executive Editor