What can you do for me and my book? In other words... Why should I work with you?

Well, to begin with I can read your book. Sounds basic doesn't it? It is, and yet it isn't. There is no other subsidy publisher—including amazon— where the owner or publisher actually reads the books they publish or, dare I say it, cares overly much what's in them.

I've read thousands of manuscripts over the last 15 years and published hundreds of them, and I can give you a good idea of what to expect from your book. If it needs changes I can suggest them to you. If I agree to work with you, I can suggest the best way to reach the readers for your book.

Why should I pay Elderberry Press to publish my book when I can publish an ebook myself for free on amazon?

Good question.

While publishing an ebook is a snap, publishing a good one isn't. After publishing more than a hundred ebooks, I've already made my mistakes. Working with me means you won't have to repeat them.

Read some kindle reviews on amazon and see how many readers liked the story but hated the formatting and errors and so, offered a bad review.

You'll have an experienced writer to fine tune your book description, and this is all important. Think writing a good one is easy? Read some of the book descriptions written by the authors and see what I mean.

Working with me means you'll have an experienced publisher, editor, writer and promoter as close as your email or  phone when you have questions—and you will. You won't have to go it alone or hire help—you'll already have it.

Is publishing a book a good way to get rich?

No. I compare publishing to taking a long dreamed of cruise. You don't do it to make money. You do it because you've always wanted to and you don't count it a failure if you don't come home with more money. It's a luxury, not a get rich quick scheme.

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 distributed and read by thousands of readers across the world.

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. I have heard that nine out of ten new books lose money and I believe it. In an 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. Just the truth---are you ready to hear it? If so, let's talk.

Will you work with me if I must put myself at financial risk to pay your fees?

I'm sorry, but I often must pass on publishing books when the writers tell me that paying our fees will put them in financial jeopardy. I am in business to make a living, but I've been a writer myself and if publishing a book will give a writer sleepless nights of worry over bills, I refer them to a free publisher.

Who will print and distribute my book?

Your book will be printed on demand by a subsidiary of Ingram Book Company, the largest book wholesaler in the world. POD (print on demand) books are printed one at a time...as they are sold. Your book will be distributed in the US by Ingram Book Company and in the UK by Bertram's.

Where can people get my ebook or print book?

At their favorite bookstore or at any online bookseller, including amazon, apple, sony, B&N, BAM and Diesel and at their local library ebook lending service.

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?

Yes. We pay tens of thousands of dollars in royalties every year to our authors, and those are checks I enjoy signing. Our authors deserve them and it's fun paying them.

How much are our royalties?

Many best-selling authors I've known have earned as little as a dime per book sold—a dime!  I know it's hard to believe. I didn't want to believe it either. We do better.

Our authors set their own royalties and earn from 10-50% of the retail price.

Do you ever refuse a manuscript?

Often. In fact we have turned down one MS by an author only to publish his subsequent MSs. 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. I advise writers to talk to authors and look at the books of a publisher before considering retaining their services.

How much does your service cost?

Many publishers play coy here, requiring a writer to send in their manuscript for an "evaluation" before telling them how much publishing will cost. Slick salesmanship, but not the way we do business.

Our fees are less than what you would pay for printing 1000 books at a local print shop. 

We offer three levels of service:

Expedited 72-hour E-book Publishing: $399

Economy Print Book Publishing: $1995

Deluxe Print and E-book PLUS Publishing: $5995 plus 2¢ per word

How are your fees payable? and are they tax deductible?

Our fees are due as publishing progresses in three payments. We accept checks, paypal and all credit cards.

Tax questions your CPA can best answer them 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. 

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