Book Publishing Services From a Publisher That Acquires Books and Sells Services
Most companies selling book publishing services are printers or upload platforms with a sales team. We're a publishing house in Lake City, Colorado that also sells services, and we'll tell you which of the two you need. If our editorial board acquires your book, we pay for editing, design, printing and distribution. If you'd rather publish on your own, you buy only the stages the book needs, at prices we publish.
Or submit your manuscript to the editorial board.
Why authors bring books here
- An independent publishing house in Lake City, Colorado, with a back catalogue of regional history, biography, memoir and Western writing
- An editorial board that reads every submission, with no reading fee
- Every rate published on the pricing page
- An NDA signed before you send anything
Two ways a book gets published here
Authors arrive thinking there's one door. There are two, and the cost to you is very different.
The board reads every submission, and submissions go to editors rather than into a queue. When the board decides a book belongs on our list, the house pays for editing, design, printing and distribution, and you pay nothing. There's no reading fee and you get a written reply either way.
What the board looks for, and what happens after you send a manuscript, is set out on the submit your manuscript page, so we won't repeat it here. The terms of an offer go into a contract before anything is signed. Read it at your own pace.
You buy the stages your book needs, no more. A typical independent book, with editing, a cover, layout and print-ready files, comes to $2,500 to $6,000. The fee we quote is the whole cost: no royalty share and no package to buy. Before quoting we read a sample, and if the manuscript needs an earlier stage than the one you asked for, we say so.
Other sites call this self publishing services. We call it buying the parts of a publishing house you can't build yourself, and we price each part openly.
What a publishing company actually does
Uploading a file isn't publishing. A file can be live on a retailer's site by tonight and still not be a published book, because the decisions that make a book work were never taken. Here's the desk, in the order the work goes.
Acquisition
Someone has to decide this book belongs on this list. It's a judgment about fit, readership and whether the house can add something the author can't. That's why a real publisher turns books down, and why the answer is never decided by who can pay.
Editing
There are four jobs, and they run in order. Developmental editing fixes structure and argument. Line editing works on the sentences. Copy editing catches grammar and inconsistency and produces a style sheet. Proofreading is the last look at typeset pages. Skip a stage and the next one does its job badly. Our book editing services explain each.
Design
The cover is judged at thumbnail size on a retailer's page, long before anyone reads a word inside. The interior has to be set to a printer's file specification, or it prints wrong.
Production
Files are built to the printer's and the retailer's requirements, and a proof is ordered and checked before a print run. A spine that's a hair off is a mistake you only see once the boxes arrive.
Distribution
The book needs an ISBN and accurate metadata, and has to be orderable in print and as an ebook.
The backlist
A publisher keeps a book findable long after launch week. Our own list is a long one: regional history, biography, memoir, Colorado and Western writing.
Each of those is a person's decision. That's what the fee pays for when you buy services, and what the house pays for when it acquires a book.
What our book publishing services cover
Here's the whole menu, with the starting price from our published rates. Prices written "from" are starting prices, not flat rates.
- Editing. Copy edit $0.023 a word, line edit $0.027, developmental edit $0.034, proofread $0.016, manuscript assessment $0.020. Minimum fee $450 a pass. See book editing services.
- Cover design. From $850. A cover with original art starts at $1,800, which includes the artist's fee and the licence. See book cover design and book illustration services.
- Interior layout. $2.20 a page, minimum $600. Ebook conversion, EPUB and Kindle, is $420. See book formatting and ebook conversion.
- Print. Print setup is $280 plus the printer's cost. Hardcover is its own craft, covered under hardcover book printing.
- Audiobooks. From $260 per finished hour, with narrator casting, direction, mastering and delivery to ACX. See audiobook production.
- Marketing. Listing and metadata $350, launch plan $750, advance reader team $900. Ebook and Amazon promotion is its own specialty. See book marketing services.
Paperback, hardcover, ebook and audiobook each have their own page above, so we won't describe them twice here. If the book isn't written yet, ghostwriting comes first. The full list is on the page with every rate we charge.
Paperback, hardcover, ebook and audiobook each have their own page above, so we won't describe them twice here.
Tell us about the project
Send a few details about book publishing services and a person on our team will reply with a fixed quote. You'll know the price before any work begins.
Prefer to talk? Call (336) 565-6915, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm Mountain Time.
Who owns what when your book is published
On the services route, your copyright, your royalties and your manuscript stay yours. Nothing you sign takes ownership of the work. Every production file is yours as well: the layered cover art, the typeset files, the style sheet and the manuscript. You can take them to another supplier tomorrow.
The ISBN works the same way. We buy it at cost, $125 for one or $295 for ten, and we buy it in your name, so the imprint on the record is yours. That matters more than it sounds. Amazon's own explanation of ISBNs and imprints says an imprint is the name of the publisher associated with a book's ISBN, and that a free KDP ISBN lists the publisher as "Independently published" and can only be used on KDP. Own the number and you choose the name.
Copyright registration is yours to make, and it's a simple form. You can register your copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office directly. Ask a lawyer about your own situation.
On the acquired route, the terms are in the contract before you sign. Hold any contract, ours included, against the Authors Guild model trade book contract.
How distribution works, in plain terms
Distribution gets confused with luck. In the trade it means something specific. The book gets an ISBN and metadata: title, description, categories, keywords and price. Files go to the print and ebook channels, and the book becomes orderable. That's all it means. It isn't a promise of shelf space.
Print on demand and a print run are different animals, and which suits your book depends on how many copies you can sell by hand. We cover the choice on the hardcover book printing page. Audiobooks are delivered to ACX once they're mastered to retailer specification, which our audiobook production page explains.
Being listed isn't the same as selling. A book sells because the cover reads at thumbnail size, the description earns the click and somebody tells the right readers it exists. That work is what book marketing services are for. For a dated plan of the weeks around release, try the publishing timeline planner.
How a book moves from manuscript to published
This is where the route splits: submit it to the board, or ask for a quote.
A sample is read before quoting. If we can't do the work well, we say no and explain what the book needs instead.
The scope is agreed before work starts. A writer, an editor and a project manager stay with the book from first interview to final file.
Marketing is optional, and you decide.
We don't promise a calendar here, because the honest answer depends on the manuscript and the stages it needs.
What publishing a book costs
On the acquired route, nothing. The house pays.
On the independent route, a typical book runs $2,500 to $6,000 for editing, cover, layout and files. Here's arithmetic from the published rates, as an example and not a quote. An 80,000-word book with a copy edit is $1,840. Add a cover from $850 and a 300-page interior at $2.20 a page, which is $660 and above the $600 minimum. That's $3,350 at starting prices, before printer cost, and the number moves with the book.
A short book hits the floor. A 15,000-word copy edit works out below the $450 minimum, so $450 is what you'd pay for the pass.
What moves the price:
- Word count, and how many editing passes the book needs
- Whether the cover needs original art
- Whether the interior is illustrated
- Hardcover or paperback, because printer cost is paid separately
Editing, design and production are half on booking and half on delivery. We do not ask for a full project fee up front. Ghostwriting is paid in stages against delivered chapters.
If anyone quotes you a five-figure publishing package before reading your book, ask what each line buys. For the market view, read our guide on how much it costs to publish a book, then work out your own numbers with the book budget calculator.
Send us the first chapters and we'll tell you which route fits. A quote is free and commits you to nothing, or you can submit your manuscript.
Send us the first chapters and we'll tell you which route fits.
How to tell a legitimate publisher from a vanity press
A publisher that pays to produce a book it chose is making a bet. A company that bills you to "consider" your book is making a sale. That's the whole test in two sentences. Check who the real customer is, whether acceptance arrives with an invoice, and whether the contract takes your copyright.
The five warning signs live in the "How to Spot a Vanity Press Before You Sign" section on our submissions page, and the questions that expose a publishing scam go further. Hold us to the same tests.
A publisher that pays to produce a book it chose is making a bet.
When you do not need a publisher
Plenty of books don't need one, and we'd rather say so.
- You want copies for family, a speaking table or a local group. A printer and a good proofreader may be enough.
- The book is already edited and you can manage freelancers. Buy only the cover and the files.
- You want to upload to a platform yourself and keep every decision. That's a legitimate route, and platform tools are free to start.
A publisher earns its fee when you want an editor who works on the manuscript, a cover commissioned for the book, a proof checked before a print run, or a second pair of eyes on the metadata. Work we can't do well is turned down, with an explanation. For the longer comparison, read self-publishing vs traditional publishing.
For the longer comparison, read self-publishing vs traditional publishing.
Why authors bring their books to a publishing house
Because an editorial board reads what they send, and because the same house sells the rates in the open. Behind that is the list itself, built since 1996 on regional history, biography, memoir and Colorado and Western writing. The site counts 450+ books written and 750+ books internationally acclaimed. Read what authors say on the testimonials page.
Because an editorial board reads what they send, and because the same house sells the rates in the open.
Who this is for, and who it is not
This suits authors with a finished or nearly finished manuscript, such as memoir, history, regional nonfiction or a business book. It suits those who want a publisher's discipline and are comparing routes.
It isn't for anyone wanting a promise of sales, guaranteed bookstore placement or a bestseller. It isn't for an author who only needs a printer.
It isn't for anyone wanting a promise of sales, guaranteed bookstore placement or a bestseller.
Questions authors ask before they commit
- Will you take my book if I pay? No. The acquired route is the board's decision, never a purchase.
- Do I have to buy everything? No, there are no packages.
- Do I lose control? On the services route, the decisions stay with you.
- Is a quote really free? Yes. Nothing is chargeable until you say yes in writing.
Questions we get asked
What is the average cost to publish a book?
It depends on the route. If our editorial board acquires the book, the house pays and you pay nothing. Published independently, editing, a cover, layout and files typically run $2,500 to $6,000 at our rates, plus the printer's cost. Every rate is on the pricing page.
Should you ever pay a publisher to publish your book?
Not to be considered, and not for a book the house chose to acquire. Paying for services you picked and priced in advance is different from paying to be accepted. The test is on the submissions page: who is the real customer, and does acceptance arrive with an invoice?
Who is the best publisher for first-time authors?
There's no single best one. The right publisher reads your book, shows you its contract and its prices, and has real books in print. We offer an editorial board, published rates and a back catalogue. For other houses, see the publishing directory.
How much does an author make on a $20 book?
It depends on route and format. Independently, you earn the price minus printing and the retailer's cut. On an acquired book it's the royalty in the contract. Try the royalty calculator or read how book royalties work.
How many books do you have to sell to make $100,000?
Divide $100,000 by what you earn per copy. At $5 a copy it's 20,000 copies, and at $2 it's 50,000. That's an illustration, not a forecast. Most books don't get there, and this page doesn't promise it.
What is the difference between self-publishing, a traditional house and a vanity press?
Who chooses the book, who pays, and who owns the work. A traditional house chooses and pays. Self-publishing leaves every choice and cost with you. A vanity press charges the author to be accepted. We run the first and the second, and publish prices for the second.
Do I keep the rights and the ISBN if you publish my book?
On the services route, your copyright and files are yours, and the ISBN is bought in your name. On the acquired route, the contract sets the terms before you sign, and you read it first.
Is there a free way to publish a book?
Uploading to a platform is free to start, but editing, a cover and layout still cost money or your own time. The only no-cost route through a house is acquisition, where the house pays for production.
The testimonials of all our wonderful clients
Our clients love to share how it felt to work with us. Here is what some of the authors we have partnered with had to say about the experience.
★★★★★“Working with the Western Reflections Publishing team was a great experience. I came to them with a book idea but needed help structuring it into a finished manuscript. They took the time to learn my objectives right away, communication stayed consistent throughout, and the writers did a great job keeping my voice while improving the structure and flow. I was impressed by how well the finished manuscript reflected my vision.”
Olivia Adams
★★★★★“Western Reflections Publishing took my half-baked idea and turned it into something beautiful. Sarah, my editor, was incredibly patient with me. The cover design team nailed my vision, and the publishing process was smooth. Seeing my book on Amazon is surreal. I'm beyond grateful for their services.”
Amy Tosh
★★★★★“I'm beyond impressed with the editing team at Western Reflections Publishing. They didn't just fix my grammar; they truly understood my voice and helped refine the narrative flow of my book. The transformation from my initial draft to the final version is incredible. If you want your book to stand out, this is the place to go.”
Dakota Bailey
★★★★★“I've published multiple titles, but working with Western Reflections Publishing for my latest release was the smoothest experience yet. From editing to marketing to distribution, their team was professional and responsive. It's clear they truly care about their authors' success, and the best part was that they valued my input and let me take the lead.”
Betty Lentz
★★★★★“I honestly didn't expect the publishing process to feel this smooth, but Western Reflections Publishing made it surprisingly easy. Their editing and formatting teams were thorough and attentive, and they guided me step by step. I felt supported the whole way, which gave me the confidence to finally share my book with the world.”
Caleb Hudson
★★★★★“I was pleasantly surprised by how smooth the process was with Western Reflections Publishing. Their developmental editing brought new clarity to my manuscript, and the formatting team delivered a polished, professional final version. The team's support and clear communication made the entire publishing experience easy to navigate.”
Madison Palmer
Send it to the board, or ask for a quote
Got a manuscript? Send it to the editorial board. Want to publish it yourself with a publisher's help? Ask for a free, fixed quote. Call (336) 565-6915 or write to info@westernreflectionspublishing.com, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm Mountain Time.
Every service, in one place
- Ghostwriting Services
- SEO Writing
- Article Writing
- Web Copy Writing
- Press Release
- Script Writing
- Magazine Writing
- Legal Ghostwriting
- Medical Ghostwriters
- Podcast Scriptwriting
- Real Life Story Writing
- Scientific Ghostwriting
- Screenplay Script Writing
- Songwriting Services
- Speech Script Writing
- Technical Ghostwriting
- Twitter Ghostwriting
- Brand Storytelling
- Business Book Writing
- Children’s Book Writing
- Comic Book Writing
- Corporate Writing Services
- Rewriting
- Resume Writing
- Ghostwriting in Arizona
- Ghostwriting in Colorado
- Ghostwriting in Georgia
- Ghostwriting in Illinois
- Ghostwriting in Kansas
- Ghostwriting in Nebraska
- Ghostwriting in New Mexico
- Ghostwriting in New York
- Ghostwriting in North Carolina
- Ghostwriting in Ohio
- Ghostwriting in Oklahoma
- Ghostwriting in Pennsylvania
- Ghostwriting in Texas
- Ghostwriting in Utah
- Ghostwriting in Virginia
- Ghostwriting in Washington