Redemption Press Blog

Deception and Flash – Part Two – Comparing Apples to Oranges

In the last post, I shared my experience with an author who was meticulous in doing her homework and finding out the truth at multiple levels when comparing Redemption Press to Xulon and Westbow. Not an easy task since doing so is like comparing apples to oranges!

Here’s how it progressed.

She took my advice to have a full evaluation on her manuscript and as a minimum, based on the feedback from the critique, a word for word proofread of the typeset manuscript. This cost her about $800 more than the super, duper Xulon deal with no proofread for a manuscript with 75,000 words.

And because she does quite a bit of speaking, the savings on the back end will be significant as she buys her 300 page softcover book for $5.40 per copy… in quantities as low as ONE COPY. And if she buys quantities over 100, she’ll receive additional discounting.

Compare that to Xulon’s rate of:

$12.59* per copy (1-25)

$11.69* per copy (26-50)

$10.79* per copy (51-150)

$9.89* per copy (151-250)

At 1000-1500 copies they are still charging her $6.29* per copy

*Based on a $17.99 retail price that the author is persuaded to set. That’s right, they aren’t required to set it there, but if they don’t their royalties are further reduced, so while I can’t say Xulon REQUIRES the author to set a high retail price, they pretty much force you to).

These numbers would have been similar had we been comparing Westbow Press as well. In fact, this author sent me her fact finding list of comparison points that I’d like to list below. You might also like to listen to the recent interview I did with this author and two others who have experienced the difference between some of these other publishers and Redemption Press.

Publisher comparisons:

Xulon / WestBow / Redemption Press

Xulon / WestBow Findings

  • X/WB recommended cost per book too high
  • Package deal doesn’t offer enough editing quality
  • Post print editing minimal
  • WB returned too little on book store sales (10% to author)
  • Book fairs (X) seem like an ineffective marketing strategy
  • List of churches to approach (X) is author-labor-intensive marketing
  • Publicity/Press Release from Ingram Distributors (WB) to bookstores less effective marketing
  • WB lure of being picked up by Thomas Nelson and Zondervan publishing houses (with ~100 copies sold) seems unrealistic/unlikely

Redemption Press Findings

  • Expensive up-front but services superior and return with book sales better
  • RP offered more personal editing reviews
  • Press release available to same distribution channels
  • Plans to offer gift cards to buy books (vs physical book at retreats, signings)

Redemption Press has an a la carte menu of services where we custom create the appropriate bundle of services for YOU. It’s not a stock package that everyone gets. We don’t have a vending machine mentality, where you just go to our website and click on a package and away you go. We list all our services and their associated prices, but we don’t expect you to just be able to go to our site and grasp which services would be the best fit. We spend time with you going over your manuscript and needs and desires and custom create a proposal that’s unique to YOU.

Every author, every manuscript, and every situation are different. We want to review what you’ve written to make sure we are advising you properly. We want to help you determine the best strategy for editing and design, permissions, illustrations, turnaround time, and all the different options available to you.

We don’t offer cookie-cutter publishing. We provide sage advice every step of the way, by experienced, caring, gifted, professional, committed-to-Jesus people who are thrilled to be able to do what they are doing with the authors we serve.

We’d love to have a conversation with you about your book project and see how we can help you, as the Lord leads!

Call us at 844.2REDEEM (844.273.3336)

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Meet the Publisher

I've been around Christian publishing since 1987 when I helped our ministry self-publish an important resource for Vietnam veterans and their families. That book went on to be picked up by a royalty publisher and has since sold over 250,000 copies with a million in print.

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