Personalize Your Package

Your Personalized Publishing Package

At Published By Parables you build your own publishing package. You determine the extent and limits of your financial investment in the publishing and distribution of your book.  You determine how and where your dollars are spent.  As shared earlier, some elements are essential as you put together your publishing package – some are not.  We will give perspective to each element presented – you decide which are appropriate for your situation.

Pre-Publication

There are certain pre-publication issues that need your attention before submitting your manuscript and cover for publication.  These fall into two categories: (1) Issues needing your attention before we can receive your manuscript; and, (2) Issues that need to be addressed once we have received your manuscript/cover files.

Issues Before You Forward Your Manuscript/Cover

Editorial Services

Though we do not provide editorial services we are confident that your book reflects your best effort and that you are satisfied with the level of its content, its visual presentation and grammar.

Portable Document Format (PDF)

We can (but we’d rather not) design the interior layout and format your text into a .pdf file for you.  Our fee for simple pages (no images or special text treatments, black ink only) is $1.20 per page. The fee for a 200 page book would be $240.00.  Do notice, however, that In comparison that professional designer services charge $1,790 for a similar 200 page book.  

Issues AFTER You Forward Your Manuscript/Cover

Printing Cost

Using the information provided on your Cost Calculator and Publishing Package, we will send you the cost for one book and the cost for 100 books.
(At this juncture we do not know the price that you intend to sell your book.  For ease in illustration, we’ll assume that your book retails for $16.99.  Remember, $16.99 is for illustration purposes only – you determine the sale price of your book.)

IBSN & Bar Code Cost

The most important identifier your book can have is the ISBN. As the U.S. ISBN Agency, Bowker is the ONLY official source of ISBNs in the United States. If your book does not have an ISBN number then your book will not be listed on the U.S./Global distribution. Without an ISBN, your book will not be stocked in most bookstores, either online, or down the street from your house.

A one-time cost of an ISBN & Bar Code for  your book is $100.

Book Distribution

Published By Parables is connected to the ordering system utilized by 39,000 independent and chain bookstores, libraries, and online retailers worldwide, plus every major e-book retailer (including iBookstore, Kobo, Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, etc…).  Our distribution network reaches print and electronic retailers in more than 195 countries.  Your book gets worldwide distribution.
** Though we have not discussed the Marketing Group that we work with, they print and mail a Christian catalog six times each year and features new and bestselling titles pertinent to the Christian audience. It showcases the best in Bibles, inspirational fiction, non-fiction, and gifts & games.  Participation in this program, however, is restricted to those who participate in the above U.S./Global distribution platform (above).  The Circulation of the catalog reaches 5,000 Christian retailers, 4,000 ABA retailers, and 3,000 Librarians.  The cost is less than $100.00 for listing in all 6 issues.  We’ll discuss that later, as a post-publication opportunity.
A one-time cost to have your book listed in the U.S./Global ordering system utilized by 39,000 independent and chain bookstores, libraries, and online retailers worldwide, plus every major e-book retailer is $200.00.

Book Seller Return Program

There has been an ongoing debate as to whether authors and publishers should grant booksellers the right to return unwanted or overstocked copies of books. Published By Parables allows you to opt in or opt out of the Book Seller Return Program.  It is, however, expensive to participate in these types of programs.  At Published By Parables you determine whether or not your books can or cannot be returned. In the ongoing debate some say that many booksellers will not stock books that are not returnable.  Others say this is not so.  Through the Book Sellers Return Program the cost of the returned books, plus postage, is covered through the premium you paid for participation in the program.  The fee for participation in the Book Seller Return Program is $750.00 per book title.  In the event that returns are higher than anticipated, the program will cease once the $750.00 has been consumed by reimbursements to book sellers.

** Its important that you weigh your options in the publishing of your book.  Here’s something to consider using the above example – answer this question -- how many books must you sell to break even.  My first publishing contract cost $2,138.00 – $839.00 of that was the fee for participating in their Book Sellers Return Program…and, for my investment I received 5 copies of my book.  I had to order, order, and order and sell, sell, sell -- more than 1,500 books just to break even.** A lady in our church wrote and had her book published – roughly 130 pages.  Her publication package cost more than $4,000.00.  When I asked her how many copies of her book she received for such a large investment – “None,” says she, “I just order books at a discount!”