Xulon Press

Manuscript Selection

Christian books only.

Kind of Contract

Non-exclusive

2+2=5

The contract doesn't even mention royalties, and their site is unclear as to whether royalties are based on retail price or payments received by the publisher (for more info on dangerous clauses check out Beware Treacherous Clauses Ahead).

Distribution

Package

Distribution

Basic Program

Through their site.

Premium Program

Through their site and online retailers mostly.

Best-seller Program

Through their site, online retailers,their catalogue, some Christian media and their CBA stand.

Price Range

Package

Price

Basic Program

$999.00 plus extras

Premium Program

$1,499.00 plus extras

Best-seller Program

$2,199.00 plus extras

Royalties

Royalties are 30% of something though it's not clear whether it's retail price, payments received by the publisher or net receipts.

Author's Discount

Author's discount ranges from 20% to 50% depending on the package (each level adds a 10% discount). Under the Premium and Best-seller plans bulk discounts are available.

Breakeven point

Between 300 and 400 copies (approximation based on external sales of an average length book published under their Basic Program, assuming royalties are based on retail price, over 500 copies if it means payments received by the publisher, over 700 if it's based on net receipts).

Basic retail price

Competitive ($13.99 for a 200 pages book)

Interior Layout

They prepare you manuscript for you.

Cover Options

Package

Options

Basic Program

Generic, but you can supply your own

Premium Program

Using one of their templates

Best-seller Program

Custom designed

Choice of Trim Size

Yes

Color Printing

No

Pros*

Good distribution (with the obvious exception of their basic program).

They are a specialized publisher.

Cons*

Setup fees for their viable packages range from moderately expensive to extremely expensive (or from very expensive to totally unvialble depending on how royalties are calculated).

There's a very serious problem with their contract.

Additional Comments*

Though I usually don't believe claims of marketing beyond online retailers, I do believe that given the specialized nature of this particular publisher and its target audience, they may be an exception to that rule.

Also, taking into account the fact the number of differences in their different levels of service, I find it hard to make an accurate list of pros and cons beyond the most general aspects.

Take Me To Xulon Press's homepage
Take me to the Xulon Press' Forum

* These represent my personal views on the matter.

This page was last updated: January 24, 2005
 
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