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WHY COLD TREE PRESS?

Our options and royalties.

Each option includes many items that may be add-ons with other publishers. We strive to give you the best possible published book at a fair price. Our CEO sums it up in his letter to authors, “Yes, we do expect to show a return for our services. Like you, we need to put food on the table. But we also feel that we can do that within a fair structure and at a fair price, without sacrificing the quality and personal service that is so often missing in today's world.”

Our royalties are some of the highest in the industry, with the author receiving 30% of the retail price paid on books sold through the Cold Tree Press web site and 15% of the retail price on all books sold through online and brick and mortar retailers. In addition, our authors receive a substantial 40% discount on all books they may wish to purchase for their own needs.

Our Pledge.

We believe in our work and our philosophy of doing business. If you are not satisfied with the design of your book or the service you have received up to and including the author's proof stage of the process, just return the proof and let us know why. We'll correct it to your satisfaction, or refund your submission fee and remove your files from our database. Our goal is to produce the most visually marketable book while providing the highest level of personal service.

It's that simple.

Personal interaction throughout the process.

You will not be dealing with an “associate,” but with the senior designer who will be designing your book and shepherding it from start to finish throughout the production process. This is someone who cares as much as you do that the finished product is just what you envisioned.

Access to our CEO.

We don’t stand on titles here. If you would like to talk to our CEO, who has close to 30 years award-winning experience in graphics, advertising and marketing, just e-mail or call him, and he will be happy to answer any questions or concerns you may have. You will find no elitism at Cold Tree Press, only a comfortable, professional partnership as you realize your dream.

Free Marketing Design Assistance.

Though we do not actively market the book for you, we will design most materials you may need for promoting your book, as long as your book is in our catalog. This means whether it is the day after your book comes out or a year from now, we’ll design what you need to help you promote your book and provide you a printable pdf document.

We are also here to answer any questions you may have about the best way to market your book based on our experience and work with other authors.

Both of these are free of charge to our authors.

One flat fee—from manuscript through the published book.

Our options are all-inclusive. There are no hidden charges, and we’ll never try to up-sell you. We give you our honest opinion of what we feel would be the best route for you to take, whether it is deciding which option to choose or which picture to put on the cover.

Custom covers and interiors.

Because we take a custom approach to every book that comes through the door, the author benefits from our own personal years of experience in graphics, marketing and publishing. No matter what option you choose, we start from scratch, designing your book based on its content, and consider what it will take to get a potential reader to go from noticing your cover to exploring the inside. A strong and appealing cover and a correspondingly strong interior are integral to your book’s success. We work as hard on the interior as we do the cover. As the interior is being formatted, we take the time to adjust the spacing on each line, if necessary, to reduce hyphenation, eliminate widows and bad line breaks. We believe in our work and that of our authors. That’s why we put forth that extra effort. We think the end result is worth it.

A true caring attitude.

We’re all designers and writers here so we know what you’ve gone through to get your book to this stage. And we know the feeling of placing that work before the world for all to read. We’ve been there. No book leaves our walls until both the author and we are satisfied that it is in the best possible shape to be seen. Our CEO reviews each and every book before it even goes to the author for review and has the final internal sign-off prior to publication.

The core difference.

We hope this has given you a glimpse of Cold Tree Press. More detailed information can be found as you go through our website and explore our options. Our primary point of difference is in the personal interaction you will receive and the design quality of the end product. We truly care about the writers we partner with and do everything we can to ensure that a caring philosophy comes through. We set very high standards for ourselves and strive to live up to those with each and every book. Though we would love to have you as one of our family of authors, no matter who you choose, we wish you the very best of luck!

TIME FRAME

Our typical time frame to complete a book is 90 days. There is a reason for this: We feel it is in the author’s best interest to take that extra time and get it right. Most books only get one shot in the marketplace, and we want to be sure it has the best possible chance for success. Many authors have put years into writing their books; we think the end result should reflect that same dedication.

ROYALTY INFO

The royalties we offer are some of the highest in the industry. Our royalties are 30% of the retail price for all books sold through the Cold Tree Press Catalog, not of the net as some do, with a 15% royalty on books sold through any online or retail bookseller. Though we don't pay royalties on books purchased by the authors themselves, we offer a substantial 40% discount off the retail price.

SUBMISSION HELP

Click here to download an easy to follow, step-by-step PDF document that explains all the information you will be asked to provide. If you have any questions about the process, don't hesitate to give us a call, 615-309-4984.

MANUSCRIPT HELP

We are here to help you present the best possible product to the marketplace. This is your chance to shine. In order to help you do that, we've set up some brief guidelines we need you to follow as you prepare your work for submission. Pay special attention to the "Editing" section.

Manuscript Set Up

Set up your margins with 1" top and bottom. And 1.5" on either side. All text should be double spaced using tabs (physically type a tab; do not use spaces) to indent. DO NOT format your text according to standard manuscript guidelines. We will add the necessary identifiers and page numbering when the interior pages are configured at our end. The only place hard returns should appear are at the end of a paragraph. ONLY use more than one hard return to separate chapters or necessary breaks in the text. Be sure that it is clear when a new chapter begins. Use only one typeface throughout (Times is a good standard) using bold to indicate chapter headings. Use italics in place of underlines. Your complete manuscript should be ONE document, do not submit individual Word documents for each chapter, as this will only slow down the process and result in delays. By following these guidelines we can expedite your book through the process and everyone comes out ahead.

Manuscript Submission

Manuscripts must be submitted in electronic format as one Microsoft Word file format. Bios, summaries and annotations may be submitted as separate files.

Included with your manuscript should be:

Any author suggestions and thoughts of your vision as to graphic interpretation of story for the cover. (Be thorough, but as short and concise as possible. Our staff will be in touch with you prior to drafting the cover to review your thoughts as well.)

Author Biography

No more than 100 words.

Book Summary & Annotation

No more than 150 words.

Editing

Be sure to check your manuscript thoroughly for spelling, grammar and proper standard usage. Please pay careful attention to spaces, tabs and other physical attributes as well. Our advice, check it once. Check it twice. Then have someone else check it a third time with a fresh set of eyes.

Cold Tree Press also highly recommends that you have your work professionally edited. (See our Author Resources page for a list of independent editors or you may use our editorial services, the choice is entirely up to you.) This will ensure that when the book comes to fruition, it will be in the best possible shape to go to market. You've put a lot of time and effort into your work; don't shortchange it now. It may the most important step in the process. In many instances it can be the difference between success and failure.

Images

If you are submitting images to be used with your book they should be scanned at 300 dpi and as close to actual size as possible and saved as a greyscale or CMYK JPG file. All tables to be used on the inside must be sent as a greyscale EPS image. Only the color option may have interior color images.

Once scanned, please check by printing out all images on a high-resolution printer prior to sending, to verify clarity and sharpness. The final image can only be as good as the original scan.

Manuscript Submission

Our manuscript submission process is completed in 3 easy steps. See "Submission Help" above. We recommend you review this before beginning to submit your manuscript. It gives you the breakdown of what you will be asked to provide in a very detailed manner.

We treat each manuscript submission with strict confidentiality. We NEVER make any information requested available to any third party. The information obtained is for internal use only.

Your social security number or employer identification number is required by the federal government in order for us to be able to issue royalties and will not appear anywhere else, other than our own financial records.

HELPFUL BOOKS

1001 Ways to Market Your Book by John Kremer
A Simple Guide to Marketing Your Book by Mark Ortman
Complete Guide to Book Marketing by David Cole

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