Ask the Publisher
Is Joshua Tree Publishing going to charge me to publish my book?
Joshua Tree Publishing is a traditional publisher. We do not charge authors to publish their books. However, we traditionally published books which are professionally done. What I mean by that is the book has been professionally edited and an interesting flow. Finally, the book must have a well-defined target audience.
When we consider publishing a book, we look at the author's track record, their marketing plan for the book, and how serious they are. While publishers can open the distribution channel to bookstores, the person who really sells books is the author themselves. Without their dedication and tenacity, their book is going to flounder. We want our authors to be successful and work closely with them.
I am a first-time author. Will you consider my book?
Absolutely. Every successful writer has started with one book. The difficulty is that writing is a creative process. Publishing is a business.What you are asking a publisher to do is make an investment in you. A typical book will cost us between $10,000 to $20,000.00 to publish. We want the author to succeed and sell books, which is how we get a return on our investment. I encourage first-time authors to contact us and submit their works. Oftentimes, we can assist them in how to move their book to the next level.
Are my books going to be available at bookstores and Amazon?
Joshua Tree Publishing is distributed by the Ingram Book Group which is the largest in the world. Barnes and Noble are set up to order through Ingram which will fulfill their orders either the same day or next day. Amazon has picked up all our books and are usually in stock. We cannot guarantee your book will be in stock at bookstores. Reader demand determines whether a book is in stock. However, the books are available for order at the stores. And most importantly, we set up each book as returnable by the bookstore which means they will stock your book as demand grows.
My book has not been professionally edited. Can I still submit it?
Yes you can submit your book. We review books to evaluate their potential. Sometimes we find a book that we are very interested in, but the book needs to be edited. In the normal publishing process, we do a final edit of the book before it goes to press. However, some books, while well-written, do not have a clear message or in fiction, a plot line that intrigues the reader. In those cases where we have an interest in the book, we will suggest to the author to contact a professional editor or coach to bring their book to the level necessary to be traditionally published. Occasionally, we will coordinate the editor and author in order to bring the book to our standards. That is not our preferred method of operating.
Exlibris, iUniverse, AuthorHouse, Lulu (take your pick) want to publish my book.
Congratulations. We do not consider authors who have been published by the vanity or subsidized press. The reason is quite simple. In our opinion, when we have reviewed their various websites and offers, the common denominator seems to be the ability to charge the author's credit card or bank account. If that is successful, then they appear to be interested in looking at the book itself. Secondly, the notion presented about self-publishing your book is very misrepresented. When a publisher attaches their ISBN number to a book, that book is referenced to that publisher. Even though you retain the copyright and can cancel the publishing contract with notice, your book will remain associated with that publisher in Books in Print. Finally, unless you pay them an annual fee (as much as $600-700), most of these "publishers" will make your books not returnable. That will eliminate bookstores from carrying your books. Unless they are returnable, bookstores do not stock books that they cannot return. We suggest you consider why someone would be interested in your book without even reading it.