© 2013 Eddie Jones
For most authors, the route to publishing success begins with a pitch to a large publishing house where most book proposals die in the slush pile. Enter the small press, independent (Indie) book publisher. If you can accept that your book might never see the inside of a bookstore but may sell thousands online and put thousands in your pocket, then welcome to the new world of book publishing. Below are a few benefits of working with an Indie publishing house.
Author Input: In many cases Indie houses place you closer to your team of editors, book designers, and marketing personnel. This intimate relationship between the production team and author allows for a more organic product.
Higher Royalty Rates: In order to compete for the best books and top authors, many small presses offer higher royalty percentages. Depending on the house, an author may earn from 25 to 50 percent of the net profit on print and ebooks.
Social Media Help: Word of mouth remains an important venue for selling books. Ads, press releases, and professional book reviews are not the only way. Those things help, but friends telling friends sells books. Small presses rely on social media to market their books, and many offer assistance to their authors in this area.
Speed to Market: With large houses it can take up to two years before a book’s release. Indie presses will often release a book within twelve months. Since Indie houses are less concerned with catalog release dates, you can target your release to a specific date—one that accommodates your schedule.
Freedom to Write “Outside the Box”: Do you write romance that doesn’t fit the “meet in the first chapter” mold? Is your voice too edgy (or too clean) for larger houses? Indie houses often offer a degree of freedom not found in traditional houses.
“Instant” Success: What makes an author a success? 10,000 in sales? 100,000? Agents, editors, and authors debate the number, but one thing is clear: the bar for success is high and becoming higher. With a small press you may sell 5,000 of your fiction within the first six months and 2,000 of your nonfiction in a year. If you earn a dollar on the sale of each, you may come out on top.
Below is a short list of independent Christian publishers:
Bob Jones University Press
Chalfont House Publishing
Choose Now Publishing
Christian-Publishing.net (Evergreen Press, Gazelle Press, Axiom Press, and RevPress)
Lamp Post, Inc.
Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas
Lion Hudson
Oaktara
Pelican Book Group Ventures Christian Fiction(Harbourlight Books, White Rose Publishing, Watershed Books)
Whitaker House
Written World Communications
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Eddie Jones is a North Carolina-based writer and Acquisition Editor for Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas.He is also an award-winning author with HarperCollins.Learn more about Eddie at EddieJones.org. 
