Who is Godzchild Publications? What’s the process to publish my book with you?
Godzchild Publications considers itself the “Walmart of all publishing.” We cover everything from designing the cover, to formatting the interior text, printing, promotions, packaging, ISBN/Barcode/Copyright processing, distribution management, editing, ghostwriting, proofreading, e-book conversion, foreign translation, commercials/jingles, bookmarks, table cloths, t-shirt design, audio books, and more! There is nothing that happens in publishing that we do not do!
Publishing with Godzchild is an easy process. Why? Because we commit to holding your hand through each and every chapter!
My dream has always been to write a book. I have a journal that I have been writing in since I was a child. Can you use my journal to publish my book?
Yes, if you have a journal we recommend that you first type out all of the information in the journal or make copies and mail us a duplicate (not the original). From there, we can transcribe and make recommendations on how to incorporate your journal excerpts into book form.
Do I receive a weekly, bi-weekly, annual or semi-annual statement of sales that document how often my book is being purchased?
GP has a 24-hour inventory spreadsheet that you, as an author, can access to view online sales and distribution information. This spreadsheet also lists the amount of your monthly check and the date of disbursal.
I have no clue what to do for my cover design. How can I be sure you will capture the essence of my book?
The process is simple and fun! The first step at Godzchild is to design the cover (as previously stated). Once the deposit is placed, you simply need to explain and express your ideas, your vision and your “wish list.” From there, we will take your recommendations and create 2-3 covers. The first cover will contain all of your ideas and the other covers will be an amalgamation of our design team’s recommendations and the information you’ve provided. Whether you have a color scheme or a font choice, a picture that you want included or no idea at all, Godzchild Designers will work with each author until the book cover fully embodies and exceeds their expectations.
I see that you offer many different editorial services. Can you explain the difference between transcribing, proofreading, editing & color, and ghostwriting?
There are 4 levels of editorial services that GP offers.
Transcription Services (prices vary)- is a verbatim of a recording, interview, speech or seminar submitted to our office. If the client wants to ghostwrite his or her book, the first step would be to transcribe the information in order to transform it into readable commentary.
Proofreading($3.00-5.00/ page) –means your manuscript is completed and you simply need a second reader to review the final draft. In this level of editing services, GP staff members are looking for commas, grammatical redundancies or spelling inconsistencies. We are not doing a thorough facelift on the manuscript because it is simply a final review before production.
Editing & Color ($10-13.50/page) – means you have 50% of the manuscript completed and you would like for us to complete the remaining 50%. On this level, GP editors will add color to your manuscript by filling in the blanks and expanding where necessary. We also give recommendations for what is missing in order to complete it with you.
Ghostwriting ($15.00–20.00/page) means you have a concept, outline, maybe a few pages written, and a storyline but you do not know how to put your entire book together. This final editorial tier means that a GP staff member will sit down with you and write your book for you. You are still the author because it is your story. But our job is to have thorough conversations and interviews with you (stretched out over weeks of time) to structure your book and turn it into a manuscript that not only sounds like you, but feels like you as well!
After the books are printed, where do they go? How many will belong to the author, and how many will remain with Godzchild Publications?
After the books are printed there are various options in terms of distribution. GP offers services that guarantees your books can be made available through Barnes & Noble, Amazon and thousands of other local/international distributors. A percentage of the printed books are stored in our local office (for online orders and conferences) and the remaining books are shipped to our warehouse for immediate local/international delivery. If an author prints less than 200 books, we do not send a percentage of books to the warehouse because the process takes 5 weeks (to upload to the main distribution page), and more often than not, the author will sell out before that time interval. What is most important to know is that the author decides where his or her books shall go.
I have already written a book. I chose to self publish, but it hasn’t sold very well? What can GP do for me?
Authors who have opted to self-publish may request GP to handle their particular marketing and promotional needs. Our first recommendation is to review the book to see why it did not sell. Maybe it was the cover or the interior. Perhaps we will have to perform an editorial facelift. Secondly, you will need to purchase a new barcode and ISBN #. That allows GP to upload your book to our site, and sell it as a Godzchild product. If you opt to keep your barcode, then we can offer any number of separate marketing packages. The packages include a 4, 8 or 12-week plan, wherein we have a consultation, discuss your target audience, and then work step-by-step to provide deliverables.
Is Godzchild Publications a self-publishing company? What’s the difference between Godzchild and other companies like this?
We do not consider ourselves, by any stretch of the imagination, a self-publishing company. To self-publish implies that someone publishes their book by him or herself. GP considers itself a publication partnership. As a team, we work in conjunction with the author to make his or her dream come true; no matter the budget, no matter the skillset, or no matter the number of books previously written. As Godzchild travels around the country to various conferences, we bring your books with us. As Godzchild hosts events to promote or alleviate the costs of organizing a book signing, we invite all of our authors to attend. As Godzchild invents new marketing strategies, all of our authors are considered and included in each project. Thus, as a team, we are committed to working with our authors for a lifetime!
Will I receive a PROOF before the book goes to print? Will that cost more?
Yes, all GP authors will receive one complimentary proof at no additional charge. If additional proofs are requested, then a subsequent fee will apply.
What is the average length of time for completing a book?
This answer will vary. It depends on how much the author has already written. But we always give a time range from 3 months to one year. It should not take more than one year to write your book even if you are starting from scratch. The timeline also depends on one’s financial readiness. Most times, the time length is expanded or shortened because of budgetary reasons.
Do I own the copyrights to my book? Explain the purpose of an ISBN and EAN barcode?
Yes! GP is entrusted with the responsibility of processing all literary information for you. Thus, in that regard, we are your assistants. The author owns the copyright, the ISBN, and all rights to his/her book. We are simply listed as publishers in connection with your book, but we do not own the rights to your book.
The ISBN/Barcode and EAN numbers are important if you would like to sell your book in a local/mainstream/international bookstore. If you are looking for local, national and international retail, you need to purchase an ISBN/Barcode.
Will my book be stored in every bookstore? How do I get my book in the actual Barnes & Noble in my area?
This is a popular question, and an important one. What is important is that the author writes a unique book that hasn’t already been written. Many authors desire to have their books stocked in the local store, but their books fall short of being unique and engaging. GP helps to distinguish your book. As well, if the author wants their book in a local store, the quickest way is to set up a book signing in that particular store (we can help you with that process), and to encourage friends and family to request the book as often as possible. The reality is, over 3,000 new titles are published per year. Thus, it is impossible to guarantee that your book will be stored in the local bookstore. However, there are special methods that you can implement, and our marketing strategies are available to all GP authors.
Is it smart to release an E-Book at the same time as my hard copy book?
E-Books are an incredible purchase, no matter the time you choose to invest in them. On the whole, the world is becoming more technologically advanced. E-books are not expensive, so if you are releasing an e-book and your paperback at the same time, it’s just a matter of preference depending on your clientele and audience. There are many authors that release their e-book 6 months later as another way to re-promote their book in a new way. The benefit of an e-book is immediate accessibility. The disadvantage of an e-book is that the aggregators will assume 50% of your profit. Thus, if an e-book retails at $10, the distributor will take $5.
How does one determine the cost of the book? Is that something the author can decide or will Godzchild decide for me?
GP works in consultation with the author to give you our best recommended price. Any book that is less than 100 pages in quantity should be priced between $7.99-$10.00. Any book that exceeds 150 pages ($14.99 – $19.99). Hardcover books can be priced between $19.99 and $24.99. Once again, since the author owns the rights, the author ultimately determines the price point.
I want my book to be on the NY Times Best Seller’s list. How can we make that happen?
Here is where GP must be completely honest with you. To be a BEST SELLER is not impossible but it is definitely improbable; especially if you are only starting with 100 books. In order to arrive at the NY Times Best Sellers List, you would have to be selling around 10,000 books per week or a total of 1,000,000 books. Thus, if you are not near that goal as of yet, GP recommends a new marketing strategy, or a more practical goal for sales that considers your budget, your reachability and your book’s ultimate purpose. You also may consider hiring a literary agent or a professional marketing planner (if your budget allows). Normally, these managers charge $3,000-5,000/month.
If I find an error in the book after it has been printed, what can I do about it? Will I receive money back?
Each GP Author signs a liability release form prior to printing their manuscript. If editing glitches appear before print, we make those changes for free. But if the liability form has been signed, the author takes ownership of any mistakes you approved to have printed. Of course, we can make corrections before the second print, but no money will be reimbursed as per policy.
Do you all do children’s books? What about an illustrator?
Yes we do publish children’s books. There are two options here. You can hire an illustrator (from within or outside of our company) who will draw from scratch your characters or pictures. Of course, this option is more expensive. Or, you can hire a graphic designer (from within or outside of our company) who can find or enhance images that match your vision. For illustration, GP charges per image/page in the book.
My book is about my life, but I do not want to put ‘real’ names in it, so what do you suggest?
Whenever you are dealing with a true story account, you have to determine if you are writing an autobiography or if it is “based on a true story.” Those two designations will determine whether it is fiction or non-fiction. For any autobiographical work, you still may want to change names for legal reasons or to protect the identity of minors. As well, you might want to consider changing names because of the content matter or in honor of someone who is presently deceased. All of these questions will be taken into further consideration as we edit your book, but ultimately, the goal is to have the freedom to tell your story without the threat of offense or possible lawsuits.
I’ve placed my deposit…now what?
After you have placed your deposit and scanned a signed copy of your contract, you will be assigned a publication manager. This manager will walk you through each step as it relates to your publishing experience. The first step would be to work on your book cover and author’s page on the Godzchild Publications website. You’ll be asked to:
Once the book cover is approved, your information will be uploaded to www.godzchildproductions.net, and you can begin promoting your book to friends, family, and future readers!
I would like to turn my book into a play. I would also like to hire Godzchild to write the script. Please indicate the payment agreement for this to happen.
We suggest hiring GP to ghostwrite the play. This requires a thorough conversation between the author and a GP editor to review character development, the overall vision for songs, scene changes and conclusion. In terms of charge, a normal script ranges from 50-75 pages. We charge $20/page to ghostwrite. It would take at least 3 months to write, since GP would need to confer at least 5 times during the process.
Do you accept manuscripts from authors who may not share Christian views?
Yes, we do publish books that work toward positive ends. All of our publishers are not necessarily Christian, but their books contribute to the society in helpful ways. We publish manuals, children’s books, recipe cook books, memoirs, thrillers, and more. For more on this policy, visit OUR STANDARDS under the WHO WE ARE tab of the website.
Now, the big question is… How much?
The interesting thing about GP is that we work with all budgets! There is no budget too small or large. On average, our contracts range from $2,500 – $20,000. The cost depends on the services, the needs and the quantity of books ordered. The benefit of publishing with GP is that you have various options for paying for your book to be printed. One of those options is called PUBLICATION PARTNERS, in which we personalize a donation letter for you to send to friends, family, and sponsors that will help offset the cost of your publication needs. Another option is a realistic payment plan, where you begin with a $500 or $1,000 deposit and then we determine a monthly payment plan that works with your budget until the completion of the book.