How Much Does It Cost

Each service is priced according to time-on-task and expertise of our staff. We are neither the most expensive nor the cheapest hybrid publisher. However, our staff also works for ShelteringTree.Earth which has produced international award-winning books and bestsellers.

The lovely thing about our services is – you only have to purchase the services you want. Yes, we have bundled services and give those bundles 20% discounts off the full cost of the services provided, but if all you want is a character search to prevent you from being sued, or a bibliography to verify your citations, or a query letter which will knock the socks off of a publisher or agent – that’s all you need to purchase from us. You pick and choose what you need us to help you do.

Plus, if there is another service you need that you don’t see listed (like determining what flame your romance novel would rank), use the comment box to ask.


Why Do I Need August Isley Books Services when I can just self-publish my book as it is?

Two issues here:

1. Self-publishing is not actual publishing; it is printing. You send your book to an organization, and it prints it as it is - warts and all. Then you wonder why no one will buy your book. Or maybe they bought your first book but won't touch your second book. Misspelled words, improper punctuation, atrocious grammar - these are three reasons why books are rejected by today's literate readers. Best-selling and award-winning books also share an eloquence in their flow, fluency, voice, storyline, and evolution of plot. The denouement of a book leaves the reader yearning to buy your next book. If your manuscript checks all these boxes, go and self-publish with our best wishes. If not, why not ask for help? We're here. 

2. Let's say you want to sell your house. You can put a sign in your yard and that's it. You'll handle all the legalities and reap the profits. Yea, you! But what if you paid someone to clean your house first? And what if you hired a decorator to develop a color scheme for your walls and window treatments? Did you hire a building inspector? How about the legal stuff - (for books, think - a title search, Fictitious Proper Noun Disclaimer, Copyright rules and regulations, and the difference between distribution rights and intellectual property rights)? How do you plan to show your house when you are not available? And how do you protect your household items from theft during those showings? How and where do you advertise your house for the best audience pool? Yes, it costs money to hire a professional to help sell your house. But if you want your house to present itself in the best light, the cost is worth it in the long run.

Now, apply this analogy to your manuscript.

 


What Do I Get If I Publish Through August Isley Books?

  1. You can proudly state that you are not self-published. Laypeople may be impressed with being published (self or otherwise), but booksellers and literary awards know that self-published usually means – printed with all the mistakes and errors originally there – and don’t accept them. If you publish with us, you will have a polished and professional book which any bookseller would be proud to display, and which will qualify for literary awards, reviews, and interviews.
  2. Forty percent discount on the retail cost of your books through ShelteringTreeMedia’s shop. You must buy a minimum of 50 books, but those will quickly sell out during your book signing events.
  3. Twenty-five percent net royalties on books sold through Amazon, Walmart, Books-a-Million, Target, and other places like schools and libraries. We pay the royalties four times a year and provide you with a 1099-MISC each January.

Do I have to publish through you?

No. You may hire our services and take any of our lessons-learned on to the next publisher or agent. The only exception is if you purchase our Publishing Bundle – which is a no-brainer, since the goal of that bundle is to become published through us.


What Types of Books Are You Accepting for Your Services?

 We will not work with erotica or horror. Let’s be honest – there are enough monsters in the world, and if erotica is your idea of a great and meaningful relationship, no wonder you’re sitting at home alone writing about your unrequited desires. We will accept all genres except erotica and horror. We will not accept erotica or horror.


What Types of Books Are You Accepting for Publication?

We would prefer not to publish illustrated children’s books. If your book is already illustrated by a real human, we will consider it.

We also shy away from memoirs because they deal with other real people who may not wish the world to see them through your eyes. We can help you gather all the proper releases signed and notarized as part of our services, but you must have all those before publication.

 We will not work with erotica or horror. Let’s be honest – there are enough monsters in the world, and if erotica is your idea of a great and meaningful relationship, no wonder you’re sitting at home alone writing about your unrequited desires. We will accept all genres except erotica and horror. We will not accept erotica or horror.


Do you have a payment installments offer?

No. Payment is due in full before the service is provided. If you put it on a credit card, you can work out delayed payments with them.


Do you have a scholarship or grant I can apply for to lower your prices?

No.

However, ShelteringTree.Earth often has openings for Writing Coaches, Audiobook Editors, and Illustrators. Contact box is at the bottom of that page. 


What if I don’t agree with your editing suggestions?

If you don’t agree with our suggestions, don’t follow them. I would ask you to pause for a moment and wonder why you would pay professionals to help you get your book in shape and then not follow their advice.


How do I get a refund?

You don’t. There is no reason to refund any fees for services rendered. If you send us a manuscript that is erotica or horror even though it is stated that we don’t accept those for any services, we will keep 25% of the money as administrative costs and blacklist you from procuring our services in the future.


I looked over your services and I can do all of those things myself.

Imagine for a moment, you are sitting in your cardiologist's office. She has just informed you that you must have open heart surgery this week or you will die. You respond to her: "It's OK. I googled how to do this. All I need is a sharpened spoon and a ball of twine. I'll be fine. I can do this myself."

Yes, I absolutely agree with you, you can publish a book without our expert advice. But will that book sell? Will it be accepted by the choice publisher or aggressive agent you want? Will it win awards? Or will the box of books sit in your basement - pathetic witnesses to your ability to write but your inability to realize what it takes to be an author?