Included Services
Each of our packages includes essential services needed to create and publish a quality book. Review each specific line item description as follows:
Published by CrossBooks, a Division of LifeWay
CrossBooks is a Christian publishing company that aims to introduce a variety of Christian voices into the book market, from established authors to Christian leaders to first-time authors. As an imprint of B&H Publishing Group, the trade publishing division of LifeWay Christian Resources, we are committed to adhering to unwavering principles of excellence and faith. Our books cover a wide range of topics including theology, Biblical studies, commentaries, church life, inspiration, fiction, children’s books and devotionals.
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ISBN & Channel Distribution to 25,000 Retailers Worldwide
An International Standard Book Number is an essential piece of identification for your title in the book market. This 13-digit number is unique to your book and allows distributors, retailers, printers and readers to accurately find and order your title.
Channel Distribution enables your book to be visible to thousands of retailers around the world. Your book will be available to order by retailers both in stores and online.
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Image Insertion / Text Treatments
Each package includes a certain number of images, charts, graphs, text boxes and other tables that can be included in your book. These images are submitted by you and will be printed in grayscale inside your book unless you have purchased a color book package. Click here to read more information about image formats, submission and placeholders.
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Classic Cover Design
An original, eye-catching design is key to capturing the attention of your target audience. With the Classic Cover Design, one of our expert graphic artists, guided by your ideas, will design a powerful cover for your book. Your designer can use photographs and abstract designs from our endless supply of stock images, or you can supply your own photos or artwork for the front of your cover. The Classic Cover Design also includes the back cover design for your book. You are responsible for writing the text for the back cover of the book, but your publishing consultant will work with you to make sure your back cover is free of errors and flows with the rest of your book. Consider including a short synopsis of your book, an author bio, an author photo and any recommendations your book may have received. Remember, the front and back covers are the first things interested readers will notice when they pick up your book.
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Author Volume Discounts on Books
When ordering copies of your book, you are automatically entitled to an author discount, but you'll save even more when you buy larger quantities. Volume discounts increase incrementally with the number you order; so the more you order, the more you save. Click here to see an example of our volume discounts.
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Softcover Format
All of our softcover books are considered trade paperbacks, an industry term that tells readers the paperback is produced with higher standards of quality than mass-market paperbacks. Printed with high-quality ink on acid-free paper, our trade paperbacks are produced at a larger size with a higher selling price. We offer our black and white softcover books in five different sizes, while our color books come in two sizes. Click here for more information on softcover B&W formatting, or click here for more information on softcover color formatting.
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Custom Interior Formatting
One of our professional book-layout specialists will create a custom interior for your book. The first proof copy of your galley will be available for your review, so you're always in control of your work.
Our standard softcover formatting design includes the professional layout of your book, insertion of images/tables/formulae (up to the number of image insertions included in your package) and minimal manuscript cleanup. (For more complex formatting needs or manuscript cleanup, your design team will discuss any additional production costs that may incur, including the following: more than the number of images included; manual hard returns; manual headers/footers; footnotes; manual formatting; or image manipulation such as color matching, image replacement, size/resolution adjustment.)
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E-book Format and Distribution
Our E-book Format and Distribution service provides digital reformatting of your book’s content for leading digital devices on the market. This service enables readers to find your book electronically and download it onto various digital devices for easy reading. We are paying close attention to the latest trends in digital readers so that you will be able to give your readers even more options for downloading your book. We currently utilize the Amazon Kindle, Sony Reader, Barnes & Noble eReader, the nook, Scribd.com, iBookstore*, Kobo Distribution and the Google eBookstore.
For more information about E-book pricing, royalties and more, visit our e-book FAQ.
*Apple reserves the right to accept or deny content for availability on the iBookstore.
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Printed Books
Depending on which package you purchase a number of complimentary printed and bound softcover and/or hardcover copies of your newly published book are included with your package. Just pay shipping and handling.
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Complimentary Author Copy
When you finish the entire production process and approve your book for printing we will send you the first copy complimentary.
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Sold on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, etc.
Your book will appear on Web sites such as Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com and more.
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Personalized Bookstore Sales Page
As a published author, your title will have its own Web page in the CrossBooks Bookstore, where anyone can order copies of your book. The front cover of the book, marketing copy and an excerpt will be posted on the sales page to entice potential book buyers.
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Fast, On-Demand Printing
Your published book is printed on demand utilizing the latest technology and equipment available today. Print and delivery times are comparable to almost any other online bookstore order. And, with Print-On-Demand technology, you avoid the upfront costs associated with printing and storing a large number of books. There's no obligation to order, and there's no minimum or maximum number of books required for an order to be filled — we'll print one copy or 5,000 copies.
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Customer Support Provided
Contact one of our helpful customer service representatives via e-mail or phone. Our capable staff is available to answer your questions, provide guidance about selecting a package and address any other concerns you may have.
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Nonexclusive Contract
You are not restricted by our contract to only publish your work with us. You're free to publish elsewhere, or have other versions of your book simultaneously available on the market.
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Retain Rights to Book
After your book is published with us, you keep the rights to your material. You'll retain control over your creative work and will still have the freedom to sell your rights in the future should you receive any other offers from publishers or journals or if other opportunities arise.
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Ultimate Control of Design and Content
You direct your design team to create your book according to your vision. We won't change your design or content without your final approval.
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Included in CrossBooks’ Catalog
Books from select packages will be included in a quarterly catalog on the CrossBooks website. Each ad will feature a full-color image of your cover, a short synopsis of your book and ordering information. The size of your ad will depend on how many books are included in each quarterly catalog. Your book must be live by these dates to be included in that quarter.
- 1st Quarter - Jan. 1 to March 31
- 2nd Quarter - April 1 to June 30
- 3rd Quarter - July 1 to Sept. 30
- 4th Quarter - Oct. 1 to Dec. 31
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Social Media Setup Guide
When it comes to building an online presence as an author, it can be hard to know where to begin. One of the easiest and more effective ways to establish yourself online is to join free social networking and blogging sites that will allow you to interact directly with other online users.
To help you jumpstart your activity on popular social platforms, we’ve created a comprehensive PDF guide that will walk you through the basics of how to set up and manage profiles on Facebook, Twitter, WordPress and LinkedIn. This step-by-step guide will take you through the technical aspects of signing up with each platform and show you how to use these online tools to share content and engage with readers and professionals.
Your Social Media Setup Guide will introduce you to the basics of the following platforms:
- WordPress — a popular blogging platform you can use to create your own free blog and share longer form content with readers
- Facebook — a social networking service where you can upload photos, create events and keep in touch with friends, family, followers and fans
- Twitter — a micro-blogging social media site that allows you to engage with other users in short status updates of 140 characters or fewer
- LinkedIn — an online network for professionals looking to exchange knowledge, ideas and opportunities with others in their field
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Social Media Training Video Suite
Want to learn how to get the most out of your social media accounts? Simply having a profile isn’t enough. It takes planning, persistence and a little marketing know-how to truly take advantage of the free social networking and blogging platforms the Internet has to offer.
To help you maximize your efforts and learn sustainable social media marketing and blogging strategies, we’ve created a series of detailed social media training videos for you to watch at your convenience. These informative videos will give you the knowledge and resources you need to become a more advanced social media user and blogger who can effectively engage with an online audience.
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