First book
First-time authors
From $1,499
No experience or agent needed. Your specialist explains every decision in plain words and takes care of each technical step.
Usually Global Publish or Full Production
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Book publishing services
Book Publishing Services That Leave You in Control
Your manuscript is done. Next come the cover, the layout, the ISBNs and a dozen store settings. One specialist handles all of it for one flat fee. Your book goes live in paperback, hardcover and ebook, and every right and royalty stays yours.
Tell us where the manuscript stands. Within one business day you get the package that fits and a clear price, and nothing is charged until you approve it.
The short answer
Columbia Publication publishes your book for a flat fee from $1,499 and takes no share of royalties. It includes cover design, interior formatting, ISBNs and distribution to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Kobo, and bookstores and libraries through IngramSpark. Proofreading starts at $2,499, a full copy edit at $4,999. Most books go live in 4 to 9 weeks. You keep the copyright, accounts and files.
Prices checked October 20, 2026 · Reviewed by Gia Kahn, Lead Editor · Next review November 2026 · How we check
Is this you?
This is for you if
- The manuscript is finished, or close, and you have no idea what happens next.
- You want a book that looks like a major publisher made it, without signing away rights or royalties.
- You tried KDP on your own and stalled on the cover, the formatting or the categories.
- You want one person who knows your book, not a ticket queue of departments.
Uploading a book is free. Producing it professionally is where the cost is.
Amazon charges nothing to upload a book, so many authors start alone. Then come the cover that looks homemade, the interior that breaks in print, the ISBN choice nobody explained and the categories that bury the book where no reader looks. Others go the opposite way and pay a vanity press that keeps a share of the royalties or the rights.
We do the parts that decide whether a book sells: editing, a custom cover, clean formatting, the metadata and distribution to every store at once. Your KDP and IngramSpark accounts are registered to you, and each royalty lands in your account, not ours.
Packages
Publishing packages and what each includes
One flat fee per package, written into your agreement before work starts. Choose by the state of your manuscript, not by how much you feel you should spend.
| Package | From | What is included |
|---|---|---|
| Global Publish | $1,499 | Cover design, print and ebook formatting, ISBNs, paperback, hardcover and ebook, distribution to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Kobo and IngramSpark |
| Full Production | $2,499 | Adds full proofreading, a dedicated project manager, front and back matter, up to 15 interior graphics, a Goodreads launch sequence |
| Authority System | $4,999 | Adds a full copy edit, Amazon keyword and category optimization, an author website and a press release |
| Authority Plus | From $7,500 | Adds all three editing levels, audiobook production (one narrator, up to 80,000 words), 15 author copies and a 3-Day Bestseller Launch Campaign |
| Gravitas Press | From $25,000 | Done-for-you executive publishing under our Gravitas Press imprint, up to $45,000 when the book is written with you |
These prices match our publishing packages page to the dollar. You pay in full once you approve the quote, and that is the last bill: nothing is charged after publication.
Find My PackageBefore you pay anyone
What should you know before paying for publishing?
Four facts, all from independent sources, that make any publishing quote easier to judge. Ours included.
Self-publishing is now the main route
Bowker counted 3,529,980 self-published titles in 2025, up 38.7% in a year (Publishers Weekly). You are not taking a fringe path.
Publishing on Amazon is free
So a service is charging you for editing, design, formatting and setup. Those are the lines any quote worth signing should itemize.
Royalties come from the retailer
Amazon pays 60% of list on paperbacks at $9.99 or more, less print cost, and 70% on ebooks that meet its pricing rules, including a list price at least 20% below any print edition. With us, every payment goes to your own account.
Prices vary widely for the same work
Compare written, itemized quotes line by line, never package names.
“The same service can cost $500 against $15,000, for pretty much the same thing.”
Alliance of Independent Authors, self-publishing services watchdog
A worked example
Which package does an 80,000-word novel need?
That turns on one question: how much editing has the manuscript already had?
| If your manuscript | Package | Price | Live in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Has been professionally edited | Global Publish | $1,499 | 4 to 5 weeks |
| Needs a final proofread | Full Production | $2,499 | 7 to 9 weeks |
| Has never been edited | Authority System | $4,999 | Quoted with your schedule |
| Needs structural feedback | Authority Plus | From $7,500 | Developmental edit adds 2 to 3 weeks |
One cost authors often miss: buying ISBNs yourself from Bowker runs $125 for one or $295 for a block of ten. Every package includes them from our own Bowker block, or you can bring your own.
Not sure where your draft sits? Tell us its history and we will name the package.
Get My Publishing PlanWhat you keep
Do you keep your rights and royalties?
Yes, all of them, in writing. Copyright, ISBN ownership and account ownership are three separate things, and some publishing services keep one of them. With us you keep all three.
- Copyright stays with you, permanently.
- Your KDP and IngramSpark accounts are registered in your name.
- You receive the final book files and the source files.
- The retailers pay 100% of net royalties to you; we take no share of sales.
- Your book is never exclusive to us, and scope, price and refund terms are written down before you pay.
From an author we published
“It turned out better than I could have imagined when I first started. … It has been a pleasure every step of the way.”
Jason Patterson, author of City of the Gods: eBook, paperback, hardcover and audiobook live in under five months, 4.7 stars from 21 Amazon reviews. Read the case study
Who we publish
Three kinds of author we publish
We publish fiction, nonfiction, memoir, business, poetry, cookbooks and children’s books, and each manuscript goes to editors and designers who work in its genre.
Most chosen
Business authors and coaches
From $4,999
A book that wins you clients, speaking invitations and media, edited and positioned for your field.
Usually Authority System or Authority Plus
Get My PlanExecutive
Leaders and professionals
From $25,000
Physicians, attorneys and executives publishing under the Gravitas Press imprint, written with you when your calendar demands it.
Gravitas Press
Get My PlanOutside the US? Your book reaches Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.au as well as Amazon.com, and we work with you by email, chat and video across time zones.
What you can count on
Inside every package, from the first one up
- One dedicated specialistOne person runs your book from the first call to launch day, so you never explain it twice.
- A custom coverDesigned for your genre and your reader, never a template, with two revision rounds.
- Formatting that prints cleanlyPrint and ebook interiors built to Amazon KDP and IngramSpark specifications.
- ISBNs and metadataISBNs from our Bowker block or your own, plus the categories and keywords readers search.
- Every store on day oneAmazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play and bookstores through IngramSpark.
- People, not AIPeople do the editing, design and formatting, and you approve each milestone before it goes live.
How it runs
Your book, week by week
- Free consultationWe look at the manuscript and your goals, then match a package.Week 1
- EditingA proofread or a copy edit, matched to your package.Weeks 1 to 3
- Cover and formattingCustom cover and interiors, each approved by you.Weeks 2 to 4
- ISBNs and distributionSubmitted to every retailer in one go.Weeks 4 to 8
- Live and launchedKeywords, categories and launch support in place.4 to 9 weeks in total
Custom Quote
Build your custom quote
We’ve started with Publishing & distribution. Add anything else your manuscript needs, and a specialist sends an itemized quote within one business day. Free, confidential, no obligation.
Your quote within one business day. Nothing is charged until you approve it. 100% of your rights stay yours.
Questions
Book publishing services: common questions
How much do book publishing services cost?
Columbia Publication packages start at $1,499 (Global Publish), $2,499 (Full Production, adds proofreading), $4,999 (Authority System, adds a full copy edit and marketing setup) and $7,500 (Authority Plus, all three editing levels and an audiobook). Each is one flat fee, written down before you pay, and nothing is billed after publication.
How long does it take to publish a book?
Most books go live 4 to 9 weeks after the agreement is signed: 4 to 5 weeks for Global Publish, 7 to 9 for Full Production. A developmental edit adds two to three weeks.
Do I keep my rights and royalties?
Yes. Your copyright, your KDP and IngramSpark accounts and your final files all stay with you, and the retailers pay 100% of net royalties to you. We take no share of sales.
Are you a hybrid publisher?
No. Columbia Publication is a self-publishing services company. You pay one flat fee for professional work, and the book, the rights and the royalties stay entirely yours.
Which platforms will my book be on?
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Kobo and Google Play, plus bookstores and libraries through IngramSpark, in print and ebook from day one.
Can first-time authors use your service?
Yes. You need no experience and no agent. Your specialist takes care of every technical step and explains each decision in plain words as you go.
Can I use my own ISBN?
Yes. Every package includes an ISBN from our Bowker block, and you are welcome to use your own instead, which lists you as the publisher.
How do I pay?
In full, once you approve the quote. Payment fixes your schedule and delivery date, and the agreement sets out scope, deliverables and refund terms before you pay a cent.
Find out which package fits your book.
Tell us where it stands today. Within one business day a specialist sends the package that fits and a clear price.
Get My Publishing Plan