Reedsy vs Columbia Publication: One Gives You Freelancers, One Gives You a Team
Reedsy is a freelancer marketplace. Columbia Publication is a managed publishing service. Both help authors publish professionally but operate on completely different models and serve different author profiles. The right choice depends on one question: do you want to manage the process yourself or have a single team manage it for you?
Reedsy gives you access to vetted freelance editors, designers and formatters. You hire them individually, coordinate the project yourself and take responsibility for the result. Columbia Publication assigns a dedicated Book Production Manager to your project, coordinates every production stage internally and delivers a globally distributed book from one engagement.
What Reedsy actually is.
Reedsy is a curated marketplace of publishing freelancers. Authors post a brief, receive quotes and hire directly. Each freelancer operates independently. Reedsy charges a 20% commission on each collaboration, split 10% to the author and 10% to the professional, falling to 7% each side on projects over $15,000 (Reedsy fees, discounts). Reedsy does not publish books, manage projects or take responsibility for outcomes.
Reedsy puts the cost of self-publishing a book at $2,940 to $5,660 in freelancer fees. Its own 2026 figures put hiring an editor for an 80,000-word book at $1,920 to $4,560 (Reedsy, February 2026), a professional cover design at a median of $930, and interior design at $475 to $1,275 for about half of projects (Reedsy, August 2026), before the platform commission and plus your own time coordinating each freelancer. The quality of the finished book depends entirely on how well you evaluate, select and manage each individual.
What Columbia Publication actually is.
Columbia Publication is a full-service publishing company serving authors worldwide. Every engagement includes a dedicated Book Production Manager from manuscript review to global distribution. Editorial, cover design, formatting, ISBN registration and simultaneous distribution to Amazon KDP and IngramSpark are handled internally.
The author approves each stage before it advances. Starting from $1,499 for completed manuscripts. Free consultation scopes exactly what the book needs.
Side by side.
| Factor | Reedsy | Columbia Publication |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Freelancer marketplace | Managed publishing service |
| Project manager | None: you manage | Dedicated Book Production Manager |
| Single contact | No: multiple freelancers | Yes, from start to distribution |
| Editing | Hired separately | Included |
| Cover design | Hired separately | Included |
| Formatting | Hired separately | Included |
| Distribution setup | Not provided | KDP + IngramSpark, simultaneous |
| Your time | Dozens of hours of coordination | Minimal: approvals only |
| Starting price | $2,940 to $5,660 in freelancer fees, plus a 10% client commission (Reedsy, updated Aug 13, 2026) | From $1,499 |
| Rights retained | Yes | Yes: 100% permanently |
Which model fits which author.
Choose Reedsy if:
You have publishing experience, understand each production stage, have time to coordinate multiple freelancers and want to control every hiring decision. Reedsy gives you excellent individual talent with no management layer between you and the work.
Choose Columbia Publication if:
You want the book done without managing it yourself. Production, distribution and launch handled by one team. One contact, one engagement, one flat fee. Columbia Publication is for authors who want a professionally published book without the project management overhead.
Which Package Fits Your Book?
Start from what your book needs. Every package is one flat fee, you keep 100% of your rights and royalties, and nothing is added without your approval.
| Your situation | The right package |
|---|---|
| Your manuscript is finished and you want it designed, formatted and sold everywhere | Global Publish, $1,499. Cover design, print and eBook formatting, ISBNs included, and distribution to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Kobo, bookstores and libraries. |
| You want proofreading and one project manager running everything | Full Production, $2,499. Everything in Global Publish plus full proofreading, a dedicated project manager and front and back matter. Recommended. |
| Your book should bring clients, speaking work or media | Authority System, $4,999. Adds a full copyedit, Amazon keyword and category optimization, a professionally built author website and a press release. |
| You want full editing, an audiobook and a bestseller launch | Authority Plus, from $7,500. Adds editorial review at all three levels, audiobook production and distribution, 15 printed copies and the 3-Day Bestseller Launch Campaign. |
| You only need one service, such as editing, a cover or formatting | A custom quote. Choose what you need and a specialist prices it within one business day. |
Every package is paid in full upfront, once you approve the written quote.
Columbia Publication in Brief
Columbia Publication is a full-service book publishing and printing company operated by Columbia Publishing LLC, serving authors and organizations in the US and worldwide.
- Pricing
- Publishing packages from $1,499 (Global Publish) to $45,000 (Gravitas). Your price is confirmed in writing before work starts. See packages
- Rights and royalties
- Authors keep 100% of their rights and 100% of their royalties. No royalty split, ever.
- Distribution
- Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books and Kobo, plus bookstores and libraries through IngramSpark. ISBNs included from our Bowker block, or the author’s own. Distribution makes your book orderable; it is not a promise of shelf placement or sales.
- Printing
- 100 to 250,000+ copies, with commercial offset runs from 500 copies. Book printing
- Proofing
- A free digital proof on every order. Nothing prints or publishes without your approval.
- Payment
- Paid in full upfront, once you approve the written quote.
- Track record
- City of the Gods by Jason Patterson: 21 Amazon reviews, 4.7 stars. Case study
- How it compares
- Hiring freelancers through Reedsy runs $2,940 to $5,660; Palmetto Publishing reports a $3,800 average author spend; Scribe Media charges $29,000. Sourced cost index
- Quotes
- A custom quote within one business day. Call +1 (703) 997-9787 or book a free consultation.
- In writing
- Before any payment you receive a written agreement listing scope, deliverables, revision rounds, price, payment terms and refund terms. Terms · Help centre
- Ownership
- Your Amazon KDP and IngramSpark accounts are in your own name. You receive the final book files and the digital source files when the book is finalized.
- Revisions
- Two revision rounds on every deliverable: cover, interior layout and each editing pass. Ghostwriting includes one round per chapter plus a full-manuscript review. Extra rounds are quoted before any work starts.
- AI use
- None in your book. Editing, design, illustration, formatting and ghostwriting are done by people; AI is used only in our website chat assistant. AI-use statement
- Company
- Columbia Publishing LLC, trading as Columbia Publication. 1550 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA 22209, USA
Common questions.
Is Reedsy trustworthy?
Yes. Legitimate platform with strong reputation. The question is whether the marketplace model suits your situation. If you have time and experience to coordinate freelancers, Reedsy is a solid option. If you want a single team to handle it, Reedsy is not designed for that.
Does Columbia Publication take royalties?
No. One flat fee covers all services. All royalties go directly to the author permanently. There are no ongoing percentages, no revenue splits and no post-signing fees of any kind.
What if I already used a Reedsy editor?
Columbia Publication can scope a partial engagement for cover, formatting and distribution on an already-edited manuscript. The free consultation determines exactly what is needed and what it costs.
How long does Columbia Publication take?
4 to 9 weeks for production-only on a completed, edited manuscript. 10 to 14 weeks for a full editorial-through-launch relaunch. Timeline is confirmed during the free consultation before any agreement is signed.
What does $1,499 cover?
Professional formatting, cover design, ISBN registration and distribution setup on KDP and IngramSpark for a completed, edited manuscript. Scope is confirmed during the free consultation.
Get a Free Publishing Consultation
If you have a completed manuscript and want it published professionally without managing it yourself, Gia Kahn reviews every submission and responds within one business day. Free consultation, no commitment.
Book a Free ConsultationReviewed by Gia Kahn, Lead Editor at Columbia Publication.
Build your custom quote
We’ve started with Publishing & distribution. Add anything else your manuscript needs, and a specialist sends an itemised quote within one business day. Free, confidential, no obligation.