Is Columbia Publication Legit? Check Us Yourself
Facts checked: October 22, 2026 by Gia Kahn, Lead Editor
Columbia Publication is a self-publishing services company run by Columbia Publishing LLC. Authors pay one flat, written fee for editing, design, formatting and distribution, keep 100% of their rights and royalties, and sell through their own Amazon KDP and IngramSpark accounts. Everything on this page links to something you can check before you speak to us.
- What we are
- A self-publishing services company. Not a hybrid publisher, not a traditional publisher.
- Total fees
- One flat fee in a written quote. Packages from $1,499. No royalty share, no annual or after-publication fees.
- Rights and royalties
- 100% yours. The book is never exclusive to us.
- Accounts
- Your own Amazon KDP and IngramSpark accounts, in your name.
- Books published
- Four books by three authors, all live on Amazon. See them
- Refunds
- Full refund within 72 hours of payment if work has not begun. Refund policy
- Company
- Columbia Publishing LLC, trading as Columbia Publication, Arlington, Virginia. +1 (703) 997-9787
Is Columbia Publication a hybrid publisher?
No. Columbia Publication is a self-publishing services company. A hybrid publisher usually selects books for its own imprint and pays the author a share of royalties, keeping the rest. We do neither. You hire us for the work your book needs, you pay one flat fee, and the book, the retailer accounts and every royalty stay yours. The one place our name appears is the publisher line on Amazon, because the ISBN comes from our Bowker block and is included in your package. If you bring your own ISBN, your name goes there instead.
Because the label "hybrid publisher" is not regulated, we would rather you judge any company by what it does. Our guide to hybrid publisher warning signs lists the questions to ask, and this page answers them for us.
How much does Columbia Publication cost in total?
Global Publish is $1,499, Full Production $2,499 and the Authority System $4,999. Authority Plus starts from $7,500, ghostwriting from $7,500 and Gravitas from $25,000. The price in your written quote is the full price: there is no royalty share, no annual fee and no fee after your book is published. Every package is paid in full upfront, once you approve the written quote.
| Package | Who it is for | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Global Publish | A finished, edited manuscript, ready for cover, formatting and distribution (4 to 5 weeks) | $1,499 |
| Full Production | Adds proofreading, a project manager and launch support (7 to 9 weeks) | $2,499 |
| Authority System | Adds a full copyedit, for authors building a professional profile | $4,999 |
| Authority Plus | Editorial review at all three levels plus a launch campaign | from $7,500 |
| Ghostwriting | We write the book with you from your ideas, notes or interviews | from $7,500 |
| Gravitas | Executives and professionals, with a senior editor or writer | from $25,000 |
Full details of what each package includes are on our publishing packages page.
Who keeps the rights and royalties?
You do, 100%. You own the copyright, the book is never exclusive to us, and retailers pay royalties straight into your own accounts. No sales money passes through Columbia Publication at any point.
Where is the book sold, and whose accounts are used?
Your book goes on sale through your own Amazon KDP and IngramSpark accounts, set up in your name. That reaches Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Kobo, and bookstores and libraries through IngramSpark. You receive the final book files and the digital source files when the book is finalized. Distribution makes your book orderable; it is not a promise of shelf placement or sales.
Can I see books Columbia Publication has published?
Yes. Four books by three authors are listed on our published books page with their Amazon links, formats, dates and ratings, including The City of the Gods by Jason Patterson (4.7 stars from 21 Amazon ratings). Open any listing and check the publisher line, the formats and the reader reviews yourself.
- The City of the Gods, Jason Patterson (fantasy, with an unabridged audiobook)
- The Amylets Fantastic Adventures, Ameena Roberts (children's book)
- The Hidden Kingdom Adventure, Ameena Roberts (children's book, her second with us)
- Uncharted Road, Faithful God!, Pardon Chenjerai (Christian memoir)
Formats, dates, ISBNs and what we did on each book are on the published books page, and the full story of one project is in the City of the Gods case study.
What do I get in writing before I pay?
A written agreement listing the scope, deliverables, revision rounds, price, payment terms and refund terms. Every deliverable includes two revision rounds: the cover, the interior layout and each editing pass. If you cancel within 72 hours of payment and work has not begun, you get a full refund. After that, refunds follow the stage your project has reached, as set out in our refund policy.
Read the refund policy, our terms and our complaints process before you decide. Our editorial standards explain how manuscripts are edited and checked.
Where can I read reviews of Columbia Publication?
Authors review us on Trustpilot, and readers rate our authors' books on Amazon. We are a young company, so our review count is still small. That is why this page points you to the books themselves: a published book is harder to fake than a review.
Does Columbia Publication use AI to write or edit books?
No. Editing, design, illustration, formatting and ghostwriting are done by people. The only AI we use is the chat assistant on our website. Our AI-use statement.
How can I check Columbia Publication in 10 minutes?
- Open one of the Amazon listings above and look at the publisher line, the formats and the reader reviews.
- Read our refund policy and check that it is written before you pay, not after.
- Ask us for a written quote and read who owns the rights, the accounts and the royalties.
- Call us on +1 (703) 997-9787 and ask any question on this page. A specialist replies to written questions within one business day.