Our Ethos
Why we're different
Own your own royalties & Copyright
We’re not a traditional or vanity publisher, so you retain higher royalties.
Diversity & Inclusion
We believe that the publishing industry should be more diverse and inclusive, including socio-economic background, ethnicity, gender, and neurodivergence.
Eco-friendly & Sustainable
The creation of books shouldn’t involve the destruction of our planet, so we support and are working on sustainable practices.
Making the world a better place
We’re here to make the world a better place, from supporting charities to offering work experience to young people.
Industry Expertise
We’ve got a range of industry expertise over the years to help you go from draft to bookshelf.
What makes us different
At Book Shelf Press, we’re what’s known as a hybrid publisher. Essentially, we sit between traditional publishing, which shuts out most aspiring authors, and self-publishing, where authors struggle to get a professional finish.
Put simply, traditional publishing is when a company produces your book in exchange for 90-95% of the profits, while self-publishing is where you act as your own publisher, taking control of producing your own book. In the middle, there are hybrid publishers like us who offer a balance of control and profits (often 50/50% royalties). It’s win-win.
With our hybrid press, you’ll get a higher proportion of royalties than with a traditional publisher. We also work 6 times faster than the traditional publishing industry (which typically takes 18 months to 3 years), yet we maintain the highest standards, often with higher quality editing and design than traditional publishers. Rest assured, we are not a vanity publisher, and we only accept the best nonfiction books via our submissions process.
Honesty
We will always be honest with you about your book, like whether your manuscript is good enough. Constructive honesty is at the heart of what we do.
Control
We are not a traditional or vanity publisher, so you keep a higher percentage of royalties, as well as autonomy. We give you guidance and opinions based on our industry experience and knowledge, but ultimately, it is always your choice.
Team
We have a small, trusted team, so your book won’t be handed around to countless, nameless people. You’ll get to know us and our team. In fact, many of the authors we work with us on their future books, and we are proud to call many of them our friends.
Time
Speed really isn’t the essence of what we do (quality is), but we will still help you publish between five and ten times faster than with a traditional publishers.
Ethics
We’re a company driven by our values, and we like to work with people who are values-driven too, so we love working with authors who want to make the world a better place. We’re accredited with the Ethical Tick from the Good Shopping Guide.
When you work with us, you get:
- A clear terms of business
- An author handbook so you know your role and our role
- A project management page on our software
- 10 acres of rainforest protected with the Rainforest Trust
- A higher royalty rate than traditional publishers
- A team behind you who care about your book as much as you do!
