Questions and Answers with the Publisher

Is JoshuaTree Publishing going to charge me to publish my book?

Joshua Tree Publishing is a traditional publisher. As opposed to self-publishing companies, that will publish anyone who pays, we are very selective as to which titles we take on. We decline the majority of inquiries. Joshua Tree Publishing lives or dies by the quality of the books we publish. We only publish titles that we believe are good, that are worth publishing, that could/should sell, and look at each one on its own merits.

When we consider publishing a book, we look at the author’s track record, their marketing plan for the book, and how serious they are. While publishers can open the distribution channel to bookstores, the person who really sells books is the author themselves. Without their dedication and tenacity, their book is going to flounder. 


Are my books going to be available at bookstores and Amazon?

Amazon has picked up all our books and are in stock worldwide in both print and electronic form. Joshua Tree Publishing is distributed by the Ingram Content Group which is the largest wholesaler in the book world. Barnes & Noble and other bookstores are set up to order through Ingram which will fulfill their orders either the same day or next day. We cannot guarantee your book will be in stock at bookstores. Reader demand determines whether a book is in stock. However, books are available for order at the stores. And most importantly, we set up each book as returnable by the bookstore which means they will stock your book as demand grows.


I am a first-time author.
Will you consider my book?

Absolutely. Every successful writer has started with one book. The difficulty is that writing is a creative process. Publishing is a business. What you are asking a publisher to do is make an investment in you. We want the author to succeed and sell books, which is how we get a return on our investment. We encourage first-time authors to contact us and submit their works. Oftentimes, we can assist them in how to move their book to the next level.


My book has not been professionally edited. Can I still submit it?

Yes, you can submit your book. We review books to evaluate their potential. Sometimes we find a book that we are very interested in, but the book needs to be edited. In the normal publishing process, we do a final edit of the book before it goes to press. However, some books, while well-written, do not have a clear message. In those cases where we have an interest in the book, we will work with the author to to bring their book to the level necessary to be published. We will coordinate with the editor and author in order to bring the book to our standards. 

We want to make your dream of being a published author a reality.


What about the cover of my book?

We have found that the concept for the cover usually appears after the editing is complete. It is almost a magical process. Sometimes what seems like a great idea at the beginning is transformed into a totally different perspective later as the book’s interior turns into reality.

We utilize a wide range of designers that we work with. We find that freelancers are a valuable resource rather than depending on a staff member to come up with the covers. We have access to millions of illustrations and artwork. The bottom line is that the author has the final word on the cover. After all, it is your book, your vision. We want you to proudly hold the book up.

However, sometimes, an author has a concept or an actual cover for their book when they submit their proposal. We welcome those ideas, and most often, we use them for the covers. We work with the illustrator and author to make sure the cover is professionally done and sized to fit the dimensions of the book.


I self-published my book as an eBook. Would you consider my book?

We do not consider authors who have already published the submitted books in digital format. In order to promote our authors, we publish both printed and digital formats, such as Kindle, iBooks, ePub, etc.