Arbor Books - Contract & Services Reviewed in The Fine Print of Self-Publishing

http://www.arborbooks.com

FORMAT OF BOOKS: Ebook, paperback, and hardcover

GENRES ACCEPTED: All

PUBLISHING FEES: Arbor Books is both a self-publishing and ghostwriting service. The publisher's website does not provide detailed information about its services or fees. However, I filled out Arbor's "request a quote" form and received the following information regarding a 200-page paperback book./p>

There are several different tiers of publishing fees, each providing you with subsequently more books: (1) for $2,500, the author gets one hundred copies of the book; (2) for $3,500, the author gets two hundred copies; (3) for $5,500, the author gets five hundred copies; (4) for $6,500, the author gets one thousand copies; and (5) for $10,500, the author gets three thousand copies. The sample contract sent to me was for the thousand-copy package, which includes:/p>

• Five hours of phone or email consultation, after which representatives bill at $115 an hour
• Custom-designed cover: Includes up to three rough drafts. (A representative told me, "Generally we don't charge for minor changes, font choice, color, contrast, etc. Charges are more for when you approve of something and then change your mind.")
• Proofs, alterations of which cost $150 for cover, $50 for interior
• Typesetting (add $10 for every graphic insertion, $20 per page to recreate charts)
• ISBN
• Bar code
• Library of Congress Control Number (LCCN)
• U.S. Copyright Office registration
• Printing, for the number of books of your choice, plus shipping

• Ghostwriting: Arbor Books is a jack-of-all-trades, but of its many services, perhaps the most interesting is that it will actually write your book for you for $8,000—$25,000.
• Editing: Proofreading costs $0.04 per word; a "commercial-quality edit" costs $0.07 per word. This is quite high.
• Contacting Agents and Publishers: Arbor Books has four different "strategies" for contacting agents and publishers, ranging from $1,500 to $4,995. On the lower end, Arbor Books will simply query agents for you. On the higher end, they will help you find endorsers, query agents and publishers, write a book proposal, and provide you with sample books for reviewers.
• Ebook: For $1,995, Arbor Books will design your ebook.
• Marketing and Publicity Program: This costs $2,000 and includes:

- Promotional kit with the following parts: cover letter; press release; talking points; cover letter for speaking engagements; and back-cover copy, which includes a blurb, a biography, and "other elements."

- Outreach to 150 retail distributors; library distributors; national book chains, including Borders and Barnes & Noble; internet booksellers, including Amazon.com, Borders.com, Target.com, VirginMega.com, and Waldenbooks.com; book clubs and other specialty organizations and their catalogs; and key reviewers and media outlets, including Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, The View, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Good Morning America, The Today Show, Live With Regis and Kelly, USA Today Book Club, C-SPAN, Imus in the Morning, New York Times Book Review, Time, Newsweek, Library Journal, and many more.