FAQs

KWP was founded as a hybrid book publisher. This continues to be our our “standard” or base approach, whereby we partner with authors to turn their manuscripts into high quality published books under our imprint. Recently, we have expanded our business model to offer a traditional publishing solution as well as provide selective services to help authors self-publish. 

Our new “Full Spectrum” model essentially allows us to provide appealing solutions to authors that better aligns with where they are on their journey. Under our standard approach, we partner with authors (and share in the investment,) to produce a polished, appealing book and bring it to market. This is often a great solution for both new and established authors.

For authors with an established following or reach, we now offer a traditional publishing option whereby we cover the upfront investment risk based on projectable sales volume. This often better fits the needs of authors such as those with demonstrated previous book sales; pastors, speakers or ministry leaders; or influencers with an existing following. 

On the opposite end of the spectrum, we can simply help authors get their books to print independent of the KWP imprint. They can select whichever services they desire such as cover design, interior layout, or proofreading, which can lower the cost of publishing and forego any requirements we would stipulate if publishing under our imprint. 

Yes. If you would like to be specifically considered for traditional publishing, you may submit a form detailing relevant information for our review and consideration. Essentially, you can help make your case why we should take on the investment risk of your book. Here is a link to the Traditional Publishing Request Form. 

Also, if you are only interested in self-publishing services, simply indicate that on your publishing inquiry submission. 

Kingdom Winds is a marketplace ministry dedicated to advancing the Kingdom of God, primarily through dispersing God-inspired works. At its core is KingdomWinds.com, a groundbreaking, multimedia destination website featuring original content created by the Kingdom Winds Collective—a formal alliance of Christian creatives and ministries. A key focus of our mission is to provide support to and be the trusted service provider for our collective members and authors.

Kingdom Winds takes a partnership approach to everything we do. As it relates to book publishing, this starts with the fact that we share the investment risk of each book we publish under our imprint. Under our Standard (hybrid) track, we do charge for our work and materials associated with creating and publishing books. However, we do not aim to make a profit with our publishing services like our competitors, but instead look to share in the success of the book.

If we extend a Traditional Publishing option, we effectively cover the upfront publishing costs. This may be subject to some conditions on a case-by-case basis, such as an initial minimum bulk order purchase or a temporary investment recapture fee. 

As a result of our partnership approach, our prices are almost always better than other independent, hybrid, vanity, or even self-publishers. We invite you to get a free custom quote to see for yourself how reasonably we price our services as well as how favorably your book sales economics compare. Please note that we will likely require a review of your manuscript for acceptance prior to providing a proposal.

There are two key drivers to the Kingdom Winds pricing strategy. It is our mission to disperse God-inspired works to the intended audience and we use what we call “partnership pricing.”

Accordingly, we view each book as a joint venture and seek to minimize the investment cost barrier. This translates into author publishing costs that are amongst the lowest in the industry.

And, importantly, this does not mean that we sacrifice quality, because as partners, we want you, your book, and Kingdom Winds all to shine and share in its success. Our goal is to get these works both into print and into the hands of a broad audience.

No, the truth is quite to the contrary. We have a quality team of publishing professionals who are invested in bringing out the best in each book.

Our author book prices compare very favorably to other publishers. Some dictate what tends to be a high retail price and then charge a percentage of that price.

Because of our partnership approach, our book cost includes a small profit. We use the same cost for author purchases and profit margin calculations.

Kingdom Winds prices its publishing services amongst the lowest in the industry. This is because we are selective with acceptance under the Kingdom Winds Publishing banner and then use a risk/cost sharing partnership approach with the books we approve.

In general, we do not display our publishing prices because: 1) we are not at our core a self-publisher, typical independent publisher, or vanity publisher; and 2) proposals and price quotes are customized for each specific author and book. We recognize that every situation is different and we find applying cookie cutter pricing to not be the most effective approach or even in the best interests of our authors.

Overall, our pricing is a large advantage over our competitors. We are confident that our proposals are worth the wait and believe that is very apparent when authors compare our prices after receiving them.

We sometimes use the term “royalties” and other times refer to the author’s net profit margin depending upon the sales channel. We try to bring transparency to this aspect from the start by detailing estimated profit margins for each channel with our proposals.

In general, we pay royalties on sales through distribution channels such as Amazon, other online retailers, book stores, and the Kingdom Winds Store.

Authors realize a net profit margin on sales through direct sales and their dedicated Kingdom Winds Store. The net profit is generally derived this way:

+ Retail Book Price

+ Shipping and Handling Charge

– Channel Cost (Commission)

– Author Book Cost

– Merchant Fees

– Shipping Cost

– Fulfillment Cost

_____________________

Net Profit Margin *

* sales tax is excluded in this example because it is a pass through transaction and is often not assessed for out of state transactions.

The Kingdom Winds Way is based on Kingdom principals and values. We put our authors first and serve them the way that we would want to be served ourselves. We are passionate about what we do and doing everything with excellence. Since the outset, we have tended towards building relationship with our authors and collective members very naturally.

Each book is different, with a unique combination of work required to go from manuscript to published work. We assess each manuscript and the author's goals upfront to determine the right path forward to produce a high quality book. For instance, some books require extensive work in terms of interior design and layout. Or, some may require various types and rounds of editorial work such as coaching, line editing, copy editing, or proofreading. 

Also, because authors are involved in the process, they play a role in the time frame. The design and editing processes are iterative in nature as we go back and forth to complete each aspect. 

Generally speaking, the process tends to take average 3-4 months, but can surely be shorter or longer depending upon the things mentioned above. It is also important to note that there are many steps and tasks in the process that authors typically do not see, such as setting up listings, printing, distribution, etc. 

Although we could point to specific “selling points”, we believe that it is a multitude of things combined together that provide a truly superior value proposition.

Most fundamentally, Kingdom Winds Publishing provides stellar service, quality work, and excellent profit margins at an outstanding price!

This surely differentiates us in a crowded field, but when you layer on other attributes, it truly sets us apart. This starts with our culture and staff, who possess a heart for our mission and advancing the kingdom. A job well done means that others can see the fruit. Integrity, trust, and doing the right thing are always at the forefront.

No, but we welcome agents representing authors. Kingdom Winds is currently accepting new manuscript submissions for assessment. We evaluate and require approval of all manuscripts primarily because of our partnership model and that not all books are a good fit for Kingdom Winds.

The Kingdom Winds business approach and philosophies center around partnering together. This includes having aligned objectives for success, sharing the costs and risks, and desire to make your book shine. Accordingly, we do include some marketing and promotion through social media as well as the KingdomWinds.com platform with each book.

But, because we also want to keep costs from being a barrier to getting any book into circulation, more extensive marketing and promotional services are offered as ancillary services on an a la carte basis. We are happy to put together a plan to help you build brand and drive sales of your book.

All Kingdom Winds Publishing authors are automatically welcomed into the Kingdom Winds Collective. Besides receiving discounts on services, authors gain access to our groundbreaking platform. Their books are presented alongside any content published on our site, providing important exposure to our growing audience. 

Collective Members also have the option to maintain their own dedicated store within our Etsy-style marketplace to showcase and sell their books and other products. Of course, we also include authors books in the Kingdom Winds Store within the Marketplace and on KingdomWindsPublishing.com. Both sites and stores offer additional exposure to their target market as well as superior profit margins to other sales channels.

Kingdom Winds Publishing is a full service publishing house. We provide all the services, support, and guidance that authors need to bring their book to life and make it shine. Most of the work is done in-house by our talented publishing team, but we sometimes use trusted contractors that work under our direct supervision to ensure timely work.

Publishing Services that we offer include the following:

• Editorial Service
  • Proofreading
  • Line Editing
  • Copy Editing
  • Development Editing
  • Manuscript Review
  • Manuscript Critique
  • Ghostwriting

• Interior Layout and Design

• Cover Layout and Design

• Book Formatting (Soft, Hard, eBook)

• Production

• Supply Chain Management

• Copyright Filing

• Marketing and Promotion

Books publishing under the Kingdom Winds Publishing imprint will be available for purchase on Amazon, KingdomWinds.com, and KingdomWindsPublishing.com. Authors also can opt to make their books available through extended distribution to approximately 40,000 retailers and libraries throughout the U.S. and around the world. 

Additionally, authors can purchase copies of their book at our very reasonable  “author book price” to sell directly through their own website, at speaking events, on social media, or other physical locations.

No, although we now offer services to help author's with self-publishing. We review all manuscripts for acceptance under the Kingdom Kinds Publishing banner. During the review process, we identify the work we believe necessary to ensure an appealing, high quality book that  will reflect positively on both our authors and kingdom Winds. We then provide a custom proposal based on this assessment along with other options for the author to consider.

Because we use a partnership approach sharing costs, risks and success, our manuscript approval rate is much higher than traditional publishers and our pricing tends to be substantially better than other Indie or self-publishers.

We also partner with authors in producing and selling the book. Our publishing team provides everything needed, from a full array of editorial services to interior layout and design to cover creation and design. We handle all the details for your book to be printed and distributed through the desired channels.

For additional information about Traditional and Self-Publishing, please see the first three questions above. 

Our base approach is an Indie Hybrid Publisher using a partnership approach. In this scenario, we do not cover the costs upfront or pay advances in exchange for greatly reduced royalties or profit margins like traditional publishers. Instead, we share the investment cost and financial risk with our authors, which allows us to preserve high profit margins for our authors.

We have recently broadened our business model to be "Full Spectrum" in approach. Accordingly, we now offer Traditional Publishing options to a portion of our authors. You can find more details above, but this effectively means that we absorb the upfront investment risk. 

No matter whether we are publishing your book under our Standard or Traditional tracks, we always provide the same high quality assistance throughout the publishing process, from editorial work to interior layout to cover design. We do review all manuscripts for acceptance, but due to our shared risk model, our acceptance rate tends to be dramatically higher than traditional publishers.

Another thing that differentiates us from traditional publishers, self publishers, and other Indie publishers is that we proactively manage the supply chain to obtain the best sales economics for our authors. It is also our objective to help demystify the supply chain complexities and create greater transparency into the economics.

Although our focus is on publishing Christian content, both through our digital platform and books, we do approve manuscripts that are not overtly Christian. For instance, we publish children’s books that do not have Christian references or scripture, however, the content is consistent with Christian values and teachings.

Yes. We will review and accept fictional manuscripts that are consistent with Christian values and teachings.

Yes. We focus on Christian books and operate with Kingdom values. Please see About Our Values Page for more details.

Please note that we may choose to publish digital content and books that are not overtly Christian in nature, but are consistent with and demonstrate Christian values. Examples of this might include children’s books or fiction.

Beyond your own direct sales, there are four key sources of financial information related to book sales:

• Kingdom Winds Collective Member Store Dashboard
• Stripe Account Dashboard
• Quarterly Royalty Reports
• Fulfillment Invoice (if Kingdom Winds is fulfilling for you)

Please see our Author|Member Financial Guide for more details.