My Experience with Xulon Press, a Christian Print-On-Demand Self-Publishing Company

By Laura Lond, published Oct 03, 2007
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Xulon Press, today a part of Salem Communications, is a Christian print-on-demand publisher. I have been working with Xulon since 2003, when I had chosen to self-publish with them the first book of my Christian fantasy trilogy. Later on, I proceeded to release books 2 and 3 with Xulon as well, in 2004 and 2006 respectively. My experience with this company has been mostly good, with some slight disappointments mixed in as well.

Xulon's policies and rates have changed several times since 2003, so I will not be able to tell you exactly how much I had paid and what exactly was included in my publishing packages simply because I do not remember. However, the basic principles of how Xulon Press works have stayed the same. You send your manuscript and payment - Xulon does your book layout and creates a cover design - the materials are sent to you for approval - the book goes to press and gets listed with online booksellers like Amazon.

Your book is stored digitally (as a computer file), with copies printed only when orders come in - that's what "print-on-demand" means. Xulon handles printing and shipping. You get your royalties off of every book sold. Sales reports and royalties are supposed to be sent out every quarter (I will say more about that later).

Authors tired of playing the Waiting Game with big publishers will appreciate Xulon's fast production: it only takes 90 days from the moment you send in your manuscript to see your book in print. That's one of the reasons I had chosen to publish my books this way. Another reason is distribution, handling and shipping: Xulon Press takes care of it all, from assigning your book an ISBN number to listing it with major book distributors like Spring Arbor. Basically, they make your book available to order from any bookstore (brick & mortar) and major online stores. I did not want to deal with that myself, so I was glad Xulon offered these services.

 
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Takeaways
  • Xulon Press sticks to its promise to have your book done in 90 days
  • Xulon's books have an ISBN and are sold through major book distributors like Spring Arbor
  • While good author discounts exist, the author is not required to purchase any books
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I also purchased the $2000 (actually about $1940) package and regret it. I found their marketing extremely weak. Some of the language was misleading, it lead me to believe I was purchasing more than they were willing to actually deliver. For instance, after purchasing the package, I discovered that my book would only be represented at a particular convention in catalog format and not actually be at the convention -- unless I was willing to pay an additional $149. ---When I questioned these practices, I received back an email stating that I had misunderstood their package. I would expect to find this type of "business" practice with secular companies, however, was surprised to find it in a "Christian" company. In addition, I might also note that it is very difficult to make a profit using Xulon by selling the book yourself, because the price you, as the author, have to pay to purchase your own book is fairly high (75% higher than another POD I later discovered). In orde

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Posted on 04/20/2008 at 9:04:44 AM

 
I used xulon press and I am sorry I did. 90 days publishing? try nine months. i send them graphs in the mail fedex (somehow they could not download the ones I sent by email). The fedex package sat at their front desk for several months. I bought the $2000 dollar total package including advertising and I don't think it did any good as I had never received a royalty check even after 18 months! Xulon is about as "Christian" as the rest of America. Weak and getting worse.

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Posted on 04/09/2008 at 11:04:16 PM

 
Good informaion and a well-written piece. I wish you continued success with your books. Thanks!

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Posted on 02/25/2008 at 7:02:45 AM

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