Written to be read more than once.
Faith books are lent, given away, worked through in groups and kept on a shelf for years. That is a different job from a book bought once and finished, and it changes almost every decision in making one.
Four kinds of book,
made differently.
These get treated as one category by almost everybody selling publishing services. They are four different objects with four different specifications.
- 01
Testimony and memoir
A life told through what happened in it. The editorial question is the same as any memoir — where does the book begin — and the additional one is how much a reader outside your tradition needs explained before they can follow you.
- 02
Devotional
Short entries, read daily, over a defined span. The design decides whether it survives that use: the page has to be findable, the typography has to be readable at six in the morning, and the binding has to open flat and stay open.
- 03
Bible study and small-group material
Built to be written in and worked through together. Room in the margins, questions that a group can actually answer, and a structure that survives being taught by somebody who is not you.
- 04
Theology and teaching
Referenced properly. Notes, a bibliography, a Scripture index where the book warrants one — the apparatus a serious reader looks for before deciding whether to trust the argument.
Scripture is
under copyright.
This is the most common rights problem in the category, and it is discovered late, which is the expensive way to discover it. Modern Bible translations are copyrighted works. Quoting them in a book you sell is governed by permissions the translation's publisher sets out, and those permissions have limits.
The limits vary by translation and are published openly by each one. Typically they cap the number of verses you may quote without written permission, bar you from quoting a complete book of the Bible, cap the proportion of your own work that may be Scripture, and require a specific acknowledgement line in the front matter — worded their way, not yours. A devotional built around a passage a day can pass those thresholds without the author noticing.
The King James is a special case in Britain
Almost everywhere in the world the Authorised Version is out of copyright and free to use. In the United Kingdom it is not: it sits under perpetual Crown copyright, exercised through the Crown's patentee, and permission conventions still apply to substantial use. A publisher that does not know this about its own jurisdiction is not one to hand a manuscript to.
What we do about it
We check it before the book is typeset, not after it is printed. Which translation, how much of it, what proportion of the finished book, and what the acknowledgement has to say. Where a permission is needed we tell you and we help you request it. Where a different translation would avoid the problem entirely, we say that too, and the decision is yours because it is a decision about your book rather than about paperwork.
Faith titles
we have published.
All of them on sale. Open one and follow it through to the shop it is sold in.
The Fathers in my LifeLouise Wynne Jones
Faith books sell
through people.
Which changes what is worth spending on. A category that moves through churches and groups rewards different work from one that moves through search.
- 01
Your own congregation and ministry first
The people who already know you are not a marketing channel, they are the beginning of the book's life. A launch that ignores them starts from nothing.
- 02
Small groups buy in tens
One leader choosing your book means a dozen copies at once, and again next term. That is why format, price and a workable study structure matter more here than a clever cover.
- 03
Orderable everywhere
An ISBN registered to a publisher and a record in the trade catalogues, so a church bookstall, an independent shop or a library can get copies in for somebody who asks. That is the mechanism, and it is what publishing properly buys you.
- 04
Speaking sells more than advertising
A talk, a guest sermon, a conference table, a podcast in your tradition. In this category that reliably outperforms paid promotion, and it is worth planning for before publication rather than after.
From manuscript
to shelf.
- 01
You send it
A sample and a few lines about who the book is for and which tradition it comes out of. That last part changes the edit, so it is worth saying at the start.
- 02
A publisher reads it
And calls you with a straight answer about whether it is ready. We read for the writing and the structure, not to assess your theology — that is yours.
- 03
Permissions are checked
Translations, quotations, hymn and song lyrics, and anything else quoted. Song lyrics in particular are far more tightly controlled than most authors expect, and it is much cheaper to know before typesetting.
- 04
It is made
Editorial, cover, typesetting to the way the book will actually be used, proofs. You see and approve every stage.
- 05
It goes out
ISBN registered, listed for retail, and distributed into the trade so anybody can order it in.
What our authors say
- Grand Publishers especially David Alonsa were brilliant
Grand Publishers especially David Alonsa extremely helpful and talked me through everything. He was also very patient with me.l would certainly recommend you all and have already done so
Gail Simmons - Book publishing and promotion
Jason and David and the team have worked hard to get my second book into the public eye, and have made some really good social media pictures and promotions. "The CPO & The Wren" is now selling on both sides of the Atlantic. Geoffrey Spinks
Mr Geoff Spinks - I can't tell you how amazing it has…
I can't tell you how amazing it has been working with Grand Publishing. From the very beginning, the experience has been outstanding. When I first reached out, I wasn't even sure if I wanted to publish a project I had been working on for quite some time. Jerry gave me a call and patiently walked me through the entire process. He answered all of my questions and genuinely motivated me to move forward with publishing my book. I was then introduced to David Alonso, who became my project manager. He has been fantastic throughout the journey, keeping me updated every step of the way, answering any questions I had, and making the whole process smooth and stress-free. As a first-time author, I couldn't have asked for a better experience. If you're hesitant about publishing, I'd encourage you to speak with the team. If you don't come away from that conversation feeling confident, then I'll have to call myself a liar! Thank you, Grand Publishing, and especially Jerry and David, for making this such a positive and memorable experience.
Booker Odena - Outstanding Service from Grand Publishers
I had a very positive experience working with Grand Publishers. As a new author, I really needed guidance throughout the process, from editing to preparation for publication. David and Jerry, who were incredibly helpful, professional, and supportive, made a significant difference. They took the time to explain each stage clearly and did an amazing job with the marketing, illustrations, and overall development of my book. Their dedication to making the final result as strong as possible was exceptional. I would highly recommend Grand Publishers, especially David and Jerry, who were fantastic to work with.
Juliet - My book, In my happy place.
Some while ago I submitted a raw manuscript to Grand Publishers. Honestly, at first I was cautious about their enthusiasm, in fact I thought it a sales ploy. How wrong I was! The project has been managed by David Alanza, with input from Arthur J Wayne the marketing director. At every stage I have been afforded full control of the artistic direction and have now got a highly polished book that I could never have produced. I'm now in the launch phase and the marketing so far is beyond my wildest dreams. I know that there's much more to come, but wanted to highly recommend anyone with a book that they believe in to listen to and trust Grand. To verify everything I've said, please search Vernon Smith I my happy place and see for yourself.
Vernon Smith - Helpful and professional
Helpful and professional
Elikem Debrah
Faith writing
questions.
No. We publish across traditions and we do not take a doctrinal position on what we print. The editorial questions we ask are about clarity, structure and whether a reader can follow you — not about whether we agree.
No. An editor's job is to make the book more like itself. If a passage is unclear or an argument does not land we will say so and show you why, and every change is yours to accept or refuse.
It depends entirely on the translation, and each publishes its own terms. There are limits on the number of verses, on quoting a whole book of the Bible, and on how much of your own work may be quotation, plus a required acknowledgement. We check yours against the actual terms before the book is typeset.
Carefully. Lyrics are among the most tightly licensed text there is, and rights holders enforce it. Public-domain hymns are usually fine; anything modern generally needs permission. Tell us early and we will sort it out before it becomes a reprint.
Yes, and for a lot of faith books that turns out to be the main way they move. Say so early and the print specification and pricing can be built with it in mind.
You do. It stays with you and is never assigned to us. The full position is on the rights page, in plain terms, whether or not you ever talk to us.
Who is the book for?
In this category that answer decides almost everything else. Send us a chapter and tell us, and a publisher will read it and call you.