Questions worth asking
any publisher.

Who pays for what?

Why it matters. This one question separates the kinds of publishing, and it changes whose interests the publisher is serving. A publisher who is vague about it is being vague deliberately.

Our answer. You do. Grand is a hybrid publisher: the author funds publication and we do the work. A traditional publisher pays an advance because it is betting on sales; we are not making that bet, and we do not pretend to be. That is the trade, and you should judge everything else we say knowing it.

What does it cost?

Why it matters. Any publisher who quotes before reading your manuscript is selling a package, not publishing a book. Any publisher who will not put the figure in writing is worse.

Our answer. There is no price list, because the cost depends on the book — its length, its condition, whether it is illustrated, which formats it needs. We read it first and then quote, itemised, in writing, with the exclusions marked. You will see the figure before you commit to anything, and you can walk away from it.

What am I actually buying?

Why it matters. Offers that say a service 'may include' something are promising nothing. Scope has to be written down before money changes hands, and so does what is excluded.

Our answer. Editorial passes, cover and interior design, typesetting, production files, ISBN assignment, distribution setup, and the retail listings. Each of those is named in your proposal with what is and is not covered. If it is not on that list, it is not included — ask us to mark the exclusions explicitly and we will.

Do I still own my book?

Why it matters. Copyright and licence are not the same thing. You can hold the copyright and still have signed away every practical ability to do anything with your own work.

Our answer. The copyright stays yours; it is never assigned to us. What you grant is a licence to publish, and its scope, territory and term are written in the agreement. Read that clause. Any publisher who will not show it to you before you sign has told you something important about themselves.

The precise wording lives in the author agreement. Ask us for it before you commit and we will send it.

Can I leave?

Why it matters. The question authors most often wish they had asked. Some publishing agreements run for the life of copyright plus seventy years, and some have no meaningful exit at all.

Our answer. There is a termination clause and a rights-reversion clause, and we will send you the agreement to read before you commit to anything. Have it looked at independently — that is not us being cautious, it is what we would tell a friend.

The precise wording lives in the author agreement. Ask us for it before you commit and we will send it.

Will my book sell?

Why it matters. Marketing promises are where author-funded publishing goes wrong most often. Publicity is genuinely difficult, and paid promotion converts far less predictably than anyone selling it will admit.

Our answer. We do not know, and neither does anybody else. Most books, from every kind of publisher, sell modestly. We will tell you what we plan to do, do it, and report what it did — but we will not forecast sales, promise a ranking, promise reviews or promise a bookshop shelf. If a publisher offers you any of that in writing, ask them to attach a refund to it.

What will you not promise me?

Why it matters. Worth asking every publisher, and worth noticing who answers it. The promises that get made in this sector are the reason careful authors are wary of it.

Our answer. That the book will sell. That we can put it on a supermarket shelf or a bestseller list. That paid promotion converts — it rarely does, and anyone attaching a guarantee to it is selling you something. And we will not promise that Grand is the right publisher for every manuscript, because sometimes the honest answer is no. What we will do is tell you what we are doing, do it, and report what it did.

Why not just self-publish?

Why it matters. Comparing an offer against doing it yourself is the clearest way to see what you are paying for — even if you have already decided self-publishing is not for you.

Our answer. You could commission an editor, a designer and a typesetter, buy your own ISBNs and upload to the self-publishing platforms yourself. Plenty of authors do, it costs less, and for some books it is the better answer. What you buy from us is that it is one team, to one standard, with one person accountable for the result — and that you are not learning six trades while trying to write.

Will you tell me if it isn't good enough?

Why it matters. Flattery is cheap, particularly from a publisher who is about to invoice you. A report that praises everything is a sales document with a different name on it.

Our answer. Yes, and sometimes the honest answer is not yet, or not us. The editorial read exists to reach that conclusion when it is the right one. We would rather lose the work than publish a book that was not ready and take your money for it.