Publishing FAQ

Why should I use TEACH Services, Inc. as my publisher?
It is best to have your title published under a well-known imprint. Most national chains and book distributors will not purchase self-published titles. We have an excellent reputation and distribution system that makes your book available nationwide, and even international. We also offer excellent features such as e-book publishing. For additional information on our imprints and printing go HERE.

Will ABC's buy direct from me, or my non-Adventist publisher?
Would you as an Adventist bookstore buy a book from a non-believing publisher, selling mostly worldly books, offering you an unknown book, from an unknown author, that is purportedly a believer just like you?

Unlike other, non-Adventist publishers, our retail buyers and bookstores know that we only publish materials that are in accordance with Adventist beliefs—thus saving them the worry and time of reviewing new titles or hassle of getting them approved before purchasing. Bookstores also know they can purchase 1 or 100 books with fast service and huge savings on bulk shipping.

Why do I need BISAC, ISBN and LOC codes on each book?
Most chain and larger bookstores require correct bar codes on each book for their electronic scanning at check-out counters. Your title will be registered with Books In Print using the industry’s BISAC (Book Industry Standards and Communications) topic codes, ISBN (International Standard Book Number), and LOC (Library of Congress) number at no extra charge to you.

Is the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) involved in my payments?

We are required by law to report all royalty sales over $10 to the IRS as follows:

For USA Authors:
For those of you who receive a royalty payment and are a United States citizen, you must mail us a completed W-9 before a royalty payment will be mailed out. You can find a W-9 copy online at: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw9.pdf

For Non-USA Authors:
U.S. tax law requires us to report royalty payments made to entities and persons residing outside of the United States and to withhold and remit taxes on such royalty payments to the IRS. You may also be required to report and pay taxes to your own government, but we are not involved in this process, and we must follow U.S. tax laws on this matter.

The standard tax-withholding rate applied to royalty payments made to residents outside of the United States is 30%. If you are a non-U.S. author and your country of residence has an existing income tax treaty with the U.S., provided you furnish us with a valid IRS Form W8-BEN https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw8ben.pdf and/or other required documentation, you may be eligible for a reduced rate of U.S. tax withholding on the royalty payment you receive. Without the completed forms we are required to withhold, report, and pay 30% in taxes. To learn more about this requirement, please refer to the IRS 515 Publication https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p515.pdf and go to page 39 and 41 to find your country under the "Copyrights" section.

Should I have the copyright in my name?
When you wrote your book, your book’s content was automatically copyrighted. However, you may want to have the copyright officially filed with the Library of Congress by filling out the required paperwork yourself—there is a filing fee for this process. Copyright information can be found at www.copyright.gov.

How long does it take to get my book published?
Your book can be done as quickly as three to six months and for larger or more complex titles even more. During this time, we will edit, typeset, and design your book. This timeframe also includes the proofing stages where you, as the author, will sign off on the edited manuscript and designed book. This timeframe depends on how quickly you sign off on drafts and proofs and if you submit additional changes during the production process.

Do I have to pay for my job all at once?
No. Most books are paid in three (3) equal installments. One-third down when you begin, the second third when editing of your manuscript is complete, and the last third before your book goes to press. (Six-, nine-, and twelve-payment options are also available.)

May I sell my book retail, through seminars, book signings, etc.?
Yes. TEACH Services sells your book via our Web site and to wholesalers. We encourage you to sell your book by any means you choose and retain all the profits from the sale.

I want to use material from a TEACH Services, Inc. publication, or translate a book published by TEACH Services, Inc. into another language. Do I need permission?
Answer: Yes. Whether it is just one chapter, a small segment or excerpt (e.g., “only a few recipes”), or the entire book, if TEACH Services, Inc. used someone else’s copyrighted material in the publication, we may have permission only for that specific use. Please apply for usage from us just like you would from any other publisher you would seek permission from. Fill out the Rights Request Form and we will return to you cost estimates in a few days.

What happens should I be unable to finish my book? Can I get a refund on my Publishing Agreement?
Sometimes an author (or heirs when an author passes) find that they will be unable to finish the publishing process. Getting a refund on your Publishing Agreement is simple. Just request a refund by filling out this form HERE and choosing "Cancel my Publishing Agreement"

NOTE: You are still financially responsible for all work already completed. Review below steps for more information.

EDITING (45% of total time–minimum 7 hours) includes pre-processing and scheduling all work steps, team selections, permission research, advance review and reading, and independent editing work contracted. Back cover write-ups (full, medium, and short) and biographical write-ups. Artwork selection and creation, charts, stock and custom photography, graphs, graphic editing, oversite review, and team meeting time. See our Style Guidelines (PDF) for details.

TEXT DESIGN (25% of total time–minimum 1 hour) includes layout and design of interior pages, scheduling all work steps, team selections, production review, and oversite.

COVER DESIGN (15% of total time–minimum 1 hour) includes the "pick-one" cover designs, oversite review, and creating 3-D samples. Finished cover designed (includes ISBN barcodes, BISAC Code, QR Code, and links) based on the final page count of the title.

MARKETING IMPLEMENTATION (15% of total time–minimum 1 hour) Marketing scheduling, copyediting of creative works, other marketing/promotional work, and advertising/promotional reservations or implementation which includes:

• Church poster design and creation.
• Bulletin insert design and creation.
• Banner Ads.
• Bookmarks front and back design and content writing.
• Church announcement copywriting.
• Scheduling and pre-placement of ads.
• Copywriting and final adjustments per author requests.
• Links and reviews.

Any advertising booked may have cancellation charges from the advertising company, and those changes will be deducted from your refund along with any shipments for the return of materials. All Royalty Advances applied to your work will be canceled.

As all sections begin simultaneously but finish at different times, there will be a minimum of 10 hours of work deducted from all refunds.

How do book royalties work?
Simply put, a book royalty is the amount a publisher pays an Author for the rights to publish their book. Royalties at TEACH Services are calculated as a percentage of the SRP (Suggested Retail Price).

Authors also have plenty of ways to make money besides selling their books. They can book seminars/talks, generate new clients, consult, launch a product, become a coach, or build a personal brand. Of course, having a book that sells a million copies is excellent, but that’s an infrequent event.

For publishers, royalties are the only way to earn money. It doesn’t matter if an Author gives fifty talks to packed rooms of thousands each year. If those talks don’t translate to direct book sales, they have no value for a publisher. Most Publishing Agreements include graduated royalties. 

TEACH Services offers the following rates:
         Trade paperback and hardcover sales: 10-12%
         Mass-market paperback sales: 5-10%
         Audiobook and eBook sales: 25-50%

TEACH Services pay royalties based on the SRP price of the book. That means if the book retails at $20.00, and the royalties rate is 10%, you will earn $2.00 per book sold.

NOTE: Some publishers pay Authors “royalties on net sales.” Publishers sell to book outlets at different prices. For example, a publisher might offer a sizeable wholesale discount to a national distributor while offering a lower discount to bookstores that only buy a few copies. Royalty rates that are based on net sales (after deducting all the price differences, deals, and operating costs), may have a higher royalty percentage but offer less income to the Author. For example, a book with a $20.00 SRP that is sold at 70% discount would be a $6.00 sale. TEACH Services pays a 10% royalty of $2.00 while another publisher paying 12% of Net would pay the Author $0.72—about a third of what TEACH Services pays their Authors. 

Book royalties sound great at this point. You’re making money on every sale, and 10-12 percent of the SRP on every sale the publisher and their distributors sell can add up very quickly.

Can I have someone else print my books at the same time as you?
Yes, however, the royalty rate for non-exclusive publishing is only half of what exclusive publishing rates are. The reduction in rate is to cover the loss of advertising and promotions that that we do but result in sales to other publishers who you have authorized to print and sell your books. 

What is a Royalty Advance and how does it work?
When TEACH Services, Inc. is interested in acquiring a book manuscript, it usually offers the writer an advance against royalties, or Royalty Advance for short. You may have heard about an Author receiving million-dollar advances for hot-topic or in-demand books. Most advances are much more modest. There is no average advance, but five and six-figure advances are relatively rare, with four-figure advances being far more common.

A Royalty Advance is a signing bonus paid to the author before publishing the book. Royalty Advances are against future royalty earnings, which means that for every dollar you receive in your Royalty Advance, you must earn a dollar from future book sales before receiving any additional royalty payments.

So, for example, if you were to receive a $1,000 advance with a royalty rate that works out to $2 per book sold, you only need to receive sales of 500 to recoup the Royalty Advance. Royalty Advances are guaranteed, so even if your book doesn’t sell enough to earn back the Royalty Advance, you don’t have to return the balance to the publisher.

When are royalties paid?
After a title is finished and released, the author will receive monthly sales reports for the current and next calendar years (you can request additional years at no charge if desired). These reports show all sales for the previous 365 days.

In the spring of each year starting around March/April royalty checks are mailed with a yearly report. There are a few notable exceptions:

1. Minimum check amount is $10.00 
2. Any individual sales that creates a royalty payment of over $1,000 will be paid at time of sale