WestBow Press Reviews 833

You are assigned counselors for each stage of the writing + publishing process. I felt that there could be stronger editing than there was. I was never asked to elaborate more on anything and no advice was given. Only the punctuation was edited. Other than that, I had a great experience!

Taking advantage of the elderly, I am writing this letter regarding services my Mom received from West Bow Press. She paid West Bow press a substantial amount of money to publish her first Book (Journal), “A Friend Called the Holy Spirit”, by Mildred C. Scales. My book was published in 2016 and was in stores across the United States as well as overseas. West Bow Press takes advantage of older people. She explained to them this was her life dream and she didn’t have much but would persevere to make this happen. Since then, she have made countless calls to inquire about payments for royalties. They are very deceptive and will not disclose any book sale information. Over the last 6 + years I have received only $19.39 total in royalties for all sales of her book, which is ludicrous.
she have called and told West Bow Press that they were being dishonest, they keep giving her the run around, She asked them to stop selling her book. She also sent a request in writing asking West Bow Press to stop selling her book. They are supposed to be a “Christian” publishing company they are far from being Christian! They had her complete a form to not produce any future copies of her book.
She has since re-published her book with a different publishing company with a new cover and some minor changes in hopes that West Bow Press could not get any furture royalties. West bow press has not stopped the sale of her original book as requested and in fact it is still showing in stores and online right next to her newly re-published copy of her book.
How can they be stopped. West Bow Press is without permission still selling her book that they are not giving her any royalties from the sale since 2016 she has received less than $20 dollars. It has been over six years and they have had several times to be honest and forthright in sending her the royalties She is due. They repeatedly told her they will sending royalties as sales are made and still have not, and now they are not answering calls. I have friends and family that have made purchases so I’m aware of some sales that she have not been compensated for. I would never do business with West Bow Press, and would never recommend they be used.

Everyone at Westbow worked with me every step along the way! They went above and beyond my expectations. For a new author, publishing for the first time, their guidance is phenomenal! I would definitely recommend Westbow!

A first-time author has no idea of the intricacies involved in publishing a book. In my experience, one of the finest characteristics of the service of WestBow press is its carefully crafted guidance, provided both personally and through well prepared documents, for the author moving through these details.
With very few exceptions, members of the staff responded to my email letters expeditiously. I was handed off from one staff member to another with courtesy and care. Opportunities to make adjustments were amply provided.
The cover and layout of the book were done exceptionally well. The only negatives from my perspective were the lack of guidance for distribution in another country, and the darkness of some of the photographs in the book.
I would not hesitate to recommend WestBow to other authors.

I have recently had the privilege of reading Pilgrims Searching For A Home and The Shaping Of A Servant. These two novels are the first of five called The Odyssey of a Family. Written by Carl E. Hansen.

I am astounded at the adversity this family has faced, the way they handled their problems and the integrity demonstrated in doing so. Brutally honest, humorous, and at times very fragile in spirit Carl E. Hansen took me back to a time long past when life was without the luxuries we now take for granted. The author is “one of a kind”, a person who radiates strong faith without preaching. I loved these books and thank him for writing them.

I am very pleased with WestBow Press! They have done an amazing job at getting my book published and out to the public! Everyone has been so nice to work with, encouraging, and professional. They have been very prompt in their response to my emails and questions. My only frustration is with myself in that I am technologically challenged. It would be very helpful if I had someone do a zoom call with me and share my screen to walk me through all the bells and whistles of posting a blog, etc. I don't understand how to maximize the tools that are on the site. That really is my only complaint. I have thoroughly enjoyed every staff member I have worked with!

While several members of my team were somewhat helpful, the overall experience I had was one of feeling on my own to navigate the multiple steps of the publishing process. The staff only seemed to want to contact me to communicate deadlines and to try to "up sell" additional packages or services not included in the already very expensive publishing package. Once my packages had been paid for, very little assistance was given and staff were extremely difficult to get in touch with to answer questions. Ultimately, I had to contact an outside organization to assist me in getting Westbow to honor my contract due to their lack of accessibility and desire to comply with requests for assistance. I do have a book in the end for sale on various platforms as promised. It is not the quality I expected, especially for the price I paid. Overall, the experience was stressful, expensive and produced a product of lesser quality than expected with no support to market or sell it without buying an additional "marketing package" that could cost tens of thousands in addition to what I've already spent. All the 'add-ons' are not explained in the beginning, of course. I think I'll try another company or an authentic self-publishing route next time. Buyer beware is my advice!

From the first person I talked with, moving through the editing, printing and marketing stages I was given great help in understanding the issues in book publishing and deep understanding of my own wishes to publish my book.

I thank you for all the help I received while revising my manuscript. Also I want to thank Janine David for her patience while working with me throughout my health issues. Your guidance was highly appreciated. Thank you.

Everyone I talked with was very knowledgeable and guided me in the process.

The company was responsive and engaging throughout my experience.

The salesperson was helpful. The price was reasonable. The service was quick. The books were delivered quickly and arrived in good condition.

Too much of it was done by way of email. I expected a more personal experience. My marketing person, called me only to make a purchase. After I made the purchase he forgot about me. Spent a lot of money, my press release was full of errors. Even my title was wrong. I would not use this company again. There was even an overlooked mistake in my book. I expected more from a company in which I paid for things. So if something was overlooked or missed it could be corrected on your end.

My books were printed faster than I expected.

It has been over a week for softcover to appear on Amazon and Barnes & Nobles. Still waiting.

Very personable, knowledgeable, and friendly contact personnel. For a first time author, would have preferred to have been told more thorough information about additional charges during the publishing process, other than the cost of the original package, before making a choice. For my manuscript, the charges for editing did not seem appropriate for the actual amount of editing needed and the changes actually made. It would have seemed more fair to me if there had been major changes that needed to be made or if adjustments could have been made based on the amount of time actually needed or spent to make suggestions for the changes. I liked the emphasis on the legal aspects and non-offensive wording in the text. My CIC was very prompt in communicating with me. However, although understanding the time management, I was somewhat disappointed not to be able to communicate directly by phone at times. Very effective sales people at the different stages. May have been more expensive than other publishing companies might have been, but not having gone through the process with them, might not have been as effective. Overall-a good experience! Thank you.

I never dreamed I would write a book but I did. I finished the book and then began my search for a Publishing Company. I talked with a young lady and she was so personal and interested so I choose Westbow Press. All the way through the process everyone was so nice and my experience was amazing. I am in the beginning stages of my 2nd book and I will definitely use Westbow Press again.

Westbow Press has helped me launch my writing career and has been extremely helpful throughout the whole process of publishing and everything that comes after. I am very thankful to have found them!

I enjoyed working with Westbow! Each team member helped me improve my work as I moved along in the process to get the manuscript ready for publication.

It is great and Westbow Press has done and doing a great job with my first publication.

Thank you very much.

Isaiah

The leadership team was very helpful.
Thank you.