WestBow Press Reviews 

I submitted my novel for an initial review with WestBow earlier this fall and was told it was lovely and a good fit for this publisher. I signed a contract and paid them nearly $5000 for publishing services. I was perplexed to receive an email two weeks later stating that, after a closer read, my prose was considered offensive and objectionable. (The adverbs "madly" and "crazily" were cited as being inappropriate for a Christian audience.) I requested a refund. WestBow has given me a partial refund but refuses to refund the full amount.

Friends, this publisher is a vanity press; their authors pay in full for all services. If WestBow initially accepts and then later rejects a manuscript, should the author be penalized?

I encourage authors to carefully read reviews and research lawsuits against WestBow before proceeding with this publisher. There are hundreds of vanity presses in existence today; choose one with a better reputation.

Incidentally, WestBow responded to my last review and encouraged me to contact them. I have done so multiple times. I'm still waiting for responses to the phone and email messages I've left with their staff over the past month.

I signed on to Thomas Nelson publishing with the man by name of Edward foggs. Edward called me for 2 years. After 2 years I listened to him and signed. He told me how excited Thomas Nelson and Harper Collins was about the book and getting it published. It is quoted the ultimate modern day story of forgiveness and that came from preachers. They also stated it was the most powerful story since the story of the Bible - particularly the story of Jesus. In 2015 it was put into a historical society museum in New York. No book has ever gotten this recognition in history. Since it's publication in 2014 customer service tries to tell me the book is only sold 38 copies. For one I never received any money for those 38 copies. Number two it's hard to believe that such a powerful story would only sell 38 copies in 10 years. And number three, I've signed over a thousand copies of that book from people of all walks of life. So either West bowl / Thomas nelson/Harper Collins/ author solutions is either pocketing that money or they just outright lied. They have opened up several divisions and on the early basis I get calls from there several different divisions pretending to be new publishing companies new publishing houses but they all seem to stem from author solutions which is a Philippines based organization. I have requested that the so-called funds they claim to be holding for me to be sent to me. I will not give my banking information to this institution. I know that I signed more books than what they claim have been sold. So either they're selling them and not reporting them or they're not reporting the money made from other places such as Amazon and Walmart. And other places around the world. I will be pulling my book from this marketing scam. I was promised one thing and never received anything. The part where the book actually got put in a museum in New York was out of my pocket. I paid $5,000 to publicize the book myself. I was the only author to speak in New York on September 11th 2015. The only one invited to speak any organ September 11th 2015 from anywhere. The story has touched lives around the world. It has a highest quotes ever given to any author around the world. This company doesn't seem to care and they call themselves a Christian organization. No Christian organization would do as they have done. They took my money and what I got in return was a book cover and a spot on their website. I had to fight to get the publications around the world. I called all of the places that they sent to me that said that they sent press releases to and not one of them had ever heard of them and for those who did stated they never received any press release on the book and knew nothing of it. This is the so-called Christian publishing company that states how inspire they are by writers but what they really want is your money. I will be looking into having my attorney put together a suit and taking them to court. They will have no choice but to bring forth the documentation over the last 10 years and prove everyone they have done business with. They will have to show accounting for over 10 years of not just mine but for other authors as well. There are thousands of authors that have done business with these people over the years and have had similar or the same experience as myself. Other than the fact that I do have and still only have the only book in history put in a historical society museum or any type of museum in less than a year's time and quoted the ultimate modern day story forgiveness. I agreed to sign with these people because they told me how inspired they were by the story and about the journey that I took to make the story public. They lied and they deceived which if you're a Christian organization is against the standard morals of an actual Christian and any christian-based organization. I think it's time for God to step in.

In response to westbow stating they don't have any identifying information they are lying. I pulled my book from them about 2 weeks ago and had to fight with them to do it. I had to reach out to the person who started wesbo who works for Harper Collins and then they finally responded back stating that they would pull my book. Then they try to give me a song and dance saying that certain publishers will be able to hold on to the manuscript and print it as special books or hard to get books. I told them this was not part of the agreement in 2014 nor is it now. I told them I wanted the book pulled immediately from them and from all retailers. The only books for sale are three which are on eBay. Because the book is quoted one of the most powerful books in history since the story of the Bible people are asking quite a bit for those books. Also because those books are signed by myself.
For anyone out there who has a copy of the book. If you would like it signed copy please reach out to me.

I am very happy with the actual book itself. It turned out very well and looks fabulous. My area of unhappiness is in the marketing. The marketing representative, Jose, is very slow to return emails, if he does at all. I gave up trying to get him to return my calls. I have had to request updates on things like the website and audiobook several times, and most of the time, I have to ask several times before I get an answer. They have taken three months to get the website live and are now trying to give me only nine months of hosting instead of the twelve I paid for. I had to fight to get the two extra pages added, even though I paid for them. They allegedly sent a press release to a bunch of media outlets, but with the lack of response from Jose, I have no confidence that if a media outlet contacted them, anyone would even see it or respond. I have made several requests to several people for a supervisor or manager to contact me, but these requests have been met with silence. It appears that once they have your money and give you a product, they no longer care about customer service. The first and last book that Westbow will publish for me.

Westbow Press is a long term recognized publisher of inspirational and Christian works. It is both a recognized brand and a rigorous and stringent reviewer of content. While there are any options for authors to publish works, some less expensive and some more expensive, none or very few options offer the prestige of having met the rigorous standards of WestBow Press and the prestige of being published under the WestBow Press brand backed by Zondervan-Thomas Nelson which is owned by Harper Collins, and is the largest publisher of Christian works in the world. That type of backing means a lot when it comes to the plethora of publishing opportunities available to authors today. The WestBow Press staff is professional, timely, and helpful in guiding an author through the process. While WestBow Press might not be for everybody, it should be a first consideration for new authors jumping into an already very crowded field.

After reading most of the reviews of other authors who published with Westbow Press, I realize that we were expecting a Christian spirit and dedication for the best outcome. All I could see was greed and careless for my opinion, my need for guidance or someone to listen to my instructions. I published my book in November 2022. I did myself the cover, the illustrations inside the book and the editing. They took vacations and did not return my calls, did not read my instructions and I was able to finalize my book only after I spoke with the lady who was executing the printing. I truly regret that I failed for the name of the company, they charge too much for too little they do. The attitude is of unmasked sarcasm and greed.

Westbow press representatives were extremely nice until AFTER they published my book. They continuously contacted me in an effort to get me to agree to more expensive advertising packages. Even though I said I couldn't afford it they continued to email and call with offers for payment plans and such. Several representatives were rude in response to telling them I wasn't interested. My most recent concern is when I received my book and the publish date says "rev date". This is the first and only book I've had published. It is very embarrassing when people ask about the previous version when infact there is no other version. They are not prompt when responding to an issue. When they do finally contact me with their excuses, they don't offer proof of why they're denying to resolve the issue. They're sometimes bossy during phone calls. One representative would cut me off while I was trying to speak to her. They claim to be a Christian publishing company but they didn't treat me with Christian values. Paying for more edits than the package I chose allowed was extremely overpriced. In my opinion this company is only out to make money. I suggest publishing a book yourself instead of paying thousands of dollars only to receive sometimes less than a dollar in three months for all books sold. They asked for information regarding my complaint that I previously submitted. I originally requested a few books that have the word "rev" removed as an attempt to rectify the problem. After dealing with Westbow Press to no prevail I lowered my request to a hardcover author's copy without the word "rev" before the publish date. I am currently awaiting their reply, or should I say denial. ***They will most likely reply to this review saying they are going to improve their services but I guarantee they will NOT negotiate a way to resolve this issue unless it benefits their pocketbook.
Shelly Miller Fronterhouse

********In response to your excuse wouldn't it have saved a lot of time and frustration if you would have told me these things BEFORE this review. Also, I did unsubscribe and still received emails. This doesn't dismiss how rude some of your staff are. Thanks for responding so quickly when it is important to your satisfaction. You aren't kidding about making a profit. Information for authors... This is an example of what you will receive. Example: NET SALE $242.42 AUTHOR EARNINGS $59.44 God Bless!

I have to say that giving a one star review is painful. I am joyful that we have a book, but the level of frustration, especially at the end, was unacceptable. After repeated attempts and paying almost $5,000 to have an audio book published, we were forced to cancel the order receiving only a portion of our payment back. WestBow completely failed on meeting multiple deadlines and fulfilling their obligation. Emails were not answered and phone calls were not returned. We also bought their expensive "marketing package" that they unbelievably executed before the audio book and website were ready and available, which resulted in potentially lost sales and the ability to capture readers' names. WestBow was not communicative during this time. I finally realized that they have a system and authors need to suck it up and follow their system, no questions asked. I highly recommend that authors review other marketing avenues, which I discovered are more affordably priced. Additionally, their publishing process involves moving from one consultant to another during each phase. Some consultants were excellent. If they wanted to sell you something, they were fabulous. The process does not allow the author to form a relationship with any one person so after a while, it felt like I was drowning in emails especially all the ones asking me to spend more money on marketing. Very, very disappointing to have lost money. Even more disappointing is having the joy of a finished book diminished by level of frustration. I expect so much more from a Christian organization.

I suppose I have to admire this outfit for their persistence. I'm not an author, I've never published anything, and I'm not in the USA, but still their pleading emails come despite my attempts to unsubscribe from them. Where they got my address from in the first place is a mystery too! If an actual human being reads this, please can you unsubscribe me?

I received the following letter from you on 28th June. It makes claims that are simply not true - I have never been in contact with you, and I have never heard of you. I classified the address as spam, and asked to be unsubscribed.

Hi Roger,

I see that you had previously expressed interest in our publishing services. (NOT TRUE) I just wanted to make sure you received all the information you were looking for. (I WASN’T LOOKING)

WestBow Press, a division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan, offers supported self-publishing packages and services for Christian authors.

May I assist in setting up a call with your publishing consultant to discuss this further?

Best regards and have a good day,

Maria Parker | Publishing Assistant
WestBow Press
1.844.714.3454

However, I received further letters into my spam folder (so didn’t see them) on July 1, 5, 10 and 16, all pressing me urgently to respond. On July 18 I once again looked in the spam folder and saw all these letters. Once again I “unsubscribed” and saw the invitation to write a Trustpilot review - which I did.

As I said in the original review, I am not an author, I have never been published, I’m not in the USA, and I have no idea where you got my address from. This is why I assumed that all these letters were just spam.

In 2021 July I was instructed by email to submit my WB8 form to my Country's Revenue department in order to receive my Royalties.Since I submitted all my forms until today I have not received a dime and I write emails without receiving any response. It's been Three years now. Even today I still have not received any response to my emails. It's been Seven years today and a few months added. Please send me an email to communicate.

All connections have been positive and helpful. One outstanding response: I was told in presale conversations that my package would include developing a website for my book. I have had no follow-up or responses for the requested service at this point.

Reaching out to me with a scheduled telephone appointment provided the setting for a productive and personal exchange of information. Keeping the appointment on time convinced me the caller took my inquiry seriously. Listening carefully to my needs, my intention to publish and why, confirmed the caller's sincerity in wanting to help me accomplish my goals, not just make a sale.

The best printing press ever! Very good customer service provider!

What went wrong this time? I gave a low rating because after my book moved to the design and marketing phase, it has been nothing but problematic. In addition, the marketing person does not return calls and or emails. Some people do well with communicating by emails and some don't. I need to talk with you directly and even when his voicemail message says leave me an mail and you will get ready back to us, that is not the case. So that is why I gave them such a low rating. All it takes is one person on the team to impact the entire process and I have been impacted. It is so disheartening seeing that I am a new author.

This was my first experience at self publishing. WestBow Press staff in every department walked me through things I didn't understand and patiently explained everything. They even gave me a little tech support when I needed it. They were always kind and supportive. If I publish again, my first choice would be WestBow Press.

Did a good job of answering my questions and producing my book in a timely manner

Good customer service. Professional product.

The initial encounter and experience with Westbow was great. However, it went down hill quickly! It seemed all they cared about was taking my money. EVERY conversation included a sales pitch for some additional service. At the time, I was doing ministry overseas.

The salesman called and told me how great my book was. I told him that we raised support to do ministry and that I wouldn't be able to afford much, if anything for marketing. The next day, he sent me a proposal for $25,000, proving that he hadn't listened to me at all and that he only cared about the money.

The royalty is also very small. I've sold hundreds of books and have yet to recover my initial investment.

Now, I can't get anybody to return my calls to get copies of my book printed...been trying for a month!

The most disappointing part of all of this, is that this is a Christian company. I expect more integrity and authenticity from Christian companies. I will eventually cancel my contract and reprint on Amazon, and use Amazon for all future books that I write.

All of my contacts at Westbow provided me with clear, concise information in a timely, friendly manner. As a new author, I had many questions. Each query was answered in complete fashion. It has been a wonderful learning experience for me.

One of the things that vanity press companies often get wrong is putting the correct resources on a project and doing frequent, informative communication. WestBow has excellent resources who are conscientious and communicative. I really appreciate that. Everything promised was delivered on schedule and with high quality. Well worth the fee.

Helpful service. The walking through each process.