A division of the standard publisher Hay House, Balboa Press is a self-publisher of “books that empower and improve the lives of others.” Balboa is one of the “new minor league” publishers I referred to in my blog titled “Self-Publishing with Traditional Publishers: The New Minor Leagues.”
If your book reflects the company vision and, presumably, sells well, there’s a chance it will be “promoted” and released by Hay House. As it says on the company’s website, “When you publish with Balboa Press, your book could become the next Hay House title. Representatives from Hay House will regularly review Balboa Press titles for new authors to sign with them.”
As with most other self-publishers, Balboa requires you to begin by selecting from one of its nine publishing packages. These include:
- Embark Package – The least expensive package at $999, it offers “Cover Design” designed to “give you a one-of-a-kind cover that fits your vision;” E-book formatting and distribution; “Channel Distribution” which makes your book available to 25,000 retailers in the U.S. and other countries; a “Personalized Balboa Press Bookstore Page” for your book, and other services.
- Discover Package – For $2,999, you get everything offered in the Embark Package, plus other features such as the Barnes and Noble “See Inside the Book” feature and the “Book Buyers Preview,” which allows book buyers, librarians and others to read a portion of your first chapter, which may entice them to order.
- Master Package – The most expensive package at $7,999, it offers everything in the previous packages, plus several additional features. These include “Promotional Materials 300,” which consists of customized business cards, posters and bookmarks featuring your book cover and ordering information; “Press Release Essential Edition,” which includes a customized press release sent to at least 500 media outlets; an “Author Web Site” which allows you to develop a customized website promoting your book; and a “Premium Book Trailer,” which is a 60-90 second video promoting your book that is distributed to YouTube, Blip.tv and other sites “in order to maximize exposure and increase book sales.”
In addition, Balboa offers a number of individual editorial, design, marketing and other services. These include:
- Developmental Editing – Balboa will edit the book with an eye toward ensuring that “the content is relatable to the target audience; the book is organized; images, lists, and tables are used properly throughout the book; and concepts are developed appropriately.” It will then perform a “Content Edit” to correct errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation and sentence structure. The price for this service is 77¢ per word.
- Indexing – An index will be created containing up to 500 words, which you must supply. The price for this service is $240.
- Premium Global Campaign – This is a three-month publicity campaign consisting of “media coverage throughout the United States, Canada, and to English-language newspaper, magazine, radio, Internet and select television outlets throughout the world.” You’ll work with a Personal Publicist who will create a book release and other press materials, contact “high priority” media outlets, and otherwise promote your book. The price for this service is $14,999
- Hay House PPL Event – You can “interact with your fans live in cyberspace” via a Hay House Pay-Per-Listen event. The event, which can last up to two hours and is moderated by you, offers you an opportunity to delve deep into your book’s subject matter and develop your reputation as an expert in the field. The price for this service is $3,999.
The “Balboa Press Advantages,” as quoted directly from their website, are as follows:
- Discovery opportunities by Hay House publishers (that is, the possibility of being “promoted” to Hay House)
- Earth-friendly publishing
- Marketing options from Hay House
- Editorial standards ensure consistent positive message
- Association with Hay House
- Substantial author discounts
- Retain the rights to your book
- Maintain control every step
- Access to expert editing and marketing services
Clearly, one of the key advantages is the opportunity to be “promoted” from Balboa to Hay House. If this happens with some degree of regularity, there would be a genuine advantage to working with Balboa Press. Unfortunately, I did not find any statistics on the Balboa Press website regarding the frequency of “promotion.”
We at Taylor-Fox can help you create your business book, health book, memoir, biography, inspirational book or other book and get it ready for publication. We’ve helped scores of people achieve their goals, and some of their books have landed on bestseller lists. Let us help you! Call us at 818-594-0379.
Note: All of the information in this blog entry was found on the company website. Before signing on with Balboa Press or any other firm, read the contract carefully and check review sites to see if there are any problems or special issues regarding this firm. I’ll address these issues in future blogs.
Nadine Taylor and Barry Fox write, ghostwrite, rewrite and edit books in many genres, including health, business, inspiration/ spirituality and memoirs. Their resume is long and varied but there’s one thing that never changes: They love to work with words, creating books that are clear, compelling and pleasurable to read. If you’re interested in writing a book, editing a book and/or publishing a book, you’ve come to the right place!
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My personal experience with Balboa Press was not a very pleasant one.
i would advise anyone to do extensive research before dealing with Balboa Press.