Publishing with
Next Step Books
Next Step Books is an independent publisher of well-written fiction and non-fiction that entertain, inspire, and delight readers. We utilize technology that is relevant in today's publishing industry such as Print-on-Demand and digital books (i.e. eBooks). Our books are carried by all major online retailers and are available through major distributors such as Ingram, and are therefore available for ordering through traditional brick-and-mortar bookstores. We also offer competitive discounts to retailers who order directly through us. We rely heavily on our authors to promote their own books.
We are a royalty paying publisher, and do not charge any fees to an author, nor do we require an author to purchase any books. Our royalty structure is configured so that royalties are paid to authors from the first retail sale, and royalty percentages escalate as sales increase.
We strive to publish books that will be enjoyed by a wide audience. Though not all of our fiction offerings contain an overtly Christian message, we will not publish any book that contains elements that may be considered offensive. If your book contains excessive violence, sex, or offensive language, Next Step Books is not the publisher for you.
Alternately, if your fiction manuscript contains an overtly spiritual message, please make sure the spiritual element is integral to the plot and not didactic in any way. We enjoy clean fiction that strives primarily to entertain a reader with engaging characters and a compelling plot. We do not enjoy fiction that attempts to 'preach' to the reader.
We are currently accepting fiction submissions in the following genres: science fiction, fantasy, mystery, light romance, general fiction, children's chapter books.
We are currently accepting nonfiction submissions on any subject of interest to today's Christian nonfiction reader.
We will only consider books that are finished. If you have not completed your manuscript, please do not query us.
If you believe your book is appropriate for Next Step Books, we invite you to query us. The first step is to complete the brief questionnaire in the right column of this page. We will respond within 1-2 weeks of receiving your query.
(Please make sure your summary paragraph is well-written. Typos or grammatical errors in your query will probably make us shudder, and will definitely make us feel a great deal of caution about the amount of work required to clean up an entire manuscript full of mistakes.)
Author-Assisted
Self Publishing
In addition to our independent publishing line, we also offer assistance to authors who are interested in self publishing a book. We will format your book, work with you to design and create a cover, and perform the steps to publish your book in both print and eBook formats. Contact us to request an estimate for this service.