Complete List 

Our company was founded in 1998 by a family of authors who believed that there had to be a better model than vanity or self-publishing for emerging authors.

We are located in California, Colorado, and Texas. Our primary market is the United States but we also sell books in a number of other nations. We prefer to print locally whenever possible, working with printers around the world to decrease delivery time and cost. We offer POD, short-run, and high volume printed editions in numerous sizes as well as electronic books in all the standard formats. Audiobooks are an available option.

Each author has a personal consultant who provides close guidance through the process. The author is involved in all aspects of designing and marketing every book whether written for a broad or select market. We look beyond the immediate profits of the latest “hot topic” to offer a platform for as many subjects as possible.

While we obviously aim to sell as many of each title as possible, we do not believe that the value of a book lies solely in the quantity of books sold. Many books that will only sell a few hundred copies are worth publishing for what they contain and the value of that information for those who need it. We also find that many titles having limited initial sales will continue to sell year after year because of their specialized content.

You have something worthwhile to say and we want to give voice to your ideas. We are currently accepting submissions. We can’t publish everything but we can and will be happy to review your work with the respect it deserves.

No. Not every book is suitable for Torchflame Books but we are able to publish many books that have a smaller and more highly focused market segment because part of our production costs are contributed by the author.

We publish works of fiction and non-fiction in most genres. We do not publish books containing erotica or paranormal themes, horror, those which advocate hatred, sexual or other exploitation, libelous material, plagiarized text, or AI generated manuscripts of any kind.

Submissions are evaluated by our editors based on literary quality, subject, and sales potential. We value freedom of expression and encourage creativity of ideas. We express no social or political bias in our selection process.

Upload it online when you fill the submission form at: torchflamebooks.com/submit

No, Torchflame Books is neither self-publishing nor vanity publishing. This is a hybrid publishing model wherein we work closely with our authors sharing production costs and sales profits.

It is a matter of expertise. Highly motivated entrepreneurial authors can benefit greatly from collaborating with experts in the publishing business through the hybrid publishing model. Sharing expenses and responsibilities for creating a professionally published book means we all have skin in the game as we strive for success together.

Self-published books that are not professionally edited and provided with stunning covers often fail in the marketplace and disappoint the author and their readers.

You maintain full rights to your book and you own the copyright. Our publishing agreement states that you grant us sale and distribution rights for three years, after which your contract is renewable each year.

Yes, if we accept your book for publication we will give you a detailed contract. Read a sample contract

We follow a timeline that allows for ample time to receive trade and reader reviews and to implement an advance marketing strategy for every book we publish. The typical timeline is 10-12 months, however we will work with you to establish the publishing date according to your needs and when we think the best time to release your book will be. We can provide digital and print Advance Reading Copies (ARCs) as requested.

Hybrid publishing is a popular option for emerging authors because it ensures a professionally published book and provides experience, exposure, and marketing for selected manuscripts. The authors who benefit most from using a hybrid publishing model are those who are committed to participating in the process and are willing to share the responsibility, both creatively and financially, for producing a book they will be proud of. Authors maintain a certain amount of creative control in the design and editing of their book and in return for their contribution receive a much higher than average royalty rate. See Publish With Us, and more about Hybrid Publishing.

Yes, we format and typeset all manuscripts using CMOS and IBPA standards.

Yes. When your book is selected for publication, we will work with you to create a stunning genre-specific cover for your book that reflects the message of the book in a way that will be appealing to potential readers. We stay on top of current trends in the market so your book will look as good as any book on the shelf, and avoid the appearance of obvious self-published books.

Yes. When your book is selected for publication, we will create an ebook edition of your print book and make it available through all commercial channels.

Yes. Assigning an ISBN is part of the publishing process and in following the industry standards, the barcode will appear on the back of every printed book we publish. We also assign ISBNs to ebooks so they are available to all markets including Amazon Kindle.

The cost of publishing a book with Torchflame Books using our hybrid publishing model is currently $7,895. Royalties are 60% to 75%.

Yes, absolutely! You will be provided one or more digital proofs before printing and a printed proof before the publication date so you can see your book in print.

Yes. You will be entitled to substantial author discounts which vary according to quantity and are calculated as our printing cost plus 20%.

Yes, we are proud to offer our authors marketing support. We promote all titles on our website books page, the website author page, press releases, tip sheets, ARCs, and ebook campaigns as described in detail on the marketing page of our website. New releases are featured on the home page for that season, and then are added to our downloadable Catalog, which we use to promote our titles to retailers, librarians, and schools. Through the year as promotions from our distributor come up, we will submit your book for these promotions on your behalf. These promotions often increase visibility and sales for your book, no matter how long it’s been since release date. We also offer several optional marketing packages that are customizable for your book and genre.

You will receive 60% of the profit we earn as royalties on print books we sell for you and 100% of the profit from books you sell yourself. You will receive 60% of the profit we earn as royalties on ebooks we sell for you.

Profit means the amount we are paid for each book minus the printing cost of the book. It varies by retailer and distributor but we are typically paid 40% to 60% of a book’s retail price. From that, for print books, we must pay the printing cost.

Example – based on a 200 page 5.5”x8.5” or 6”x9” softcover book printed using black ink on white or crème paper with a full-color cover. The printing cost depends on the number of pages.

Sales through Amazon or other bookstore
Retail price of $17.99
Wholesale discount of 55% is $9.89
Net we are paid is $8.10
Printing cost is $4.81
Net on the book is 17.99 – 9.89 – 4.81 = $3.29
Author’s royalty = 3.29 x 60% = $1.97
Our profit = 3.29 x 40% = $1.32

The ebook of this same title
Retail price of $7.99
Wholesale discount of 60% is $4.80
Net we are paid is $3.20
Author’s royalty = 3.20 x 60% = $1.92
Our profit = 3.20 x 40% = $1.28

Author direct sale of book at event
Retail price of 17.99 / ‘Event special’ price of $15.00
Author cost is 4.81 + 20% = $5.77
Net on the book is 15.00 – 5.77 = $9.23
Author profit = $9.23

We distribute royalties to authors after we have been paid for the sales of their books by our wholesalers and retailers. Those payments vary but tend to be 90 days later. This means, for example, that we are paid for January sales at the beginning of April.

The first author royalty is paid at the end of the quarter that falls approximately six months following the release date. Subsequent royalties are paid quarterly in January, April, July, and October for author account balances of $25 or more. If less than $25 then the balance carries forward.

We hold 20% of author royalties for 8 months to cover books which may be returned to us from bookstores. On average, 20% of books are returned during the 8 months following their purchase by bookstores. (The industry average is 30%. We are fortunate to be closer to 20%.) Any amount held back which exceeds returns is paid to the author. If returns exceed the amount held back then the author reimburses for those, usually from future sales.

We follow the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) guide to publishing standards and the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) guide to style, usage, and grammar.

The Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) is the largest publishing trade association in the U.S.A. IBPA is a not-for-profit membership organization serving and leading the independent publishing community through advocacy, education, and tools for success.

As a key volunteer for the Independent Book Publishers Association, our CEO Teri Rider, is an active member of the IBPA  Advocacy Committee, which defined the Industry Standards for a Professionally Published Book. Many of the examples used to illustrate these standards are from books published by our company.

Teri and founding member Elizabeth Turnbull also helped create the IBPA Criteria for a Hybrid Publisher, which we adhere to as our hybrid publishing model.

Booksellers/Wholesale Customers:

Torchflame Books is proud to work with Ingram and IPG for the distribution of our titles.
To place an order, contact one of our distributors for the standard wholesale discount rates.
If you are located outside the USA you can also order directly by contacting us.

Individuals:

All our titles are available through major booksellers online or in stores.
We encourage you to support your local bookseller and order directly through them. Find a list of independent booksellers near you.
If you are located outside the USA you can order physical books directly by contacting us.

Torchflame print titles have unsurpassed distribution through the Independent Publishers Group (IPG) and Ingram, the world’s largest wholesale book distributor. Your book will be available through all major internet retailers including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, Books-a-Million, and Book Depository. It will also be available to more than 39,000 bookstores worldwide.

Torchflame books are included in the Ingram Title Library System (ipage), which provides key information including, metadata, cover, description, author information, genre, targeted audiences, reviews, format and price to distribution channels so retailers can create their listings for the titles in their own ways. This is one of the most thorough and globally distributed cataloging systems available to all and is used by most retailers.

Torchflame books are included in printed and digital catalogs published and distributed by Ingram.

Ebooks are distributed through IPG, which provides not only distribution but also promotion and special marketing opportunities. Your ebook will be available to over 30,000 libraries plus Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, and all reputable ebook retailers.

Audiobooks are distributed through IPG to Audible, Apple/iTunes, Nook, Chirp, Spotify, and to libraries including Libby, Hoopla, Overdrive, Kobo and others.

Statements are generated quarterly. We post royalties when we receive payment for sales. These payments can lag as much as 3-4 months from the time of the sale.

Because we do not receive statements from our distributors until the middle of the month following the sales, this means that you will receive your quarterly statements by the end of the month following the quarter. Royalties are paid for any balance of $25.00 or greater.

1st Quarter: We pay royalties in January for income we received in October, November, and December for sales made in July, August, and September.
2nd Quarter: We pay royalties in April for income we received in January, February, and March for sales made in October, November, and December.
3rd Quarter: We pay royalties in July for income we received in April, May, and June for sales made in January, February, and March.
4th Quarter: We pay royalties in October for income we received in July, August, and September for sales made in April, May, and June.

Your heading of your statement consists of:
• The date the statement is generated
• For the period since .
• A tag line – that will usually say something like 2nd Quarter Royalty or it could contain a bit of news we want to share.

The breakdown within the statement will have three columns: date, description, and amount. The description will have two lines for each item posted.

The first line will have the description of the royalty month/year received for month of sale (e.g. Royalty June 2017 for March).
The second line will have a number of items sold and the name of the book title. (e.g. 25 Book Title for paperback books or 25 Book Title ebooks for ebook sales).
The statements reflect three types of transactions: sales, returns, and holdback. Sales are just that, your royalty portion of the sales. Returns take money from your account for books returned.
The distributors hold back is a percentage of each sale to help cover the cost of returns. We pass this holdback along to you for sales in any volume. When the distributor releases their holdback money to us, we credit this money to your account and you will see a holdback refund posted.
Because returns can be significant (the industry standard is 30% of all sales), an author’s account can sometimes go into a negative balance. We do not expect you to pay that amount. If the holdback amount does not cover all returns, the difference will be reduced by future sales.

In the book industry, “comparable titles,” or “comp titles,” are one of the most important tools book buyers use in determining whether or not to purchase your book. The comp titles let them know who they’ve read that is “like you.” So it’s important that your comp titles are truly relevant to your intended audience. For our purposes, we need 4-5 comparable titles from you.

These books share similarities to your book in character arcs, plotline, themes, or pacing. We are not looking for a book that is exactly like your book. We are looking for a collection of books that go with your book on the shelf for one reason or another. Think of a few authors you aimed to emulate (My book is perfect for you if you like the writing of….). Or think of a few books you’ve really enjoyed because they had similar themes (My book deals with themes of love and loss similar to those themes explored in…). Consider movies or TV shows you’ve enjoyed as well. These can’t be used by bookstores, but they can be valuable in consumer marketing strategies. (If you loved Now You See Me and White Collar, this book is for you.)

You do not need to read every comparable title you list. You just have to find the similarities and differences between your book and those books already published.

Bookstores, libraries, and Goodreads are great places to find comparable titles. Once you find one you think matches pretty well, you can also Google “books like The Hunger Games” and Google’s algorithm will find even more for you.

For more information on this, we recommend watching this YouTube video.

Part of building an author platform is being available to your readers and building a community around your work and your content. Social media is one of the most accessible ways for you to find and communicate with your audience. In order for your audience to find you, it can be beneficial to have other sources directing your readers to your social media accounts. You do this online through sharing links from one web page to another.

A link, at it’s core, is a URL or web address for your page on any given social media. They often follow similar patterns, but the most straightforward method to finding and sharing your social media links is to log into the social media platform through a web browser, navigate to your public facing page, select everything in the address bar, copy the text (command + C on a Mac, Control + C on a PC, or right click + copy using your mouse), and then paste that text into a Word Document or other text editor (command + V on a Mac, Control + V on a PC, or right click + paste using your mouse).

In the end, you should see something similar to the following web addresses/URLs. These are the links we need in order to send interested readers to your social media accounts:

www.facebook.com/torchflamebooks

www.instagram.com/torchflamebooks

www.youtube.com/@readtorchflamebooks

www.linkedin.com/company/torchflamebooks/ OR www.linkedin.com/in/j-j-hanna/

Most of the time, these links will be the name of the website (facebook.com) slash your username (torchflamebooks). Some, like TikTok and YouTube, also include an @ symbol in the URL.

Until accounts are well established, it can be extremely difficult to find the correct account. Many people on Facebook have similar names. Without profile pictures added and without direct names, it can be impossible to find you when your accounts are new. By having you provide accurate links, it ensures we are sending your followers to the correct account so that they can, in fact, follow you and not a stranger four states over.

In the height of excitement, it can be tempting to get wrapped up in the emotions of your forthcoming book. This can make it disappointing to hear that your book won’t have a final publication date until editorial work is complete, or to hear that our publication timeline takes over a year to complete.

In the current publishing climate where much of the information out there about publishing comes from well-intentioned educators for the self-publishing (or author-publisher) spaces, you may find dramatically conflicting information about how long it actually takes to produce a book and what stages are necessary to produce a professionally published book.

Our publishing process can be found here. Many of these stages take a month or more to complete. Some stages require as many as six months of lead time in order to meet industry standards, such as submitting your fully formatted, fully edited book for professional trade reviews. Because of this, your book is not likely to release less than a year after your contract is signed, and if there are any delays in production—from editor availability to material delays at our printers to a timely return of requested materials and documents during the onboarding process—the whole process will be held up until we can get back on track. We do what we can to avoid these delays, but there are many moving parts that must work in harmony for a book to be released on time. We can give a much more accurate timeline once developmental editing and copyediting are complete, as those are the processes that often take the longest.

We are pleased to partner with you to run ebook discounts and free book offerings and giveaways to help you reach more readers and get new reviews.

There are a few different ways this can happen.

1. We apply for the campaign with scheduled retailer discounts and promotions through our distributor. This is the most common and simplest method.
2. You communicate your plans at least three weeks in advance of the requested price drop so that we can coordinate price drops with our distributor. This will allow us to ensure your book’s price is dropped with ample time before your mailing goes out.
   • If you are actively applying for BookBub featured deals, please let our marketing team know so that we can withhold your book from other discounted ebook submissions to give you the best chance at landing a BookBub deal according to their criteria.

Marketing flows most smoothly when our authors wait to schedule discounted ebook marketing after the price drop is confirmed, as it is much easier to schedule marketing than it is to coordinate these price drops with our distributor and all of the online retailers where your book is sold.

We are happy to set up this marketing on your behalf. Please contact Jori Hanna for more information about how that works.

If you choose to set up the marketing yourself once a price drop has been confirmed, please be sure you are signing up for bargain ebook mailings rather than free ebook mailings. Companies such as Bargain Booksy, Fussy Librarian, eReader News Today, eReaderIQ and more tend to have multiple lists—some for books being offered for free and some for books being offered at a reduced price. If your book is discounted and you sign up for a free book email blast, your additional price drop may not be accommodated by our distributor due to the required one month of lead time to ensure everything goes through smoothly.

If you have any additional questions about this, please contact Jori Hanna.

This must be evaluated on a case by case basis. In general terms, we are interested in assessing it to see if it is right for our house if you are already one of our established authors. Please contact Teri Rider to discuss this for your book.

When was the last time you went to a publishing house’s website or social media to find a new book to read?

We do our very best to be discoverable online and to create content that will resonate with our readers. But the fact of the matter is that word of mouth marketing spreads faster and more effectively than any marketing we can do for you via our social media channels and our website, and that word of mouth marketing must start with you.

Readers tend to respond best to people they can interact with rather than companies that can feel more cold. Because of this, we do expect you to be present online and to be engaged in the marketing of your book. You will be able to curate a much more focused audience for your genre, connect with your readers, and engage with the community that will build around your book and your author career.

Every month we submit our books for inclusion in discounted ebook features through major retailers like Amazon Kindle, Rakuten Kobo, and Apple iBooks. These are often collections of books that share a common theme (such as New Year, New You Nonfiction in January or Chills and Thrills books for October).

This is a highly competitive promotional opportunity. Inclusion in these features is limited to only the books that these retailers select. If they have chosen your book, it is because your book fits the niche they’re looking to fill, has positive reviews and good recent sales numbers to get their attention.

Many authors get caught up in the financial side of things when ebooks get discounted, worrying about the royalties they’re missing out on by not selling the book at full price. This is a valid concern. We want to assure you that we are not selling the book at a loss, even at a $0.99 ebook. You will still receive royalties on copies sold, though admittedly the percentage will be taken out of the discounted price.

Consider the appeal of massive discounts on items during Black Friday. Consider your own shopping habits for a moment, and put yourself in the mind of a consumer. How likely are you to spend $50 on an air fryer? If you’ve been researching and looking for one, you may be likely to purchase that. But on Black Friday, when the price is slashed to $25, the odds that you’ll actually buy that air fryer over the closest comparable product at $30 jumps considerably.

The same is true of book buyers. Readers love a discount. Including your ebook in these retailer features does a few things:

1. It makes readers who already know about the book but who haven’t bought it yet significantly more likely to follow through and buy. This means any of your friends, family, or colleagues will be much more likely to purchase your book if they’ve been putting it off for any reason.
2. It creates “news” around the book and gives you another reason to talk about it. If you’ve fallen into audience fatigue and you’re worried your followers won’t want to hear about your book any more lest they unfollow you, you get to bring them good news they’ll be excited about. Everyone loves a chance to save money.
3. A price drop creates eligibility for additional marketing. There are a large number of marketing opportunities that open up to you only when your book is discounted. Some things, like Facebook ads or BookBub ads can be done whenever you want. Other things, like inclusion in Bargain Booksy or Fussy Librarian, can only occur when your book is a bargain for their readers. Each email blast typically reaches 5-50,000 people. If you sign up for inclusion in as many email blasts as you can, you’re likely to hit bestseller rankings on Amazon because you’ll be reaching 100,000+ readers when your book is discounted. You cannot get that exposure any other way.
4. The retailers will feature your book in a set apart “deals” category of the store. This will get you in front of shoppers who only look for discounted books, people who are usually voracious readers and who often will review your book after they read it. These are the people who’s friends come to them for advice on which book to read next. If your book was never discounted, you would never reach these readers.
   • On Amazon, your book will be featured among 100-600 others on average. This is still a highly saturated market, so any additional marketing you do will help you climb in the rankings and help you appear higher in the default searches for deals in your genre.
   • On Kobo, you are likely to be featured among closer to 100 other books.
   • Apple’s lists are far more exclusive, showcasing 20-50 books at a time.

These features are highly beneficial and when authors engage and put more money into the marketing of these price drops, we routinely see books climb to the tops of Amazon categories to become bestsellers, we see higher review numbers, and we see more readers which leads to more benefits over time.

Please send manuscripts to us in a Microsoft Word Document, formatted in double-spaced Times New Roman, size 12 font. It is also helpful if your chapter numbers are all labeled using the built in Microsoft Word style Heading 1. This helps us ensure that when we edit the document using Track Changes, a feature included in Microsoft Word, and when we prepare the file for layout, there are as few changes to formatting as possible.

If you have them prepared when we request your final version of your manuscript before developmental editing, please also send us your dedication, acknowledgements, and anything else you’d like to include in the final book.

If those are not prepared by the time your book goes into developmental editing, please send those before your book is moved into Layout.

We are actively converting our current layouts to the system required for large print. This process is time intensive.

If your book is releasing in 2025, it will be included in Torchflame Books Large Print by default in most cases, and will release in Large Print with it’s standard counterparts on release day.

If you have a continuation of a series releasing in 2025 (books 2 or higher), in most cases, the first book in your series will be released in Large Print with it’s genre in January – April or with it’s series continuation at release date depending on availability in our production schedule.

Our current rollout schedule by genre is:

• February: a selection of our titles for young adults
• April: a selection of mysteries and thrillers
• May: a selection of our biographies and memoirs
• June: a selection of the rest of our fiction

We are selecting books based on previous success in the library market and order of priority from most recently published to our oldest titles. For inclusion, we must have the print rights to your book and we must feel it will compete well in the tough competition currently on the shelf from corporate trade publishers such as Penguin Random House and Harper Collins.

Our research shows that certain genres perform well in large print (the shelves are mostly populated by genre fiction, such as romance and mystery) and that certain age ranges are currently being picked up by librarians (such as Young Adult and Juvenile fiction).

Not all books are eligible for conversion to large print based on book length, genre, formatting, and past sales history.

In most cases, all editions of books are listed on the same sales page on a retailer’s website. You should not need to add any additional links to your website to let your readers know the book is now available in this format. This edition should be visible under “See More Editions” or a similar section on a retailer page.

Once you hear that your book will be available in Large Print, it would help support sales if you let your readers know. You can do this via social media, an email blast, or by updating your personal book page on your website to include the phrase “Now Available in Paperback, eBook, and Large Print.”

Treat this like you would treat a book launch or a book event and spread the word.

We’re so glad to hear you want to share the news about this imprint! This web page is still under development as we find the best way for visitors to sort by both Large Print and by genre. However, much of the page is ready and can be viewed at torchflamebooks.com/large-print.

Whenever possible, the books released from Torchflame Books Large Print will have the same layout (just with larger text) as the standard paperback layout. However, because Large Print books are produced in order to assist readers who require larger text or high-accessibility fonts, if your book was produced with script fonts or ornate serifs, we will select a suitable font that matches the tone of your current book while also meeting accessibility requirements. We believe that accessible books should be beautiful, and will maintain as much of the original feel of the book as possible.

There are also different requirements for the covers and spines of large print books. When possible, however, your book will be as close to the original edition as possible.

At this time, we are not sending author copies with the release of your large print book. You are welcome to contact Teri Rider and request the cost for ordering large print editions with your author discount.

Large Print Editions are designed for use by individuals with vision impairments who would benefit from high contrast books with large print for ease of reading. We also design our large print books with additional space on the page, headers that are easy to flip through to find your place, and in paperback form to ensure the books are not unwieldily to hold.

From a design standpoint, common threads between all large print books are:

• Body text of 16 pt font or larger
• High contrast design of black text on white for covers and black text on creme paper for printing
• Discrete packaging for kids and teens to allow them to benefit from large print books without facing social stigma
• Clearly marked large print editions for adult readers

Large Print Edition books are for anyone who would benefit from more space on the page and larger text.

This includes:

• Individuals with vision impairments
• Readers who would otherwise need reading glasses
• Individuals with attention deficit disorder
  • Fewer lines per page due to the larger text makes it easier to focus on the text and retain attention in the book since the reader will turn pages quicker
• Individuals who face eye fatigue from long exposure to screens such as computers or phones

Because of this wide scope, we are excited to offer our books for all ages in Large Print.

In order to ensure the smoothest possible interaction around your updates and questions, please see this general guide to who does what at Torchflame Books:

Teri Rider
CEO and Acquisitions Manager
Email Teri

Teri is our project manager, directing production timelines and working with our editors to prepare your manuscript. All updated versions of the manuscript must be sent to her to ensure no files get lost. She is also the right person to ask about the schedule for editing, cover design, layout, and financial matters including royalties, statements, invoices, and book orders.

Jori Hanna
Director of Marketing and Public Relations
Email Jori

Jori is our marketing director and onboarding specialist. She collects the information from the author packet to ensure it is documented properly for use by our team in metadata creation and marketing. She also works with our authors to coach them through best practices for social media, web presence, event outreach, and book marketing, and manages and coordinates ebook price drop campaigns and marketing packages put together by Torchflame Books.

Teri and Jori work together on book packaging, such as cover design, interior layout, and final touches.

Teri, the author, and our editors work together throughout the editorial process, such as developmental editing, copy editing, and proofreading.

We understand you will have many questions throughout this process. Our hope is to direct you to the right person to answer those questions in a timely and accurate manner.