WestBow Press
WestBow Press is a Christian-focused supported self-publishing imprint, operating as a division of Thomas Nelson and Zondervan (HarperCollins Christian Publishing) and managed by Author Solutions, LLC. It sells publishing, editorial, and marketing packages to individual Christian authors and distributes their books through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Perlego.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersBloomington, United States
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What WestBow Press does
WestBow Press is a supported self-publishing imprint for Christian authors, operating as a division of Thomas Nelson and Zondervan (HarperCollins Christian Publishing) and managed by Author Solutions, LLC. The company sells publishing packages that bundle editorial, design, marketing, and bookselling services to individual authors, with pricing determined through a consultative sales process via a toll-free phone line (844.714.3454). It serves a long-tail of Christian authors — including aspiring novelists, pastors, ministry leaders, military chaplains, and family/children's content creators — whose manuscripts must adhere to WestBow Press Editorial Standards established by HarperCollins Christian Publishing.
The underlying technology consists of a nopCommerce-powered e-commerce storefront, an Author Center dashboard for account/royalty management, a BookStub promotional code system for e-book redemption, and a WordPress blog for content marketing. Distribution reaches readers through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, the WestBow Press own bookstore, and — as of January 2025 — the Perlego global online subscription library. Revenue is generated from three streams: one-time publishing package licenses, direct and retail book sales (transaction-based), and post-publication add-on professional services.
WestBow Press's go-to-market is consultative inside sales with heavy reliance on content marketing, earned media (PR Newswire / EIN Presswire), email, and author referral programs. The Lighthouse Recognition Program creates an aspirational pathway for standout self-published titles to be surfaced for traditional publishing consideration by Thomas Nelson and Zondervan acquisition teams, reinforcing the imprint's positioning as a Christian-content quality gate and discovery funnel. The company operates from Bloomington, Indiana, where Author Solutions, LLC is headquartered, and the website copyright is dated 2026, indicating active ongoing operations.
WestBow Press firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- WestBow Press
- Legal name
- Author Solutions, LLC
- Website
- https://westbowpress.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- WestBow Press is a Christian-focused supported self-publishing imprint, operating as a division of Thomas Nelson and Zondervan (HarperCollins Christian Publishing) and managed by Author Solutions, LLC. It sells publishing, editorial, and marketing packages to individual Christian authors and distributes their books through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Perlego.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
WestBow Press industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Self-Publishing Services
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (513130), Other Publishers (51319), Books Printing (323117)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741), Book Printing (2732)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Religious Fiction & Inspirational Literature Publishing (MPAJAHAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Editorial & Production Services (Copyediting, Proofreading, Formatting, Typesetting) (MPAJAJAG), Sacred Texts & Scripture Publishing (Bibles, Qur’ans, Vedas, Torah, Sutras) (MPAJAHAA), Children’s Subscription & Book Club Publishing (MPAJAFAO)
Keywords
Where WestBow Press is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bloomington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
WestBow Press business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Publishing Packages: Revenue from selling assisted self-publishing packages to authors. Packages bundle publishing, editorial, marketing, and bookselling services. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is managed by Author Solutions; consultants provide quotes after consultation. Authors receive royalty payments.
- Direct Bookstore Sales: Revenue from direct sales of WestBow Press titles through the company's own online bookstore, plus retail distribution through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and the new Perlego subscription library.
- Add-on Professional Services: Revenue from additional author services including editorial services, marketing campaigns, printing options, and related services purchased post-publication.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Publishing packages — quote-based, not publicly disclosed |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
WestBow Press product offering
Product offeringCore offering
WestBow Press provides supported self-publishing packages and services for Christian authors, bundling publishing, editorial, marketing, and bookselling support. The imprint operates under the editorial standards established by HarperCollins Christian Publishing and is a division of Thomas Nelson and Zondervan, with publishing packages managed by Author Solutions, LLC. Authors receive custom-quoted packages, distribution through the WestBow Press online bookstore, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Perlego, and access to the Lighthouse Recognition Program that can surface standout titles for traditional publishing acquisition.
Product overview
WestBow Press operates as a single supported self-publishing service rather than a modular platform, delivered under the umbrella of Thomas Nelson, Zondervan, and HarperCollins Christian Publishing, with Author Solutions managing publishing, editorial, marketing, and bookselling packages. The core publishing service is complemented by a Bookstore for distribution, a Lighthouse Recognition Program for standout titles, a BookStub™ e-book redemption system, and WestBow Press Editorial Standards that govern title quality. Books published through WestBow Press are offered across softcover, hardcover, and electronic formats through major retailers, and a Perlego distribution partnership extends international reach.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- WestBow Press: Supported self-publishing packages and services for Christian authors, operating under editorial standards established by HarperCollins Christian Publishing.
- BookStub
- Lighthouse Recognition Program
Products and services
- WestBow Press Supported Self-Publishing Service A supported self-publishing offering for Christian authors, providing bundled publishing, editorial, marketing, and bookselling packages delivered under the editorial standards of HarperCollins Christian Publishing through Author Solutions, LLC. Quote-based, sold via toll-free phone consultations with publishing consultants.
- WestBow Press Bookstore An online bookstore where readers can browse and purchase WestBow Press titles across categories including fiction, children's books, cookbooks, and devotionals; supports BookStub promotional code redemption for e-books.
- Lighthouse Recognition Program An in-house recognition program operated in partnership with HarperCollins Christian Publishing that rewards WestBow Press titles with notable sales and marketing results, flagging top performers for consideration by Thomas Nelson and Zondervan acquisition teams.
- BookStub E-book Redemption System A promotional code-based digital delivery system (BookStub™) that allows readers to redeem a code via the WestBow Press website and download an e-book, supplementing physical-book purchase channels with digital fulfillment.
Quantifiable outcome
- Pastor Victor M. Jackson's 'A Word to the Broken' sold nearly 30,000 copies and is used by therapists as a trauma-processing resource
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use WestBow Press
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
WestBow Press technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
WestBow Press partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- HarperCollins Christian PublishingflagshipWestBow Press is a self-publishing alliance of HarperCollins Christian Publishing and Author Solutions. HarperCollins Christian Publishing establishes the editorial standards in collaboration with WestBow Press and uses WestBow as a resource to discover emerging new voices for Thomas Nelson and Zondervan. The 'WestBow Press' trademark is licensed by Author Solutions from HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc.
- Thomas Nelson & ZondervanflagshipWestBow Press operates as a division of Thomas Nelson and Zondervan. Information on top-performing WestBow Press titles is provided to the acquisition teams at Thomas Nelson and Zondervan for consideration. The Lighthouse Recognition Program feeds the discovery pipeline.
- Author Solutions, LLCflagshipWestBow Press is doing business under the imprint name through Author Solutions, LLC (and its parent, subsidiary, and affiliated entities collectively 'ASL'). Author Solutions manages the publishing packages — including author support, editorial, marketing, and bookselling services — for books published through WestBow Press. Author Solutions holds privacy policy responsibility for the website and is the legal entity behind the WestBow Press trademark license.
- PerlegocoreNew distribution agreement announced: WestBow Press books are now available on Perlego, a global online subscription library. This collaboration significantly expands the reach of WestBow Press titles, making them accessible to a wider international audience of learners and readers through Perlego's innovative platform.
- AmazoncoreAmazon is the principal retail distribution partner for WestBow Press titles. Multiple book releases consistently note availability in softcover, hardcover, and e-book formats through Amazon.
- Barnes & NoblecoreBarnes & Noble is a major retail distribution partner. Most WestBow Press book releases are noted as available through Barnes & Noble in softcover and electronic formats.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
WestBow Press competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Archway Publishing: Author Solutions imprint positioned for general nonfiction and fiction authors. Directly comparable operational and pricing model to WestBow Press, serving as a useful benchmark for non-faith author segment economics.
- Xlibris: Author Solutions imprint focused on broader self-publishing services. Comparable because it shares WestBow's underlying publishing package infrastructure and consultative sales motion, allowing direct operational benchmarking.
- AuthorHouse: Operated by Author Solutions, LLC (the same parent entity as WestBow Press), AuthorHouse is one of the largest assisted self-publishing imprints. Directly comparable business model — paid publishing packages, editorial, marketing, and retail distribution — but serves the general (non-faith-niche) author market.
- iUniverse: Another Author Solutions imprint offering assisted self-publishing packages. Same operational backbone as WestBow Press and similar pricing model, providing a near-perfect operational and unit-economic comparable for benchmarking package revenue.
- Outskirts Press: Independent assisted self-publishing company offering tiered publishing packages. Comparable to WestBow Press in business model (package-based, consultative sales) and target customer (aspiring independent authors).
- Balboa Press: A Hay House imprint offering assisted self-publishing with a spiritual/New Age content focus. Comparable to WestBow Press as a vertically-specialized (faith/spiritual) self-publishing imprint with similar consultative sales motion and premium pricing model.
- Traford Publishing: Long-standing assisted self-publishing company offering publishing packages, editorial, and marketing services. Comparable to WestBow Press in the consultative, package-based self-publishing model for independent authors.
Broad incumbents
- Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP): Amazon's self-serve self-publishing platform. Comparable as the dominant alternative publishing channel (and distribution partner for WestBow titles) that pressures assisted-publish pricing. Provides useful context for the secular self-publishing alternative against which WestBow must differentiate.
- IngramSpark: Ingram Content Group's self-publishing distribution platform. Comparable as a distribution-side competitor (also moving WestBow Press titles through retail), but operates as a self-service platform rather than assisted-publish packages — represents the disruptive self-serve alternative.
Emerging players
- Redemption Press: Christian-focused assisted self-publisher serving a similar niche to WestBow Press but at a smaller scale. Comparable as a direct niche competitor in the Christian author segment with overlapping value proposition (faith-aligned editorial, distribution support).
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
WestBow Press social profiles
Digital presenceWestBow Press compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
WestBow Press financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
WestBow Press leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
WestBow Press funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
WestBow Press M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about WestBow Press
What does WestBow Press do?
WestBow Press provides supported self-publishing packages and services for Christian authors, bundling publishing, editorial, marketing, and bookselling support. The imprint operates under the editorial standards established by HarperCollins Christian Publishing and is a division of Thomas Nelson and Zondervan, with publishing packages managed by Author Solutions, LLC. Authors receive custom-quoted packages, distribution through the WestBow Press online bookstore, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Perlego, and access to the Lighthouse Recognition Program that can surface standout titles for traditional publishing acquisition.
Is WestBow Press a public or private company?
WestBow Press is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was WestBow Press founded?
WestBow Press was founded in 2010. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is WestBow Press based?
WestBow Press is headquartered in Bloomington, United States, in the North America region.
How does WestBow Press make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Publishing Packages are the primary driver. The others are direct Bookstore Sales and add-on Professional Services.
Who are WestBow Press's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Archway Publishing, Xlibris, AuthorHouse, iUniverse, Outskirts Press, Balboa Press and Traford Publishing. Broad incumbents are Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) and IngramSpark. Redemption Press is listed as an emerging player.
Does WestBow Press have an API?
No public API is recorded for WestBow Press.
What industry is WestBow Press in?
WestBow Press's product category is Self-Publishing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAHAF, Religious Fiction & Inspirational Literature Publishing, with a secondary code of MPAJAJAG, Editorial & Production Services (Copyediting, Proofreading, Formatting, Typesetting). Its NAICS code is 513130 and its SIC code is 2731.