WestBow Press

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.

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

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

• Self-publishing services
• Christian book publishing
• Editorial services
• Book printing
• Author services

Headquarters

HQ city

Bloomington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Add-on Professional Services: Revenue from additional author services including editorial services, marketing campaigns, printing options, and related services purchased post-publication.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core 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

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• HarperCollins Christian PublishingflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerWestBow 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 & ZondervanflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerWestBow 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, LLCflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerWestBow 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.
• PerlegocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNew 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.
• AmazoncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAmazon 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 & NoblecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBarnes & 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

Direct 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

• Xx.com/westbowpress
• Facebookfacebook.com/261559170522350

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about WestBow Press