Trafford Publishing
Trafford Publishing, founded 1995 in Bloomington, Indiana, is a print-on-demand self-publishing platform serving individual authors. An imprint of Author Solutions, LLC, it has helped over 17,000 writers publish and distribute books through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Ingram, and its online bookstore.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1995
- HeadquartersBloomington, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Trafford Publishing does
Trafford Publishing, founded in 1995 and headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana, is a self-publishing service provider operating as an imprint of Author Solutions, LLC. The company has helped more than 17,000 authors produce and distribute books over three decades. Its core technology is a print-on-demand publishing platform with digital file storage, nopCommerce-powered online bookstore, and integration with major distribution channels including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Ingram Content Group's ipage platform (which serves 50,000+ retailers, librarians, and educators globally). Authors retain full rights to their work and can select formats including paperback, hardcover, full-color, and custom leather binding.
Trafford Publishing firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Trafford Publishing
- Legal name
- Author Solutions, LLC
- Website
- https://trafford.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1995
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Trafford Publishing, founded 1995 in Bloomington, Indiana, is a print-on-demand self-publishing platform serving individual authors. An imprint of Author Solutions, LLC, it has helped over 17,000 writers publish and distribute books through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Ingram, and its online bookstore.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Trafford Publishing industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Self-Publishing Services
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (51313), Books Printing (323117)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Book Printing (2732)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Self-Publishing Platforms (KDP-style Marketplaces & Portals) (MPAJAJAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Author Service Marketplaces & Aggregators (Vetting, Bundled Services) (MPAJAJAB), Editorial & Production Services (Copyediting, Proofreading, Formatting, Typesetting) (MPAJAJAG), Cover Design, Illustration & Book Interior Design Services (MPAJAJAH), Author Website, Storefront & Direct-to-Reader Commerce (D2C Sales) (MPAJAJAE), Rights, ISBN & Publishing Administration Services (Identifiers, Metadata, Royalties) (MPAJAJAK)
Keywords
Where Trafford Publishing is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bloomington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Trafford Publishing business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Publishing Packages and Services: Authors pay upfront fees for publishing packages and add-on services including editorial services, design services, marketing services, and bookselling services. The company offers four main publishing packages with various service tiers.
- Royalty Payments: Authors receive a percentage of retail price for each book sold. For the Author Advantage Royalty Program: 60% of List Price for sales on the online bookstore, and 15% of List Price for channel retailers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
- Referral Program: Existing authors receive $100 for each friend they refer who publishes with Trafford Publishing, creating a referral-based customer acquisition channel.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Gold Seal Premium - Professional review and marketing service |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Author Advantage Royalty Program - Enhanced royalty earnings |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Set Your Own Price (SYOP) |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Booksellers Return Program |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Retail Focus - Bookstore distribution service |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Library Focus - Library distribution service |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Publicity Plan - NetSpeak Edition |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Referral Program |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | US Copyright Registration |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Library of Congress Control Number |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Author Website Setup |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | The Trifecta Review - Three professional reviews |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
Trafford Publishing product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Trafford Publishing is a self-publishing service platform that helps authors produce, publish, distribute, and market their books on-demand. Authors submit manuscripts which are professionally formatted, cover-designed, digitally stored, and made available for purchase through the Trafford online bookstore, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Ingram's distribution network. The company offers four tiered Publishing Packages along with a wide range of optional services covering editorial, design, production, marketing, distribution, and royalty optimization, with authors retaining all rights to their work.
Product overview
Trafford Publishing is a self-publishing platform that offers authors a comprehensive suite of publishing, marketing, and distribution services. The core offering includes Self-Publishing Services with four Publishing Packages for manuscript production and book distribution to major retailers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Authors can enhance their publishing package with Gold Seal of Literary Excellence certification ($2,299 Premium tier), Editorial Services, and Design Services. The company provides extensive Marketing Services including Hollywood Book to Screen adaptations (Gatekeeper at $1,049 to Topliner at $16,999), Internet Marketing (Author Website Setup from $449), Radio Book Talk ($4,299), and social media advertising packages. Bookselling Services help authors get into retail and library channels through Retail Focus, Library Focus ($6,099), and the Booksellers Return Program ($799). Additional add-on modules include the Author Advantage Royalty Program ($1,699 for 3-year maximized royalties), Set Your Own Price ($499), The Trifecta Review ($3,699), and various e-book promotion and video advertising services. The company has helped over 17,000 writers publish books since 1995.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Self-Publishing Services Platform Full-service self-publishing platform allowing authors to submit manuscripts for professional formatting, cover design, digital storage, and global distribution to online bookstores including Amazon and Barnes & Noble, with authors retaining all rights to their work.
- Publishing Packages Four top-notch publishing packages offering different combinations of editorial, design, production, marketing, and bookselling services tailored to authors' needs and budgets.
- Gold Seal of Literary Excellence Prestigious certification program in which books reviewed favorably by industry critics receive a Gold Seal stamp on their cover, distinguishing quality-validated self-published titles from competitors.
- Editorial Services Professional editing services including Advanced Editorial Services and Core Editorial Services for manuscript preparation, copyediting, and proofreading.
- Design Services Professional book design services including Cover Design, Interior Color Illustration, Interior Page Layout, and Stock Images for self-published books.
- Production Services Book production workflow services including Post-Page Layout Services, Pre-Manuscript Services, and Resubmission services to support book production pipelines.
- Marketing Services Comprehensive marketing suite including Advanced Publicity, Advertising, AudioBook Marketing, Author/Book Videos, Book Exhibits, Book Reviews, Core Publicity, Hollywood Book to Screen, Internet Marketing, and Radio Services.
- Bookselling Services Distribution and retail services including Bookstore Essentials, Promotional Materials, US Copyright Registration, and Library of Congress Control Number services for self-published books.
- Book Formats Book format options including Electronic Formats (e-books) and Print Formats in black & white, full-color, hardback, paperback, and custom leather bound variations.
- Author Advantage Royalty Program A $1,699 three-year royalty program that allows authors to earn 60% of List Price for sales on the Trafford online bookstore and 15% of List Price for channel retailers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
- Booksellers Return Program A $799 annual program that designates books as 'Returnable' in Ingram's ipage ordering system used by 50,000+ retailers and libraries, enabling physical bookstore stocking of self-published titles.
- Retail Focus Service pitching books to 25 independent bookstores with single-slot ads in Ingram's Advance Catalog and ForeWord Magazine, including Booksellers Return Program for 12 months and a guarantee of at least 2 bookstores testing the book.
- Library Focus A $6,099 service that promotes books to Collection Development Departments of 25 public libraries with single-slot ads in ForeWord Magazine and includes a Booksellers Return Program for 12 months, guaranteeing at least 2 libraries will test the book.
- Set Your Own Price (SYOP) A $499 service that allows authors to customize retail pricing for hardcover and paperback versions separately, based on page count, color format (B&W or Full-Color), and binding type. Can be paired with the Author Advantage Royalty program.
- Gold Seal Premium A $2,299 premium service that includes US Review of Books premium review, Eric Hoffer Awards submission, Gold Seal of Literary Excellence branding, Booksellers Return Program for 2 years, Single Slot Ad in Ingram's Advance Print Catalog, and the Publicity Plan - NetSpeak Edition.
- Publicity Plan - NetSpeak Edition A $1,399 service providing a professionally crafted press release distributed to 30,000 opt-in organizations and 250,000+ news subscribers via PRWeb, plus one month of press release tracking.
- Author Website Setup Website creation service starting at $449 for 3 pages, $649 for 6 pages, or $1,099 for 10 pages, including domain registration and web hosting free for one year, with optional add-ons available.
- Radio Book Talk A $4,299 service featuring an 8-12 minute interview on America Tonight with Kate Delaney (50+ stations, 2.9M listeners), a 15-minute online interview on Books on Air, and book feature on The Curated Chapter.
- Hollywood Gatekeeper A $1,049 service providing a professional Coverage review evaluating book adaptation potential for film, TV, or digital media, submitted to first-look Hollywood partner 5 More Minutes.
- Indie Book Review Bundle A $2,999 service including a BookLife Review by Publishers Weekly reviewers, a 10,000-impression banner ad on PublishersWeekly.com, and 1 of 8 ad slots in the Publishers Weekly Supplement.
- E-book Promo Launcher A $2,099 service that temporarily reduces Kindle book price to 99¢ with banner ads on BookBub (62.4M subscribers), Facebook, and Amazon for a 30-day campaign.
- Referral Program Referral incentive program paying $100 to authors for each friend referred who subsequently publishes with Trafford, subject to Terms of Service.
Quantifiable outcome
- 17,000+ authors have been helped to publish books since 1995
Companies that use Trafford Publishing
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Trafford Publishing technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration13 records
Feature3 records
Trafford Publishing partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- 5 More MinutescoreFirst-look Hollywood partner for Trafford's Book to Screen services. A full-service production company run by veteran Hollywood executive John Saachi, developing film adaptations including 'Dork Diaries' and 'Rogues Gallery' for Lionsgate. Reviews treatments, screenplays, and coverage submissions from Trafford authors for potential TV/film adaptation.
- US Review of BookscoreProfessional book reviewer that provides Gold Seal Premium submissions. Positive reviews earn books the Gold Seal of Literary Excellence. Also included in Eric Hoffer Awards submission.
- Kirkus ReviewscorePrestigious publishing industry reviewer providing Kirkus Indie Book Reviews for Trafford's Trifecta Review service. Also featured in Kirkus Title Expose advertising service and Literary Gateway Bundle.
- BlueInk ReviewscoreReview service focused exclusively on self-published books, founded by an internationally-known literary agent and award-winning book review editor. Included in Literary Gateway Bundle and Trifecta Review.
- ForeWord MagazinecoreBimonthly industry publication with 30,000+ librarian and bookseller readership. Provides Clarion Reviews-for-Fee and ad slots in Trifecta Review and Retail/Library Focus services.
- BookLife by Publishers WeeklycoreWebsite created by Publishers Weekly supporting indie authors. Provides BookLife Reviews included in Indie Book Review Bundle with 300-word reviews, comparison titles, and letter grades for production elements.
- Ingram Content GroupcoreWorld's largest book wholesaler and distributor. Provides ipage ordering platform used by 50,000+ retailers and librarians. Supports Booksellers Return Program making Trafford books 'Returnable' in distribution systems.
- BookBubminorDaily email blast platform with 62.4 million subscribers for ebook discovery. Used in E-book Promo Launcher service for 30-day ad placement campaigns.
- Awards FinderminorBook award-matching platform included in Literary Gateway Bundle providing 6 months access with one award opportunity per week. Creates and submits nomination packages for authors.
- BookMadminorOnline publication dedicated to empowering self-published authors. Features award winners from Literary Gateway Bundle on website and Facebook page.
- Kate Delaney / America TonightminorEmmy Award-winning broadcaster hosting America Tonight radio show reaching 2.9 million listeners on 50+ stations. Provides Radio Book Talk interviews for Trafford authors.
- WebTalkRadio / Books on AirminorPodcast and radio platform distributing author interviews through Apple, iHeart Radio, Spotify, and other aggregators. Includes Books on Air and The Curated Chapter shows.
- Awards Finder (Reader Insights)minorFacilitates Reader Insights service connecting books with genre-matched readers who purchase, read, and leave verified Amazon reviews within ten weeks.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Trafford Publishing competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP): Amazon's free self-publishing platform is the dominant force in the category. KDP offers POD and ebook distribution at no upfront cost, directly competing with Trafford's core self-publishing offering while providing unmatched retail reach.
Direct peers
- IngramSpark: Ingram's self-publishing service provides print-on-demand and ebook distribution through the same Ingram wholesale network Trafford relies on. IngramSpark targets indie authors with a similar value proposition but at lower cost.
- Lulu: Lulu Press is a direct self-publishing competitor offering POD, ebook distribution, editorial and design services, and global retail reach—closely mirroring Trafford's full-service model with a more developer-friendly platform.
- BookBaby: BookBaby provides paid publishing packages, ISBN assignment, distribution, and marketing services for independent authors. It is a comparable premium self-publishing service competing for the same aspiring-author segment.
- iUniverse (Author Solutions sister brand): iUniverse is a sister imprint of Author Solutions, LLC, sharing parent infrastructure, distribution contracts, and service catalog. It directly overlaps with Trafford's offerings and competes for the same self-publishing author base.
- AuthorHouse (Author Solutions sister brand): AuthorHouse is another Author Solutions imprint offering publishing packages, editorial services, and marketing support. It shares operational infrastructure with Trafford and targets an overlapping independent-author market.
- Barnes & Noble Press: Barnes & Noble's in-house self-publishing platform provides free ebook and POD publishing with distribution through the B&N retail network. It is a direct competitor leveraging the same retail brand Trafford distributes through.
- Balboa Press: Balboa Press is a Hay House self-publishing imprint offering publishing packages, editorial, design, and marketing services. It targets the same self-help and personal-growth author segment with a spiritual/wellness positioning.
Emerging players
- Draft2Digital: Draft2Digital is a digital-focused aggregator that distributes ebooks to retailers including Amazon, Apple, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble. While primarily ebook-centric, it competes for indie authors evaluating where to publish.
Regional players
- Westbow Press: Westbow Press is the self-publishing imprint of Thomas Nelson (a HarperCollins subsidiary), offering faith-based publishing services to Christian authors. It targets a niche segment of Trafford's addressable market with a strong religious-publishing specialization.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Trafford Publishing social profiles
Digital presenceTrafford Publishing financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Trafford Publishing leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Trafford Publishing funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Trafford Publishing 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 Trafford Publishing
What does Trafford Publishing do?
Trafford Publishing is a self-publishing service platform that helps authors produce, publish, distribute, and market their books on-demand. Authors submit manuscripts which are professionally formatted, cover-designed, digitally stored, and made available for purchase through the Trafford online bookstore, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Ingram's distribution network. The company offers four tiered Publishing Packages along with a wide range of optional services covering editorial, design, production, marketing, distribution, and royalty optimization, with authors retaining all rights to their work.
Is Trafford Publishing a public or private company?
Trafford Publishing is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Trafford Publishing founded?
Trafford Publishing was founded in 1995. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Trafford Publishing based?
Trafford Publishing is headquartered in Bloomington, United States, in the North America region.
How does Trafford Publishing make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Publishing Packages and Services are the primary driver. The others are royalty Payments and referral Program.
Who are Trafford Publishing's main competitors?
Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are IngramSpark, Lulu, BookBaby, iUniverse (Author Solutions sister brand), AuthorHouse (Author Solutions sister brand), Barnes & Noble Press and Balboa Press. Draft2Digital is listed as an emerging player. Westbow Press is listed as a regional player.
Does Trafford Publishing have an API?
No public API is recorded for Trafford Publishing.
What industry is Trafford Publishing in?
Trafford Publishing's product category is Self-Publishing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAJAA, Self-Publishing Platforms (KDP-style Marketplaces & Portals), with a secondary code of MPAJAJAB, Author Service Marketplaces & Aggregators (Vetting, Bundled Services). Its NAICS code is 51313 and its SIC code is 2731.