Looking for AIA publishing submissions? You’re in the right place.
AIA Publishing is a hybrid publisher created for authors who want the stamp of approval that comes from publishing with a selective publisher and the high royalties and creative control enjoyed by self-publishers.
Our model gives you, the author, the validation of quality you would get from any traditional publishing contract. With us you can avoid both the self-publishing stigma and having to learn a whole new set of skills in order to publish yourself. You’ll also get 100% royalties on ebook sales and 85% on print copy sales. This great royalty rate is only possible because we are author funded.
(The option of getting 100% royalities on print copies is available for those wishing to publish with our assisted self-publishing service Escarpment Publishing. See our FAQ page for details.)
We care about you and your book. Our team is dedicated to publishing books of which you, and we, can be proud.
“Unlike other companies, AIA Publishing is not about making money and squeezing the indie writer’s resources dry in return for mediocre services. Rather, they are laser focused on providing high quality books at costs that are more than reasonable. Tahlia gives authors complete ownership and control of their work, she provides quality services, coordinates with gifted professionals, and gives very good advice to make your book a success. Tahlia patiently explained the process, costs, and the services required to produce a well edited book. Easy to work with, very responsive, and high informative, Tahlia has been remarkably helpful!
The AIA Publishing stamp means high quality awarded by knowledgeable professionals who love books for books’ sake. I am thrilled to be published by AIA Publishing!
What we’re looking for in our submissions
AIA publishing looks for something special, like a strong voice, a unique idea or some depth of insight. Our novels have strong story lines and active rather than expositional prose – they show the story, rather than tell it. We’re looking for diverse voices in a range of genres, but most importantly a good, well-constructed story.
AIA Publishing only publishes fiction and narrative memoirs that pass our selection process, but our Escarpment Publishing assisted self-publishing imprint publishes a wider range of books, such as children’s books, picture books, individual, family and local histories, and non-fiction aimed at a general readership as well as self-published fiction.
Books accepted for publication must meet the following criteria:
- The plot is well structured, well paced, conceptually sound and engaging;
- The characters are well developed and their dialogue and interactions with others are believable;
- The book is not overwritten or unnecessarily wordy; for instance; no obvious dumps of information, unnecessary repetition or irrelevant scenes;
- Changes in point of view are clear. No head-hopping;
- The prose is well written, engaging and active rather than passive.
- The book must not have socially irresponsible themes or gratuitious, graphic violence
If your book doesn’t meet AIA publishing submission requirements already, our editing team can help you achieve them.
Not sure your book meets those requirements?
Get new insight and inspiration with this free novel revision checklist.
You’ll also get articles on writing, editing and publishing by our managing editor sent to your inbox.
Our Publishing Process
Click each tab for more detailed information
If your AIA Publishing submission is successful and we select your book for publication, we will let you know what editing is required and will quote you for the work. We can’t give a set price until we see the manuscript because different books require different amounts of work.
However, the total cost of editing ranges from USD$0.014/word (for manuscripts that require minimal editing) to USD$0.0465/word with the cost for inexperienced authors generally coming in around $0.032/word.
We will send you a non-exclusive publishing agreement to sign for us to publish the book and have it printed and distributed through Ingram Spark.
(If you decide you want to use KDPP as your printer/distributor, you’ll need to make that request before we draw up the agreement. Please see our FAQ page for the pros and cons of choosing that option.)
Our book designer will take your ideas into account whilst ensuring the book has a cover and interior that will compete well in the marketplace and meet industry standards.
For print copies: We publish the print copies for you through Ingram Spark.
For ebooks: We give you the ebook file, and you create accounts and upload the files to the ebook publishing platforms of your choice yourself.
By uploading your book to ebook publishing platforms yourself, you have pricing control and 100% royalties for the ebooks. We provide a written and video ‘how to’ guide for setting up your Kindle ebook on Amazon with KDP.
We can guide you through your KDP account set up and set up the ebook title on Kindle for you for an additional USD$60/hr (usually it takes less than 1 hr).
Included in the publishing package
- We research the best categories and keywords to make your book competitive on Amazon.
- We provide you with a global link for your Amazon paperback and ebook, which means that you can use one link in your Amazon marketing and it sends customers from all around the world to their closest Amazon store. This makes it easier for readers to purchase.
- We give you 3 quality motion graphic images for your social media marketing and Facebook advertising, plus at least one Instagram reel, which we post on our social media accounts – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Linkedin.
- An ‘Out Now’ post is posted on our blog and goes to our social media accounts above plus Tumblr as well as our email list.
- We provide a comprehensive free Step by Step Marketing Guide with links to excellent articles to build your knowledge of how to market your book.
- We provide a simple basic book promotion plan for you to follow that doesn’t require you to have social media accounts.
- We provide a guide for how to get book reviews with links to places where you can submit your book for review.
- We offer your book to our reviewers list in return for a review on Amazon.
- We offer a paid editorial review service.
- Authors can book a 30 min zoom consultation to help plan a marketing strategy that works for them.
- Specific books and categories will be mentioned where relevant as part of our on-going general marketing and in our You Tube Channel videos.
- We provide ongoing email updates on marketing opportunities as they arise.
Promotion extras
- We can arrange one editorial review (USD$45) and make submissions on your behalf for guaranteed editorial reviews from Pacific Book Reviews and Indie Reader Review. ($200- $300 each)
- Authors can buy Book Boost Images and videos for social media and advertising use. As well as using them for your social media marketing and our custom book promotion package (see below), we will post a selection of them on our social media accounts over time.
- We can provide you with an elegantly designed media kit to suit your book. (USD$60/hr or AUD$80/hr. Usually it takes 1-2 hrs depending on how much editing is required.)
- AIA/BooksGoSocial Custom Book Promotion: We’ve teamed up with Books Go Social to bring you professional promotion as your budget allows. Authors who have had their books published with AIAP can book such things as Amazon and Facebook adverts, posting A+ content to your Amazon product page, a Netgalley listing to get reviews, social media and email campaigns, and simple website creation.
Click here to see the options and submit the form to get a quote. BooksGoSocial will get back to you with a price. (Usually it will be between USD $250 to $700 depending on what you choose).
Our paperbacks have worldwide distribution through Ingram Distributors, the largest book distributors in the world. Your paperback will appear in Amazon, B&N, Book Depository and all other major online stores and will be available by order through all bookstores worldwide.
Our books are also listed in Indie Bound, the biggest independent bookstore database where independent booksellers look for books to stock
(If you request KDPP as your printer/distributor, your book will have a more restricted distribution network.)
“I’m going to say again how pleased I am with your editing and publishing services. Not only were you patient with me, but your professionalism and the people you have partnered with was above expectation.
Most of all, I feel like writing again, but because of your editing services, I am writing with more confidence and enjoying what I’m writing with more passion. It’s a great feeling.”
Pricing & royalties
Publication Pricing
Total cost of publication of paperback and provision of ebook files (not including extras, editing or proofreading): USD $2500 (AUD $3400) for a first book published with us, 10% discount on subsequent books.
(Editing and proofreading will be quoted and paid for separately. See the Editing tab above for pricing estimates)
Payments are made in three instalments.
- Advance Publishing Payment: USD$800 (plus 4% Paypal fees if you pay through Paypal.) Australian and New Zealand residents pay AUD$1100.
- Book Design Fee: USD $900 (AUD$1200)
Ebook cover (provided as a jpeg file), paperback cover and interior design (pdf files), and ebook (epub or KPF file). Includes 2 cover revisions and one interior revision, plus a 3D mockup of the book and the new release social media image set. Extra revisions are charged at USD$70/hr (AUD$100/hr).- Author gets an exclusive, perpetual license to use these designs. Copyright remains with the designer. Source files for designs are not included or provided. Exceptions to the exclusive use: the designer may use the designs on their website and portfolio, and AIA Publishing may use them for publishing and promotion.Extras:
– Premium interior design for paperback: decorative section break markers, designed section pages, chapter headings, footnotes and table of contents. Price on discussion with book designer.
– Preparation, where necessary, and layout of images for inclusion in a book that is mainly text: USD$70/hr (AUD$100/hr). This usually works out at roughly USD$10 (AUD$13) per image for photographs and professionally drawn illustrations.
– Hardback cover & publication: With jacket, USD$215 (AUD$160); without jacket, USD$175 (AUD$30), plus hardcover proof copy (roughly USD$35 (AUD$40));
– Extra files for a KDPP version (if it’s in addition to our IS one): USD$30 for each file needed.Picture books: Included in the price is a one hour Zoom meeting between the author, the book designer and the illustrator, 2-3 sample pages designed to establish look/feel, author provides feedback/revisions which are then applied to the full book, and extra revision on the interior layout, and a fixed layout Ebook conversion – viewable on tablets, ipads & kindle fire. Please refer to our ebook section of the FAQ page for more info on picture books as ebooks
- Author gets an exclusive, perpetual license to use these designs. Copyright remains with the designer. Source files for designs are not included or provided. Exceptions to the exclusive use: the designer may use the designs on their website and portfolio, and AIA Publishing may use them for publishing and promotion.Extras:
- Final Publishing Payment: USD$800 (plus 4% Paypal fees if you pay through Paypal.) Australian and New Zealand residents pay AUD$1100.
- Book Design Fee: USD $900 (AUD$1200)
If you need help uploading your book to KDP, we can do this for you for USD$70/hr (AUD$100/hr). It usually it takes less than one hour.
Royalties, copyright & author copies
- Ebooks: 100% royalty.
- Print books: 85% of net income; i.e., what we receive from Lightning Source minus 15%. (Or 100% royalty and self-management for those choosing Amazon’s KDPP as their printer/distributor.)
- When royalties have accrued to over $10, they will be paid 6 monthly, quarterly if the author’s royalties are over $100 in the author’s currency for that quarter. Payments will be via Paypal or electronic bank transfer in the authors own currency.
- The author retains all copyright (i.e., retains ownership of the book’s intellectual property). AIAP has non-exclusive rights to publish the print copies and owns the ISBN(s) for the print copies we publish.
- We do not provide ISBNs for the ebooks as they aren’t needed for Kindle, and other platforms offer them for free should the author wish to make their ebooks available further afield than Amazon.
- Publications will be lodged on the author’s behalf with the Australian National Library to secure their copyright under Australian law.
- You can buy Ingram Spark printed books through us for cost price plus postage from printers in the USA, UK or Australia. After the initial book order (undertaken at the time of publication), further orders incur an order-processing fee of USD$30 (AUD$40). Paperbacks are printed on demand, so you can buy as many or as few as you wish for yourself.
- Books are paid for by providing us with your credit card details through a secure portal.
- We do not arrange author copies for books published through KDPP.
AIA Publishing Submissions Process
- Submission:
- Submit your book to us by filling in the form below. We will look at the sample and either reject the book, offer you a manuscript appraisal (if the book is clearly not ready for publication but we think it has potential) or we’ll request the full manuscript.
- If we read the full manuscript and find the story and writing standard meet our requirements for publication, we will offer to publish your book. If it’s not ready to publish in its present form, we will request further editing before making a final decision.
- Final Decision: If we request further editing, then when the editing and proofreading are complete, our team will discuss the book. If we are enthusiastic about it, we will offer to publish it as one of AIA Publishing’s titles. If not, we can assist you to self-publish.
Alternatively you can book a manuscript appraisal with Tahlia Newland, our managing editor. She offers publication with AIA Publishing to editing clients whose books warrant it. Even if we don’t publish your book, you’ll have professional suggestions for how to improve it, and since most books submitted to us require further editing, this route can save a lot of time.
Ready to Submit?
Click this button and fill in the form.
Why choose AIA Publishing?
We pride ourselves on caring for our authors and making sure that their book is the best it can possibly be and that it will compete well in the marketplace. With us you can be sure that your book is a fully professional product. Our authors speak for us; see below.
And, of course, we are a partner member of The Alliance of Independent Authors, which means that we meet their code of standards for integrity, value, communication, transparency and service. We are what we say we are, and we won’t rip you off.
What our Authors are saying
“What a difference a good editor and publisher makes! AIA published the second edition of my novel, Almost Human. They breathed new life into my novel by rebranding it. They kept me in the loop every step of the way with their professional and caring advice and expertise. They met their timelines and were prompt in getting back to me when I emailed them. They were very fair with pricing. My only regret is I did not use them sooner. I love the final product. The book cover is a vast improvement. I look forward to commissioning them for the sequel.“
“AIA Publishing is outstanding in its support for the author and delivery of the product.
Tahlia provided all she promised, efficiently, smoothly and professionally. I felt sustained by her care and excellent communication in a process completely new to me. Tahlia’s guidance and experience brought my first book to the public without stress and provided valuable tips in marketing it locally and internationally. I have confidently recommended other writers to her who also have been grateful for her care and skills.”
“Let no one mislead you. You can self-publish a book for next to nothing on Createspace but to self publish a good, well-written book that will gather positive reviews on Amazon and from rated reviewers and bloggers, you will have to shell out. Not a huge amount but maybe a thousand imperial British pounds or so. You will need a professional structural edit, a good cover and a copy edit. I was rubbish with computers so I had to pay for formatting of the ebooks as well. I self-published my first two books (A Fair Wack and Time Lapse), garnered some good reviews, sold a few copies and gained accreditation from Awesome Indies Book Awards. Tahlia Newland appraised the manuscript of my third book Not Without Risk, then carried out the structural edit, after which she offered to publish it and provided me with an estimate of cost. I checked on what I’d spent on my first two books and it was in the same order.
I’m a wary creature by nature and have read all the horror stories about Vanity Publishing on Writer Beware. A quick google brought up nothing but praise, so I went for it. The book has gathered a lot of good reviews from rated reviewers and bloggers including one on Amazon USA which said, ‘Very well developed characters, nicely painted scenes and exceptionally clean editing make this a book a joy to read.’ Now if that isn’t a testimonial, what is?”
Ready to Submit?
Follow the AIA Publishing submissions guidelines listed above and email to publisher(at)aiapublishing(dot)com. Or click this button and fill in the form.
