Redemption PressReviews of redemption-press.com

UPDATE: Disappointed by this response. I was a contracted Redemption Press author and have documentation of the entire relationship. As a first-time author, I hope this review helps other aspiring authors make a well-informed decision before investing significant time and money. First, the positives. The people I worked with directly were exceptional. The editor I was matched with profoundly strengthened my manuscript, and I will always be grateful for her talent and insight. My cover designer created a beautiful cover that truly captured the heart of my book, and my project manager was responsive, encouraging, and genuinely kind throughout the process. The creative professionals I worked with were highly skilled, and I remain deeply thankful for their contributions. That said, there are several realities I wish I had understood before signing my contract. 1. Understand the economics of hybrid publishing. Hybrid publishing is a premium service, and the markup is substantial. The best analogy I can give is that it feels a bit like paying $60 for a bottle of Tylenol at a hospital when you could purchase the same bottle at the pharmacy for just a few dollars. You’re paying a significant premium for someone to coordinate every step of the publishing process—not because those individual services can’t be obtained elsewhere. Depending on the package you choose, it’s common to invest $5,000–$10,000 or more. Before making that commitment, research what it would cost to hire an independent editor, cover designer, formatter, and publishing assistant yourself. You may be surprised how affordable independent publishing has become. Most first-time authors should also have realistic financial expectations. Unless you already have a large platform and a strong marketing strategy, book sales alone are unlikely to recover even a fraction of the initial investment. For many authors, hybrid publishing is less a financial investment and more a personal investment in bringing a book to life. 2. Ask detailed questions about additional charges, refunds, and contract termination. Don’t limit your questions to the fees listed in the contract. Ask specifically: * Under what circumstances can additional charges be assessed? * When are those charges communicated? * Do they require your approval before being applied? * If either party terminates the agreement, how are prepaid funds handled? * What happens to unused services or marketing funds? Having those answers clearly documented before signing can prevent misunderstandings later. 3. Clearly understand the theological expectations of Redemption Press. If you are publishing in the Christian market, ask detailed questions about the publisher’s theological standards—not only for your manuscript, but also for your public platform. In my experience, public social media activity and publicly shared theological associations were considered as part of evaluating whether an author’s views aligned with the publisher’s expectations. For some authors, those standards will be an excellent fit. For others, they may not. After investing in the publishing process and working all the way through editing, design, and production, my book was ultimately not published through Redemption Press. Looking back, the experience taught me enough about hybrid publishing that I wish I had understood these realities before investing my savings. Had I known then what I know now, I would have made a different decision—financially, spiritually, and emotionally. I would have chosen the independent self-publishing route. While it seemed intimidating at first, I have since learned there are outstanding editors, designers, formatters, and publishing platforms available independently, often at a fraction of the cost while allowing greater creative freedom and financial transparency. One resource I especially wish I had discovered beforehand is the Novel Marketing podcast. It walks first-time authors through the publishing process step by step in a practical, encouraging way. Even if you ultimately choose a hybrid publisher, I believe it will help you ask better questions, understand your options, and make a much more informed decision. My advice to every first-time author is simple: do extensive research before signing any publishing contract. Compare all available publishing paths, understand exactly what you’re paying for, clarify every contractual question in writing, and choose the option that best aligns with your message, your finances, and your long-term goals. I genuinely hope this helps someone make the decision that is right for them.

Great communication and correspondence with clients. However, payments for publishing packages need to be flexible to accommodate authors from different income groups.

I wish you all had our books available in local bookstores instead of just online. I think sales could increase and everyone benefits from it better.

I liked the openness and the energy of the speakers. Much of the information was helpful. The breakouts were a bit confusing as either one person dominated the conversation or no one really talked. I would've preferred a designated person to lead the conversation--even if someone was selected on the spot by volunteering. It seemed to me that most ppl on the zoom calls were doing memoirs so I didn't really feel like I had much connection with them. However, there were parts from a marketing perspective especially the financial portion that was helpful. I'm all about women speakers (as a woman); however, I would've liked more variety. The last event was difficult for me to take in and I pretty much tuned out--I understand where the speakers were going--it was just a bit overwhelming especially at the end when I was feeling torn about how much time I was investing with other work that I needed to do. Overall--it's great, probably just not for me. I realized my best conference experiences should be in-person.

As a first timer I found it difficult to figure out who was giving what talk and when. I thought I would pick & choose talks given my hectic schedule but realized that I could not see details about each talk. I found it confusing to locate talks given two “locations” (don’t remember but I think one track was on the site & one was on Facebook Live?).