FAQ’s For Authors

True Potential is a “new”-publishing company. We like to think of it as “Publishing 2.0.”

We employ the latest technology in our editorial, design, and book-build processes. We take advantage of 21st-century printing, warehousing, and distribution systems, and most importantly, we market and sell our books via 21st-century channels, putting author and reader together in the fastest, most direct process.

True Potential is a company that you can trust. Our titles and our authors reflect our Christian worldview. We review every new manuscript to determine if it fits our editorial standards and Christian values.

Because of our values and standards, readers will identify your True Potential title as one they can trust. Our True Potential imprints identify your book as written from a Christian worldview, regardless of its subject matter.

We believe in keeping your personal information, copyright-protected material and other information private. Please review our Privacy Policy for details.

Why should I choose True Potential over other book publishers?

If you’re serious about being an author you should have a publisher who is just as serious about bringing your book to the world.

Self-publishing companies are in the business of selling authors. They’re in the “author services” business. They sell you editing services, interior and cover design services, book printing services, etc. When they’ve completed the services you’ve paid for, the relationship doesn’t have much to stand on. Pretty quickly, you’ll discover the true meaning of “self” in “self-publishing.”

80% of True Potential’s revenue comes from selling books. We’re in the book business, we believe our authors are too. At True Potential, editing, design, printing, and distribution aren’t optional “services”; they’re what we do. We sell books for a living; most of our authors do too. If we’re not selling books, nobody is happy.

True Potential is a “long-tail” publisher. That doesn’t mean we have long tails, it means our books have a long sales life. We don’t believe in publishing books on temporary “trending” topics. Books like that may enjoy some temporary pop-culture buzz, but in a few months they’ll whither like cut flowers and become irrelevant when the next buzz” wave come in.

Our goal is to publish books that will be as relevant five or ten years from now as they are today. Some of our best-selling titles today we first published ten years ago or more. That’s a book we can invest in, our authors can invest in, and most importantly, is able to change lives.

Do I still own the rights to my book if I publish with True Potential?

You are the author. You will always own the copyright to your work.  When True Potential publishes your book, we hold the publishing and distribution rights; that is, we have the right, and the responsibility to print, distribute and sell your book to the public.

The exception to this is that all of our authors have the right (and we encourage it with deep discounts) to sell their books directly to their own audience, usually at a significant profit. This is an important source of revenue for our authors and can quickly recoup the initial publishing costs.

Can I publish my book with True Potential and another publisher, too?

No. We and our authors have a mutual investment and mission together in reaching the widest audience and providing the greatest opportunities for our books.

Authors wishing to be released from their publishing agreement with us is rare, but we never require an author to stay against their will. If you wish to publish your book elsewhere in the future, we simply release you from your publishing agreement with us after our current inventory is exhausted. True Potential’s book files, imprint, and ISBN identity cannot be used by future publishers.

How much does it cost to publish with True Potential?

The cost of our book publishing packages depends entirely on how many author’s copies are included in the package. The quality of and steps involved in our publishing process never changes based on cost. With True Potential, the crucial elements of making your book the best it can be are never “optional.” Whether you choose 500 or 1,000 author’s copies, the quality of our book publishing process and your finished book will never waver. View our publishing packages here: https://www.truepotentialmedia.com/publishing-packages.

Can I publish a non-English book with True Potential?

Yes. Manuscripts in English and Spanish can be published through True Potential. The publishing cost for Spanish language publishing packages may be higher than our published pricing due to added translation and editing costs. At this time True Potential does not publish manuscripts in languages other than English and Spanish.

Can True Potential publish my book if I live outside of the United States?

Yes. Authors all over the globe can publish with True Potential and we distribute in most countries. We must state that our main market is in the US and Canada; unless the author has an existing audience or plans to personally develop an audience in North America, marketing the book may be less successful in our main market. That said, our second best selling-author lives in the United Kingdom but has traveled and taught extensively in the US.

Does True Potential edit my book?

Absolutely! Professional editing is critical to the quality (and often the success) of the finished book. True Potential has developed a three-step editing process that ensures the author and the publisher can be proud of the finished product, and the highest quality reading experience. Word of advice: Run away from any “publishing” company that offers editing as an “optional” service

Will True Potential promote my book?

In the words of our dear friend and best-selling (True Potential) author, Dr. Jim Richards: “There are three audiences for any book:

• the author’s audience
• the publisher’s audience
• the audience they create together.”

In addition to helping you promote your books and grow your audience through our exclusive free resources and optional “Perfect Author” programs, we promote your book (remember, we’re a team; we think of it as “our” book) through our own websites and e-commerce platforms, our distribution systems and through our extensive online and Social Media accounts.

Bottom line: We do whatever works, financially and effectively, to help you sell your books. But we are not invested in old out-dated strategies that “worked” in the last century. We won’t, for example, take out a $6,000 ad in a magazine that produces $500 in book sales. That’s just dumb. And when it comes to marketing we refuse to do “dumb.” On the other hand, if we can use technology to share your story with 100,000 potential readers who may have an affinity for your story and we have a good chance of making more in sales than we spend on advertising, we’ll take that all day!

Who will be able to purchase my book?

People all over the world will have access to your book through our online bookstore. Christian retailers, brick-and-mortar and online, will have access to ordering your book. Your book will be available, of course, on Amazon.com and other major online retailers, and on our own websites and e-commerce platforms as well as those in our referral partner network. In short, our goal is to make your book very easy to find and to buy, anywhere people will shop for your book.

Is there a minimum or a maximum number of books that I can or must order?

Our author packages include from 500 to 1,000 “author’s copies,” or more, depending on your needs. These are the book you will sell directly to your own audience. These direct sales will, in most cases, quickly pay for the initial cost of publishing your book.

After you’ve sold your initial author’s copies, you can purchase additional books from us, in carton quantities, at a 60% discount. Selling copies directly to their audience is a significant source of income for most of our authors.  As your publisher, it’s our job to have your books available whenever your need them; you never have to worry about “making another print run” when you run low on books.

How can I get in touch with True Potential if I have questions that are not in the FAQ database?

Just click here to send us a message or call 864-836-4111 extension 104.

We publish great books in three important areas of Christian life: Faith, Business, and Life. Please choose the option below that best fits your work and message.