Covenant Books review: what it costs, what the contract says, what authors report

Covenant Books has no pricing page; its about page promises publication "for a relatively inexpensive initial investment" (checked 19 October 2026). The only Covenant Books cost figures online are in its publishing agreement template (checked 18 October 2026; archived copy).

The totals come from the template's own price script. Before an option is ticked, the text shows $595 down for the second plan too. A TV book-club interview is an optional add-on, and extra copies cost 40% off the retail price, plus shipping. Each renewal after two years carries a fee "currently $48/year": $96 per two-year term (derived).

The template matches, word for word, the one Christian Faith Publishing publishes, apart from the company name, the royalty fee and the address. Its first plan also matches the entry package of Page Publishing. Covenant's home page says it is "based in Murrell's Inlet, South Carolina". The footer on every page, the template and its BBB profile give 830 Park Avenue, Suite 125, Meadville, Pennsylvania. The other two companies list 832 Park Avenue. None of the three sites states a relationship between them.

You keep the copyright, and Covenant Books holds exclusive print and ebook rights while the agreement runs. The template, checked 18 October 2026, says:

• Rights: your work and "all materials prepared by Publisher" are your property and "shall be transferred free of charge to Author" on request.
• License: during the term, Covenant has "the exclusive worldwide right to publish and offer for sale the Author's Work in print and eBook format."
• Term: two years, renewing "for additional two-year terms" unless either side gives written notice 60 days before the term ends.
• ISBN: the ISBNs list you as author and owner "and Publisher as the authorized Publisher."
• Canceling: you have "three (3) calendar days from execution of this Agreement to cancel for any reason".
• Disputes: "mandatory and binding arbitration" in Crawford, Pennsylvania, and "not as a class member".

Covenant pays you "all funds Publisher receives from the respective vendors" for print and ebook sales, "less a 5 percent commission/administrative fee per copy sold." It takes no fee until your sales revenue equals the amount you paid. The FAQ puts numbers on it: "We price our print books such that our authors will earn roughly $3 per unit sold." Ebooks earn "70% of the retail price", about $7 on a $9.95 ebook. Covenant keeps 5%, 15 cents on a $3 print royalty (derived). Quarterly payments under $100 roll over, and copies you buy earn no royalty.

The about page adds: "All rights to your book remain with you- forever." The template says card payments "may appear on your statement as Publishing Services Consortium", as Christian Faith Publishing's does.

You get a copyedited, designed book in print and ebook, distributed through Ingram. Its distribution page says Spring Arbor, which it calls Ingram's "Christian specialty subsidiary", reaches independent Christian bookstores. The home page claims distribution "to over 30,000 traditional secular channels". On creating your book, the edit means "identifying and pointing out to you typographical, syntax and grammatical errors."

No plan lists a developmental edit, the edit that works on structure and argument. That costs $3,200–4,000 for an 80,000-word non-fiction book at the EFA's 2026 median rates. The Masterpiece marketing starts only "after publication of all editions of the book". Covenant says it reviews each manuscript and replies "within a few business days" (submission page).

The do-it-yourself route costs less. Amazon KDP charges nothing to publish. A copyedit of 80,000 words costs $2,400–3,200 at EFA rates, BookBaby sells covers from $399, and a Bowker ISBN costs $125. That totals $2,924–3,724 (derived), against $4,085 for the cheaper plan. A 300-page paperback at $14.99 then earns $4.39 a copy on KDP (derived), against Covenant's "roughly $3". What it costs to publish a book compares each route, and Christian publishers lists faith-based presses, including ones that pay the author.

Covenant Books' BBB profile shows an A+ rating, as of 18 October 2026; it is not BBB accredited. BBB opened the Meadville file in February 2026 and lists the business as started in 2015. It records 14 complaints in three years, 2 in the last 12 months. Reviewers on the BBB give it 4.82 out of 5 across 323 reviews. BBB says "Customer reviews are not used in the letter-grade calculation."

On Trustpilot, Covenant scores 2.4 from 11 reviews, on an unclaimed profile. A Trustpilot reviewer, July 2026: "They do exceptional work and I am pleased to be associated with them." A two-star Trustpilot reviewer, July 2025: "Almost three years and still not published with very little communication."

ALLi's Watchdog Desk rates Covenant Books "Watchdog Advisory" on its service ratings, listing concerns about value, quality and transparency. A search of the Writer Beware blog found no post about Covenant Books. A Reddit title search found no thread naming it. CourtListener lists no federal Covenant Books lawsuit, and we found no news coverage of it in the past three years.

Searches for Covenant Books publishing can also turn up Covenant Communications, a Latter-day Saint publisher. Deseret Book acquired it in 2006, according to the Deseret News. It is a different company from Covenant Books.

1. Ask for the current agreement and price in writing. Covenant has no pricing page, and the online template may not match today's offer.
2. Ask what a $14.99 paperback earns you per copy on Amazon and through Ingram. The FAQ's "roughly $3" depends on the price Covenant sets.
3. Ask which address the contract and payments go to. The site names Murrell's Inlet, South Carolina, and Meadville, Pennsylvania.
4. Put the renewal date in your diary. Notice must arrive 60 days before each two-year term ends, or the exclusive license renews.
5. Read the arbitration clause before signing. Disputes go to individual arbitration in Pennsylvania, and you have three days to cancel.

• WestBow Press: calls itself "a division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan"; four packages from $2,699 to $8,299, with its full agreement online.
• Xulon Press: a Christian self-publishing company that quotes prices on request and pays "100% of the net profit" after its costs.
• KDP plus a freelance copyeditor: $2,400–3,200 for an 80,000-word book at EFA rates, and the ISBN can be yours.

The best self-publishing companies, compared covers more.