Xulon Press review: what it costs, what the contract says, what authors report

Xulon Press publishes no prices. Its formats and packages page lists Xulon Press publishing packages without a figure and offers "Request a Quote" and a call with an "Author Success Coach" (checked 19 October 2026; archived copy). Nothing on the rest of its site gives a price either. Its About page says the packages are designed "to meet the needs of authors at every budget level". Full-color books, including children's books, are priced by custom quote.

Every format lists "100% Royalties", an electronic proof and up to 25 images. Custom typesetting and a hardcover dust jacket are add-ons. Three marketing packages, The Storyteller, The Digital Sales Package and The Event Speaker, bundle press releases, advertising, podcast spots and an author website, also without prices.

The only figure we found comes from an author, not the company. A BBB complaint filed in July 2026 says, "The publishing package I was offered cost over $6,600," including marketing and advertising. Ask for an itemized quote in writing.

Xulon calls its contract a "Publishing Services Agreement", but does not publish it. Its FAQ, on the About page, states the main terms:

• Rights: "you retain your rights and are free to take your book to another publisher if you choose — just notify us in writing."
• Copyright: "You do." Many packages include U.S. copyright registration.
• ISBN: "We assign an International Standard Book Number (ISBN) to your book". The FAQ does not say whose name it is registered in.
• Copies: "There is no required purchase of books to proceed with publishing."

Royalties are paid on net profit. The FAQ says, "We pay 100% of the net profit on books sold through our retail channels (after our distribution/printing costs)." It does not define net profit or give an example per copy. Payments are made monthly for the previous month's sales, released "once certain thresholds or tax forms" are filed.

The FAQ gives no refund terms, no contract length and no fee for leaving. Production takes "approximately 90 days from manuscript submission", or about 45 days with its "rush" service.

You get a designed book, an ISBN and listing with online retailers. The FAQ says, "Your book will be listed on Amazon.com". It also warns, "We cannot guarantee physical shelf placement." There is no Xulon Press bookstore on the current site; the FAQ mentions sales through retailers and "our toll-free order line". Author copies are paid for when ordered, since Xulon does not invoice for them.

Every format includes a "Manuscript Review", but none lists editing. The services page offers "Manuscript review, editing, and writing support" as a category, priced by quote. At the EFA's 2026 median rates, a copyedit of an 80,000-word nonfiction book costs $2,400–3,200, which gives you a benchmark for any quote.

Xulon says it has helped "over 29,000 authors" and is "a member of the Christian Booksellers Association (CBA)". A Foreign Language Rights Program offers to connect authors with publishers abroad who "may translate and publish your work". The FAQ says a signed license typically takes 3–6 months after interest, then 12–18 months to publication.

The do-it-yourself route costs less. Amazon KDP charges nothing to publish, a Bowker ISBN in your own name costs $125, and the copyedit above costs $2,400–3,200. What it costs to publish a book breaks down each route. For Christian presses that pay the author instead, see Christian publishers.

BBB has not rated Xulon Press: it "does not have sufficient information to issue a rating" (BBB, checked 19 October 2026). The profile, opened in September 2025, is not accredited and lists "Xulon Enterprises LLC" as an alternate name. It shows two complaints, both filed in 2026 and both marked "Unanswered". BBB says "Customer reviews are not used in the letter-grade calculation."

• September 2026, billing: an author reports being unable to get into their author account to order copies, after repeated calls and emails.
• July 2026, order issues: an author writes, "I did not feel the level of support matched the cost."

Xulon's Trustpilot profile is unclaimed and has no reviews. ALLi's Watchdog Desk rates Xulon Press "Watchdog Advisory" on its service ratings (checked 18 October 2026). We found no Writer Beware post about Xulon and no Reddit thread that discusses it.

CourtListener lists one case naming Xulon Press as a party, Ekpenyong v. Xulon Press, Inc., No. 6:24-cv-00890 (M.D. Fla.). It was filed on 10 May 2024 as a copyright case. The plaintiff filed a notice of voluntary dismissal, and the court closed the case on 17 October 2024. We found no news coverage of Xulon in the past three years beyond reposted press releases.

1. Get an itemized quote in writing. No price appears anywhere on the site.
2. Read the Publishing Services Agreement before you pay. Look for the term, the refund rules and how "net profit" is figured.
3. Ask whether your quote includes editing, or only the "Manuscript Review" that every format lists.
4. Ask whose name the ISBN is registered in, and what happens to it and your files if you leave.
5. Ask how you will order copies and see sales after publication. A 2026 BBB complaint describes losing access to an author account.

• WestBow Press: a Christian self-publishing service that publishes its prices ($2,699–8,299) and its full agreement.
• Christian Faith Publishing: no prices on its packages page, but its public agreement template shows installment plans totaling $4,085 or $6,581 (derived).
• KDP plus a freelance copyeditor: $2,400–3,200 for an 80,000-word book at EFA rates, and the ISBN stays in your name.

The best self-publishing companies, compared covers 13 more.