WestBow Press’s earns a 1.1-star rating from 27 reviews, showing that the majority of authors are dissatisfied with publishing services.
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A very disappointing experience
I published a book with Amazon KDP but wanted more exposure so went with Westbow Press. I thought they offered what i wanted but was sadly mistaken. I got no content advice, no suggestions or professional advice for improvement and no constructive criticism. Nothing to help produce a better product. The editing service I got was horrendous. I sent in my manuscript and it literally came back with more mistakes than the original I sent them. This happened 2 or 3 times and each time i had to go through every line and correct the mistakes myself. It turned out that they lost or misplaced the original I sent them each time. Communicating with the editor was a nightmare. The exposure and marketing I thought i paid for amounted to putting the title of my book on a list that was mailed out that. I didn't get what I thought i was paying for and to get what i thought i paid for would cost hundreds of dollars more. As it is I paid Westbow $4000+ and feel like they should have paid me since I had to do so much to re-edit what they did.
Recommendation: Go with Amazon! At least you'll get what you pay for.
WestBow Press Complaints 26
Publishing package
December 2023. You can just read the reviews and see how Eugene (the guy responding) has an excuse for everything. Since hiring these people to publish a book, I've undergone so much stress. PLEASE DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY! They are using the name of Jesus for financial gain. They should be ashamed of themselves. They are car salesman, trying to sell you...
Read full review of WestBow PressIt has been 6.5 months and I have filled out the Direct Deposit Forms and I have not heard anything about my royalties pay out. Eleanor Wilbanks
I was so impressed on the beginning of Westbow Press. But when you know a lot of your books have sold and you heard nothing...you get distraught...I want my royalties and a statement of what, when the books were sold. I sure hope I do not have to get my attorney involved in this matter. I do not like people using the image of being A CHRISTIAN ORGANIZATION and then try to cheat you out of you royalties.
Eleanor Wilbanks - 848515
I’ve been in the same boat. I think I got my first royalty check, about $350 on time and every subsequent one was a minimum of two months late and many of them were so far behind I had to send emails. They would tell me I had to have a $100 threshold to receive a check at the end of the year. When I responded about their payment policy, they told me their policy recently changed. Then when I sent constant emails complaining about it, they told me if I changed to direct deposit I’d get my money on time. I had to submit my bank info four times and they never responded until a month ago. I still don’t get my checks at the proper time, but I have gotten them.
On top of all that, they take a massive percentage of the book and mine is so filled with errors even though I paid for editing. It’s ridiculous
Westbow press
I published a book through this company which I never will use them again first off they charge me over 2500.00 and then want to charge for everything associated with publishing a book as extra costs such as editing, marketing or any promotion for the money you may as well do everything yourself. I have not received a dime from my book keep getting the run around and they keep switching consultants to avoid performing my request and they throw off responsibilities on last consultant used. They continue to try and get more money out of you before you ever see a dime. Don’t be fooled by the use of the word Christian publishing I could write a book on my experience with this company I hate I ever came here but hope I can help someone avoid the mistakes I made dealing with them
Desired outcome: Pay me my royalties
Is WestBow Press Legit?
WestBow Press earns a trustworthiness rating of 91%
Highly recommended, but caution will not hurt.
We found clear and detailed contact information for WestBow Press. The company provides a physical address, phone number, and 2 emails, as well as 4 social media accounts. This demonstrates a commitment to customer service and transparency, which is a positive sign for building trust with customers.
The age of WestBow Press's domain suggests that they have had sufficient time to establish a reputation as a reliable source of information and services. This can provide reassurance to potential customers seeking quality products or services.
Westbowpress.com has a valid SSL certificate, which indicates that the website is secure and trustworthy. Look for the padlock icon in the browser and the "https" prefix in the URL to confirm that the website is using SSL.
Westbowpress.com has been deemed safe to visit, as it is protected by a cloud-based cybersecurity solution that uses the Domain Name System (DNS) to help protect networks from online threats.
Several positive reviews for WestBow Press have been found on various review sites. While this may be a good sign, it is important to approach these reviews with caution and consider the possibility of fake or biased reviews.
We looked up WestBow Press and found that the website is receiving a high amount of traffic. This could be a sign of a popular and trustworthy website, but it is still important to exercise caution and verify the legitimacy of the site before sharing any personal or financial information
However ComplaintsBoard has detected that:
- While WestBow Press has a high level of trust, our investigation has revealed that the company's complaint resolution process is inadequate and ineffective. As a result, only 3% of 26 complaints are resolved. The support team may have poor customer service skills, lack of training, or not be well-equipped to handle customer complaints.
- WestBow Press protects their ownership data, a common and legal practice. However, from our perspective, this lack of transparency can impede trust and accountability, which are essential for establishing a credible and respected business entity.
I feel I need to warn new book author's about my dealing's with this co.WestBow
I feel I need to warn new book author's about my dealing with a Publishing Company. They did nothing, and they deceived me when the first woman Amber that I spoke with said I would not have to get my family involved in my book getting resized, as I had added a few pages to my original book, she assured me they could do the resizing and publishing my book without having to get in touch with my son in law that had made the first cover that I now needed resizing, I trusted Amber because I thought it was a Christian Company and so I signed for $1,299.00 on my credit card, but then she connected me with another woman named Georgette and she says that Amber didn't know as much as she did about it, and she would have to get in touch with my son-in-law, even though I had told both of these women that he has a new business and did not have the time to do any more with my book, so I told the woman that said she had to get in touch with my son- in law that I was now backing out. I wanted to cancel. I believed they had deceived me just to get my money, and I found out they were not acting like a Christian Company, I only spoke with two women Amber and Georgette and they charged me $150.00 when I disputed their charge of $1,299.00, with my credit card company. I signed on July 28 and sent them a cancellation e-mail on Aug 2nd
Desired outcome: I expect the rest of my money put back in my account $ 150.00 They did nothing to earn a dime .
No royalties paid re book published by Westbow Press
I published the book, "So You Want to be a Street Preacher" with Westbow Press nearly three years ago now and have and am not being paid any royalties by them as was promised in the contract entered into. I would also add that they were less than transparent in regard to what they promised to deliver. A shady business.
Desired outcome: Information about sales revealed & royalties paid as promised.
Unethical behavior, false dreams, ripoff
The reason I chose Westbow Publishing company is because they claim to be a Christian organization. I thought it was safe to use them! Unfortunately I was totally wrong. They sold me a bunch of lies that never came to pass. They took my Children's book without informing me and allowed others to purchase it and I did not get anything for it! Would not recommend them to anyone ever!
Desired outcome: 3,000
Censorship
I submitted my manuscript to Westbow Press after paying $1300 up front for printing. I think a computer read my book and spit out words they thought were offensive like "freak" (occurrence) and "crazy" (which I used in a good sense). Everything taken out of context. Countless words and place names (even church where I was married and support organizations that are helpful to my readers) were not allowed according to their Christian "rules." My book is a very personal pouring out of my learning to trust God while I cared for a totally disabled husband through our whole marriage. They wanted to destroy my book for no good reason. I ended my contract with them and got back $900 dollars. They shattered me and I cannot continue to try to publish my book although people who have read my manuscript say it should be published. I trust no one anymore in the publishing business and will spend no more of my money. I am sharing my book for free in a pdf file for those who are interested. People love my book. Too bad for Westbow. They missed out on a good thing. It's in God's hands now. I am finished.
Desired outcome: none; I got most of my money back. I want people to know about this.
Contract dispute of paid fees with no product produced
We went into contact and paid required fees in in February 2021 and we have yet to receive a product. There's been little to no correspondence by the Westbow publishing company...with exception of when monies are due. A few bow-off email's and that's about it. No-one is ever available to speak with when you call. Theres a front time team they use to screen calls and refuse to put calls through to any team members?that is if there's really team members. With all the complaints I'm seeing here makes one wonder if it's a legit above board company. In May I paid fees and signed a editing contract but not one editing correspondence has occurred other than the team leader Hannah Nate when I made complaint I had received no editorial material's. Covid was blamed...so I guess now Covid is killing book deals.
Desired outcome: Class action law suite
Been with Westbow for about 4 years and a lot of shady practices have came forth as they published two of my books. My last book I paid an extra $1800 last year for their promotional campaign to put it on the Bible Gateway. site, with the assurance I would get sales there. Looking at my Author account it yielded nothing and I never saw this promised ad on Bible Gateway. They have a lot to answer to God for as it is just another marketing ploy to get rich.
Thomas Nelson needs to investigate!!!
Book payments then additional call after paying over $1000 for a "Special that was not mentioned or eluded to on initial contact! On this call I tried to explain that I had paid everything necessary for publishing and distribution but he just kept pushing his narrative! Having been in sales myself I recognized this as "a bait and switch" tactic so I am going to my bank for possible action!
You can just read the reviews and see how Eugene (the guy responding) has an excuse for everything. Since hiring these people to publish a book, I've undergone so much stress. PLEASE DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY! They are using the name of Jesus for financial gain. They should be ashamed of themselves. They are car salesman, trying to sell you useless stuff. I was ignorant and purchased, but I am hoping to save others from this horrible decision. After they take your money, you can't get anyone to answer. They have one mission: Take money from people who don't know better. Please do your research on this company. Eugene was very very unprofessional and difficult to deal with, showing zero morals or ethics. He literally laughed when I told him I wanted to speak to his boss. He told me, "I'm the top dog and if you contact the CEO's office, they'll just direct you to me." So, great. This person has zero accountability. Very scary. I would also like to mention that I had to file a police report because they GAVE my card information to another entity within their umbrella. Eugene loves to point people to their contract, but I don't see anywhere where I gave them the ability to KEEP my card information and distribute it to whomever they want. I have phone recordings of this corruptness. Lastly, I asked for a high resolution copy of the cover (the cover I designed btw). Eugene told me I couldn't have it unless I cancelled the contract and said this was found IN the contract...I had him read it to me. He agreed it was VAGUE but "that's what they were getting at". Say what? I'm supposed to read their minds and GUESS on what they meant when they said, "We will send you a pdf of files if you cancel the contract." ---Yes. This is literally what it says and he's saying that's what they "meant". WOW. RUNNNNN!
Answering my emails with concerned questions.
I sent about 5 emails concerning my royalty check for the year and I am completely ignored. They only replied with we need your bank account and withholding tax. For a year I have had very little support and since this book is not selling, I think it is time to close to the account. I need the price I paid you and the income I made on this book. I can deduct it as a loss with my income tax but I need your paperwork in Dec. not next March. I do not give anyone my bank account and as a courtesy send me the royalty check with information requested. Do not deduct taxes.
Respect to others is God's plan and I am trying very hard to accept this disappointment with your company. Be sure and tell future customers if they are not perfect with a computer tell them to contact another publishing c. Daily replies to your company was told I do not understand the computer but that did not stop you from cashing my check over$1000.00 from my savings account. Sadly I learned a good lesson-Tate Publishing had its problems but I did break even with them - wished you had told me the book would not sell. I am saving this copy to hopefully receive help from someone that cares. I also know being 82 years old is not an excuse for the failure but I love writing about helping children worldwide. Ms. Joyce Smith Fading Memories 807727 I know GOD loves me and I did try.
You just saved me from making a big mistake. I’ve been talking to these people for a few years now and was just contacted by another rep for more conversations. I was just about to dump 10k to publish my trilogy.
I’m sorry this happened to you. Your courage and faithfulness to your dreams have encouraged me.
Never stop dreaming.
Thanks you.
M
The representative named Eric Schroeder
This is a Christian Publisher. But after looking my rep up online, I see that he believes in witchcraft and is an atheist. Why would they let him sell this item to us Christians. I feel betrayed. Please if you are a Christian don't give your money to these witches, literally. Look him up on "Wife Swap". Thomas Nelson should be ashamed of themselves.
Publishing/marketing campaign
I'm an author from Cameroon and I published "Understanding The Water Baptism".
I start working with Westbow Press since 2013 and in July 2015 my book was released.
These people are thieves and fake. They took $3000 from me to publish my book and $2000 for the so called marketing campaign that was never done.
They keep lying to me that I will be bestseller and so I needed to make marketing campaign and send them money again and again. Yet the marketing was never done.
Then they start sending me check of $1, $3, $2 as my so called royalties that I could not use. As I told them that if there anything to send let them send them to me by Wire Transfer they denied.
As I publish my book they were to give me 10 free books. But I never receive those books up till today.
These people are thieves and scammers. Not serious at all. I prevent you guys to work with them.
Non refunding of money in my account
Last October I talked to Deeanna Mays about being part of the Los Angeles Times as well as the Tucson Book Fairs.
I agreed to the Los Angeles one with a payment plan for $4299.00. Since the pandemic happened the LA Fair has been cancelled which meant that money should have come back to me.
I talked two to three weeks ago to Rebecca who told me there was only $1475 in my account and sold me the E-Book Promo Venture package. I asked for an accounting of the monies remaining in my account with Westbow Press. As to today I have received NOTHING about the monies in my account much less the return of the additional monies to me.
I want an accounting of my billing and account with you as well as the return of all outstanding credits due to me.
I have purchased publishing books and marketing venues to better than $43, 000. To which I have received only $43 in revenues and royalties.
Please give me the accounting as well as return outstanding credits ASAP.
How do I get an accounting of my account with Westbow Press? I am aware of monies owed to me but can't get anywhere with them. It's like they want to keep their money as well as mine which I am entitled to.
Publishing service
I'd never want to work with WestBow Press again. They were not transparent about costs. I did a whole lot of extra work to not incur charges after I had already paid for everything they said I'd be charged for. The only thing they can take credit for is pressing the print button. I even designed the layout of the book, altered every image myself, and chose the font/font size for my children's book. They did nothing. I couldn't have my press release sent out until I re-wrote it TWICE because of their typos and lack of understanding of what my short children's book is about. And since Where We Found Home has been published, I keep getting calls from marketing agents from WestBow pushing packages on me that I absolutely cannot afford. I even asked to switch marketing agents because I was getting an attitude for declining unsolicited calls/marketing schemes from the agent assigned to me. They didn't do anything about the reassignment yet. I would not use them again, and aside from having my children's book available now, which was such a special project, I have nothing good to say about them other than the lady I ordered my author copies from was nice.
My book I self published with west bow press.
I had my book Death Came Calling Life Won self published in the spring of 2017 with West Bow Press. I received a small check for royalty once and have heard nothing since then. I see my book is all over the internet and some large Book sellers are selling it. I need help finding out why I have not received royalties and is there anything I can do to get the rights to my own book back so I can get credit and income from it?
Book publishing
Hi, I tried to publish with Westbow March 2019 and I paid them in full but never heard from them until I called and they said my account was inactive due to lack of communication, however, they had my contact info and I always checked my email and voice messages. Then they told me that they weren't interested in the topic (Spiritual Warfare) and were going to pawn me off to an associated company to be published, therefore I declined and they said I would receive a refund in 3 to 5 days. I never heard from them and kept playing phone tag even with the manager of the refund department. Finally they said est. 3 weeks later that they were keeping $400. for them to just read my manuscript (a content evaluation processing fee) and around $ 75. 00 nonrefundable payment plan agreement fee! The sale person in the beginning never told me that I would have to pay a $400. fee for them to just read it or nonrefundable payment plan agreement fee but it was in the contract which I trusting them and not expecting this sort of thing to happen over looked it! I never thought that my book would be rejected because it was biblically based and there are other mainstream Christian books based on this topic. Furthermore, I sacrificed money that I really didn't have, especially to lose half of it and have nothing to show for it except a crushed spirit over the circumstance! I spent 5 years writing my manuscript and then they do this. Please, please do not publish with them they are a predatory company, they should be ashamed for pretending to be Christians and I hope that God chastise them. The only justice that I could get since hiring a lawyer would be too much money would be to prevent one person not to sign with them. They should be reported to the Better Business Bureaus, which I plan on doing soon. They are wolves in sheeps' clothing, judge them by their fruits.
I reported them to the BBB but Westbow deceived me in the fine print of the contract, so I probably wont get anywhere.
Copyright work, instant change
Brian Fox of Westbow Press contacted me about publishing my copyright book, INSTANT CHANGE. I told him the content of my book and he pointed out it would be great fit for Westbow press. I spoke with Mr. Fox for several months before coming to an agreement. On December 12, 2018, we came to an agreement to get the book published for $844.30. I make a down...
Read full review of WestBow PressTerrible waste of time and money with all around ineptitude
I am a published author (Standard Publishing) with a PhD, so I am no novice to book publishing. I went with Westbow because of their connection to Zondervan. But if you are considering a vanity press, do not walk but RUN from Westbow Press ! The level of ineptitude is simply staggering. From misleading sales people to inept "consultants" to book "assistants" who never return calls or emails, Westbow Press is a disaster. If you are looking for a way to waste a lot of time and money, then this is the publisher for you. The person I was assigned to oversee the production of my book miscommunicated crucial information regarding the content and cover of my book, costing me weeks of time and hundreds of extra dollars. She never apologized or admitted her mistakes. When it came time to production, they failed to update online information about my book (this was a second edition), resulting in the wrong version being available on websites like B and N. The design team was ok to work with. Trying to solve any problems (and there will be many) is a NIGHTMARE of epic proportions. You will be connected to operators who are difficult to hear and who run on preprogrammed responses. If you request to speak to a supervisor, you are given a bogus number (this happened to me this morning). I have tried to resolve this problem, but no one is able or willing to help. It's worse than trying to reach someone at the DMV. You will be put on hold, transferred, given to someone who you can't understand or who can't or won't help you. Goodness people, please go somewhere, anywhere else to have your work published. What a headache. Ineptitude from A - Z.
Never returns calls or cares about solving problems which they caused.
Publishing
I published a couple years back with Westbow.
When I received my courtesy copies ( 25 soft covers and 5 hard covers ), my soft covers all had a black tear dropped shaped stain on each book. They refused to reprint it. I paid $25 shpg.
To put out a sub standard qualty printed book is a rip off.
Also, their royalty structure is terrible. My soft cover was set at $13.95 and i got about a buck. A 146 page book should be about $8-9.
One other publisher takes 50 cents a book u make $7-8 bucks/ book!
Never buy a Nelson book again!
Book publishing scam
I engaged Westbow Press in publishing my book in 2016. I am an author based in Botswana, Africa. They are secretive and do not disclose the amount of books printed or sold. They claim that they have only sold 3 books worldwide within a period of 2 and half years.
They are presently refusing to give me my royalties and claim that they cannot pay into foreign bank accounts, whereas they initially received my money from my foreign bank account, when I first engaged their publishing service.
They are also rude and unapologetic. Could you please advice me on how to cancel my contract with them, without being continuously scammed or duped, as it seems to be their normal practice.
[protected]@gmail.com
I entered into a publishing contract with WESBOW on behalf of my sister; after paying for the entire package, WESBOW who advertises as "A Christian Book" publishing company states that a book on "Deliverance Ministry" did not meet their content guidelines. WESBOW then kept $400.00 of the fees paid for themselves. This is a part of their sham to get unsuspecting authors to send their manuscript in and then "based on a subjective review" they collect half of your publishing fee and leave you with nothing, not even a written explanation as to why your book did not meet their content guidelines. I have been writing WESBOW to collect the entire refund but since they take funds from their customers of course the answer was "no." I would suggest to any perspective author to research well the practices of WESBOW publishing/Author Solutions before considering them as your publishing agent. Our money is hard earn and in my case this was a present for my sister so a dream spoiled. Find a good company who really operates by the Christian values they claim to represent. Alfredia DeVita August 2018
Overview of WestBow Press complaint handling
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WestBow Press Contacts
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WestBow Press phone numbers+1 (866) 928-1240+1 (866) 928-1240Click up if you have successfully reached WestBow Press by calling +1 (866) 928-1240 phone number 0 0 users reported that they have successfully reached WestBow Press by calling +1 (866) 928-1240 phone number Click down if you have unsuccessfully reached WestBow Press by calling +1 (866) 928-1240 phone number 0 0 users reported that they have UNsuccessfully reached WestBow Press by calling +1 (866) 928-1240 phone number
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WestBow Press emailsmedia@westbowpress.com100%Confidence score: 100%Supporteditorial@westbowpress.com93%Confidence score: 93%managementunsubscribe@westbowpress.com79%Confidence score: 79%communicationcustomerservice@westbowpress.com79%Confidence score: 79%supportdonotcall@westbowpress.com78%Confidence score: 78%publish@westbowpress.com77%Confidence score: 77%
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WestBow Press address1663 Liberty Drive, Bloomington, Indiana, 47403, United States
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WestBow Press social media
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Checked and verified by Nick This contact information is personally checked and verified by the ComplaintsBoard representative. Learn moreDec 16, 2024
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