We publish human voices.
Scribora Publishing
Your words
deserve a home.
​We help people bring their voices to print. We're a traditional publisher.
First-time authors welcome!​
​
Call 507-402-2790
Who we are
Scribora Publishing is a small, human‑centered publishing house that works directly with authors to create books rooted in lived experience. Whether you bring a full or partial manuscript, we support the full path from raw material to finished book. We especially love first-time authors. Wherever you're at in the writing process—email us. MyVoice@scriborapublishing.com
What we publish
We focus on lived‑experience books—memoir, autobiography, personal journeys, family legacy books, devotional writing, poetry, spirituality, essays, and reflections on life, meaning, and faith. Our work centers on human voices and personal truth.
Meet the team
Our books
Our first published book, Easier Ways, by Randy Hyden, is now available on Amazon. It marks the beginning of our commitment to bringing meaningful, lived‑experience books into the world.
"Ken made my book come true. I had been writing for over a year. I was 'done.' But I was daunted by the task of self-publishing.
He agreed to take my manuscript. His team edited and proofread it and improved it greatly! And they published it in just three months!"
Randy Hyden
Our publishing lanes
Traditional Publishing
We split royalties with you from the first sale. We select manuscripts we believe can reach readers in an established audience.
​
Scribora Select
Thoughtful, small‑reach books guided through a traditional process, with a royalty model shaped for modest audiences.
​
The Voices Project
Our voice‑to‑book mission. Deconstruction, recovery, and similar themes. Telling the story of our struggles may help someone.
​
Family Stories
Every person has at least one story their family should never lose. This is our way of helping you save that story for your grandchildren.
Questions?
Call me at 507-402-2790. I'm the founder and creative here. I also spend a lot of time on Facebook.
Don't love phone calls?
We can chat through email:
Frequently asked questions
What kind of books do you publish?
Though we will consider many manuscripts, we focus on lived‑experience books—memoir, autobiography, personal journeys, family legacy books, devotional writing, poetry, spirituality, essays, and reflections on life, meaning, and faith.
​
We normally do not publish fiction, how‑to manuals, children’s books, health and wellness, educational, science, history, academic, true crime or reference books. These are not our lane.
​
Real life is our lane—and real life can be edgy. We don't censor authors. We are not the word police. But we do not publish sexually explicit scenes or graphic violence. Like every traditional publisher, we select books in line with our core values.
How do you choose?
We select manuscripts based on voice, clarity, and fit with our mission. We look for lived‑experience writing, thoughtful nonfiction, and work that carries emotional or spiritual depth. Authentic voice matters to us more than "slick writing skills." Because we are a small press, we choose projects we can champion—books that align with our core values and serve readers well.
Do you consider sales potential when selecting books?
Yes. Under our Traditional Publishing, we take on manuscripts we believe can genuinely reach readers well beyond the author’s immediate circle. (More than 500 books.) We look for strong writing, an established audience, and a message that fits our catalog. We choose projects we can champion with confidence—books with merit and real reader potential.​ If we believe your book should be published, but we anticipate only a modest audience, we will publish it under Scribora Select.
Do I need a completed manuscript?
We accept both completed manuscripts and strong partial manuscripts, depending on the project. For memoir, poetry, and lived‑experience writing, a full draft is ideal. For nonfiction rooted in reflection or spiritual insight, a well‑developed proposal may be enough for us to evaluate fit.
Are there any fees?
No. In both our Traditional Publishing and Scribora Select lanes, authors do not pay for editing, design, production or publication. Traditional publishers do not charge anything upfront. If we select your manuscript, we invest in your book. We only charge a fee under our Family Stories—Heirloom Edition offering, which is a private-circulation heirloom book.
What about royalties?
Traditional Publishing: We offer a 50/50 royalty split for authors with an established audience. Authors with a larger readership may be eligible for an author-favored 70/30 split of royalties if we anticipate sales of more than 3,000 copies.
Scribora Select: We offer a 50/50 split of net revenue after the first 50 books sold. This simple and fair arrangement allows us to publish books with modest audiences without any upfront fees, while still recouping some of our initial investment.
Contracts are for one year, renewable annually, with a 30‑day out clause. Our goal is to create fair, transparent agreements that honor both the author’s voice and the publisher’s investment.
How do I submit my manuscript?
If you have a manuscript, please submit it to:
Do you publish only on Amazon?
We begin every book on Amazon, which handles printing, shipping, and global availability with the least friction for both authors and readers. If a book gains meaningful traction and we believe wider distribution would serve it well, we may also publish it through other distributors for expanded reach. This decision is made case‑by‑case, based on real reader demand.
Will you promote my book?
We provide light, relationship‑driven marketing appropriate for a boutique press. This includes catalog placement, Amazon optimization, launch support, and sharing your book within our relational networks. We do not offer large‑scale advertising campaigns, but we do champion the books we publish. This includes an announcement of your book on Facebook with a small paid advertisement. If we see traction in early sales, we may also do some additional targeted advertising.
What will you do for me if you accept my book?
We provide professional editing, proofreading, and design appropriate for a boutique traditional press. Editing includes grammar, clarity, consistency, and light smoothing; it does not include line‑by‑line rewriting. We also design a clean, effective cover that we believe will help your book reach readers.
​
We then publish your book on Amazon in paperback, hardcover, and Kindle editions. We set prices that we believe will help your book sell and earn royalties. We provide the ISBN numbers for all formats; we do not use Amazon’s free ISBNs.
What about self-publishing?
Self‑publishing has exploded in the U.S., with over 2.6 million new self‑published titles released last year. The real number is even higher, since many authors publish through Amazon without a Bowker ISBN.
​
Self‑publishing is a good option for some people, and we’re happy to help you decide. All you truly need is Microsoft Word and a formatting tool such as Scrivener, Lacuna, Reedsy, or Atticus. We’ve tried them all—Atticus is our favorite.
​​
The learning curve for formatting a manuscript and publishing it on Amazon is only a few days. For fast learners, it can be done in a single long day with coffee.
​
What you must spend:
Nothing.
Word: free.
Reedsy: free.
Amazon KDP: free.
KDP’s basic cover creator: free.
​
​What you should spend:
1. An editor and/or proofreader. No one, not even great writers, should edit or proofread their own work. Don't recruit a friend—unless they are an English teacher.
​
2. Light editing + proofreading (clarity fixes, grammar cleanup, one‑pass smoothing) typically costs $500–$1,000, depending on length and manuscript quality.
​
​3. A good cover. A freelance cover designer runs $200–$500.
​
4. Your own ISBN number. Bowker is the only authorized provider for these. You'll need two ISBNs, one each for paperback and hardcover. They are $125 each.
​
The short version:
You can self‑publish for free. It will cost you hours, and unless you’re a design professional with skilled editing friends willing to work for free, your book will show its seams. To produce a book that doesn’t look amateur, you’re looking at $1,000-$1500.
​
So, your choice is simple.
​
Spend your own money and hours of time and keep all the royalties—or split royalties with a publisher who invests in you, partners with you, and has real skin in the game to make your book the best it can be. Our goal is to make you look good, and to sell as many copies as possible.
​
Finally:
We'll tell you the truth about your manuscript. We have a financial incentive to do that. Your friends don't.