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We normally do not publish fiction, how‑to manuals, children’s books, health and wellness, educational, science, history, academic, true crime or reference books.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 But we do not publish sexually explicit scenes or graphic violence.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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

If you have a manuscript, please submit it to:

MyVoice@scriborapublishing.com 

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.

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.

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.

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.