Engagements · How we work
Crossroads is organized around a simple ladder: three sizes of book, one standard of press. A short-form Crossing, a mid-length Focused Book, or a Full Book, each with a defined scope and a transparent price, and every one carried through the same editorial, design, distribution, and audio treatment. For books we choose to invest in, we offer a Publication Partnership by invitation. The Studio Retainer is for continuing relationships and for authors whose engagement has rolled past its window.
Unlike most hybrid presses, editorial work is included in our publishing tier. Most hybrid models charge separately for editing on top of a production fee. At Crossroads, polish-level editing is included in every book tier. You pay one transparent price for the engagement, not a base fee plus editorial extras.
And after publication, you keep 70% of net royalties. Crossroads collects sales revenue from every channel through the imprint's accounts and pays 70% of net to the author, accounted quarterly. The 30% the press retains is not passive margin; it is our incentive to keep selling your book for the life of the engagement. No tier upcharges, no per-format adjustments, no opaque deductions.
Engagement tiers
The pricing below is all-in and transparent: one fee, stated plainly, with audio included and no per-format adjustments. The pricing on the site is the pricing. Six openings remain for fall authors, and founding-author rates hold through September 30.
120–160 pages · audio included
160–210 pages · all-in · audio included · 6–9 months
Lower upfront · 50/50 royalties
Three-month minimum · pause-able
How this compares
We would rather you choose with clear eyes than be sold. This is how the main publishing paths actually compare, in the terms that decide the experience: money, rights, editorial, and time.
Traditional trade
Nothing up front, if they say yes, and most books never hear yes. Royalties typically run 10–15% of list, timelines run 18–24 months, and your copyright is licensed to the publisher for years.
10–15% · 18–24 months
Typical hybrid press
Fees comparable to ours, with editorial work often priced as an extra on top of production, and author royalties commonly near 50% of net. Read the line items closely; that is where the models differ.
~50% net · editorial extra
Assisted self-publishing
You keep everything, and you are alone with it: no imprint, no catalog, no press whose name means anything beside yours, and nobody with an incentive to keep selling the book after launch day.
100% · no press behind you
Crossroads
One all-in fee with the editorial work and the audio edition included. You keep your copyright and 70% of net. The 30% the press retains is our reason to keep selling your book for the life of the engagement.
70% net · all-in · 6–9 months
Add-ons
Crossroads coordinates a network of vetted partner specialists for clients who want a launch campaign that goes beyond the included infrastructure. Each partner service is transparently priced. Crossroads keeps a referral margin disclosed in the engagement contract; the rest goes to the partner. None of the services below are required.
Amazon bestseller campaign
Delivered by a specialist; outcome is a #1 in a defined Amazon category at launch.
from $5,000
Trade publicity
Delivered by a freelance book publicist; outcomes include podcast bookings, op-ed placements, review pitches, regional press.
$3,000 – $8,000
Audiobook narration
Audio is included whenever you or Crossroads narrates the book, produced and mastered for Audible, Findaway Voices, and Spotify. To hire a professional narrator instead, it's a flat add-on.
$2,500
Author website / launch landing page
Delivered by a designer-developer partner; outcome is a one-page or multi-page site themed to the book.
$2,500 – $5,000
Partner relationships are disclosed transparently in every engagement contract. We never promise sales results; the promise is the campaign infrastructure and the partner's process, not the outcome.
What we don't do
Some publishing services authors expect from a full-service press are not part of the current Crossroads offering. We say so plainly because over-promising is the disease of the hybrid publishing category.
What we add to this list shrinks as the press grows. For now: print, ebook, audiobook (partner-coordinated), and the editorial work that makes the book worth publishing.
How to begin
Most authors begin with a free 20-minute discovery call. We talk about your book, what stage it's at, and which engagement (if any) is the right next move. There is no pressure to commit on the call.
