Kharis Publishing: Who We Are

– Tell your story and “write in a book what you see…” We are here to help.

Kharis Publishing, an imprint of Kharis Media LLC, is a leading inspirational and Faith book publisher based in the city of Aurora, Chicago metropolitan area, Illinois. Kharis acquires, publishes, and distributes titles in different genres: self-help, business/leadership, health and wellness, Christian and faith, memoirs and biographies. More about Kharis Publishing: https://kharispublishing.com/kp/about-us/

Orphanage Literacy Initiative

An important part of the mission of Kharis Publishing is to equip at-risk kids and orphans in developing countries with literacy tools. That is why, for each book sold, the publisher channels some of the proceeds into providing books and computers for orphanages in developing countries, so that these kids may learn to read, dream, and grow. Learn more about current literacy projects here: https://kharispublishing.com/kp/orphanage-support/

How We Operate

• Kharis operates an innovative publishing model that combines the benefits of traditional book publishing with the speed and efficiency of print on demand technology. This means that there is no fee to publish authors’ books. Our in-house professionals will edit manuscripts, prepare full covers, print, distribute and market the book, and pay author a royalty on net receipts. That is the definition of “traditional” book publishing. As an author, the only money you will ever spend is when you buy copies of your own book for your personal use and promotion. If you are looking for a self-publishing option or for a “vanity” press that charges a fee to publish your book or pay-per-service editing firm, then, Kharis Publishing is not for you. 

• We are an independent publisher – which means that we are not affiliated or franchised to any other publisher/group pulling the strings behind the scenes. We are an independent book publisher.

• We have a rigorous acquisition process in place. All initial queries must be submitted through online query form: https://kharispublishing.com/kp/query/. No exceptions.

• Kharis books are published and are available in all four formats to maximize outreach and sales: Paperback, Hardcover, Ebook, and Audiobook.

• We proudly utilize print-on-demand technology, which gives us the opportunity to reduce warehousing costs and make author books widely available at the same time. This is our innovative approach to book publishing – traditional publishing with print-on-demand technology – a unique blend that helps us to remain faithful to our mission to serve both under-represented authors and orphans. Of course, we also utilize offset litho printing for medium and long-runs when the volume printing justifies that.

• Authors receive five (5) author copies in advance of initial title release date.

• Author Buyback Program is currently set at 50% discount. To enable authors to affordably stock copies of their own books for promotional activities or as gift items to friends and family, we offer 50% discount off retail price for all author copies. As part of our pre-launch preparation and planning, most authors will pre-order their copies before initial release date. We encourage this, as it helps authors receive their copies well in advance of the book going public.

• Our books are currently distributed through Ingram and Amazon and are available through all or a combination of many of the following channels: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books a Million, Walmart, Target, Christianbook.com, etc. While we cannot guarantee that a book will be available on a physical shelf in any of those stores, we promise that your book will be available online at any of those outlets. In addition, anyone can walk into a local branch of those retail outlets and ask for the book, and it will be ordered and shipped to them. Click on any of the new books in this link to view the kind of places where Kharis books are sold: https://kharispublishing.com/kp/shop/.

• Through the retail outlets of Ingram and Amazon, author books will be available not only locally in the United States but internationally as well (in places such as Canada, Europe, Australia, India, etc.).

• Within our budget, we will market and promote Kharis titles through PR media outreaches, sponsored advertisement, social media marketing, and by driving human traffic straight to author book pages on major retail sites like Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books a Million, Walmart, or Target. This also means that while we work hard to sell as many book copies as possible, we cannot guarantee final sales or promotional outcome.

• We have inhouse sales representatives in the business development/marketing unit who oversee our sales and business development activities. To find out how to partner with Kharis or to carry a Kharis title, feel free to contact Rufus Philip at rufus@kharispublishing.com.   

• While we do not pay advance royalty, we offer one of the highest royalty rates in the industry – 30% on net receipt. Net receipt means the actual cash we receive from the sale of each book (less discount to distributors and actual printing cost).

What We Expect from Authors

There are three things we expect from authors to make this potential publishing partnership a success:

• Actively participate in every stage of the acquisition and manuscript preparation phase. Respond in a timely and thorough manner to all requests from the editorial office – reviewing and approving edited manuscripts, cover design concepts, supplying requested author materials such as author picture, endorsements, etc.

• Work extra hard within the first six months that the book is released to promote the book within your own circle of influence. A book either gains some traction or fizzles out within the first three months before and after release. We request that you are ready to put your name behind the work and promote it as aggressively as you can – website, social media, give away copies to friends and family, etc. Many authors have been successful in getting their local bookstores to locally stock the book; or have their local TV or radio stations do a profile on them.

• To help you be ready to promote your book, we expect authors to plan towards their author copies before the initial release date. We do this to make sure that you have these books ready with you before the official release date. That way, you can give copies to friends, church members, colleagues, local radio, or TV stations, etc. who can read the book and be ready to leave reviews on retail sites such as Amazon as soon as the book comes out. To make it easy for you, we give every author the same 50% discount we offer to distributors/retailers. Please note: although many of our authors would normally pre-order anywhere from 1000 to 2000 copies for their own personal or promotional use, this is not a pre-condition for acquisition of new titles. All manuscripts must go through our rigorous acquisition process based strictly on its merit or otherwise.

Important Notes for Literary Agents

Kharis Publishing welcomes literary agents who wish to submit proposals.

• We ask that proposals that are sent to us be thoroughly vetted and edited.

• We prioritize submissions for nonfiction: self-help, business/leadership, Christian, health and wellness, and memoirs.

• Yes, we consider fiction if it is a well written, unique, and family-friendly; Christian or not. A safe guide is PG-13 or less. Absolutely no adult-rated content in any category.

• We accept Children book submissions only if the author provides high-resolution, ready-to-print artwork or illustrations.

• What types of books do we NOT want? Any type of book with adult content or controversial political and hot-button social issues.

• To whom should queries be sent? Queries are submitted to the editorial office only through our online query form. No exceptions. The query is then assigned to an editor who reviews it and decides whether or not to request a full proposal. If a proposal is requested, it must be sent using our Informal Proposal Form, along with two sample chapters. Then, a team of editors would review proposals/recommendations during editorial review meetings.

• How long does the review process last? The review process takes place between 4 to 6 weeks.

• How are royalties paid out? Royalty report is generated ever six months, accompanied with royalty payment sent through electronic payment systems like PayPal or Zelle.. 

• What is our author discount for author copies? All authors benefit from our generous 50% discount

• What about book formats? Kharis books are available in all four formats to maximize outreach and sales: Paperback, Hardcover, Ebook, and Audiobook (through Audible).

• Foreign rights? Though Kharis Publishing has contractual rights to foreign distribution, it is an area we are working to develop and grow.

• Baker and Taylor for library sales? Currently, library outreaches and sales are done through Ingram. However, discussion with Baker and Taylor is ongoing.

• What types of people do we market to? Kharis is currently prioritizing direct sales to consumers and driving direct human traffic towards book pages on major retail sites. Of course, this is in addition to our ongoing outreach programs to physical stores and major retailers through huge wholesale discount, Edelweiss, and direct contacts.

• Active on Goodreads? Yes! Kharis authors are active and engaged with Goodreads. As a new author, you will be expected to get involved with Goodreads.

• Circulation of out-of-print books? Yes, made possible through our utilization of print on demand technology. Your books never really get into out-of-print status in the real sense of that.

Kharis Publishing in the News

1.  https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2016/may/19/kharis-publishing-opens-avenues-for-min/
2. https://hl.nwaonline.com/news/2016/jul/20/jbu-professor-s-publishing-house-suppor/
3. https://www.jbu.edu/news/press-releases/?id=22301