BookLocker is run by Angela and Richard Hoy and they take a highly writer centered approach to POD publishing. Angela also runs Writersweekly, a marketing magazine for authors, and is also a former TV reporter and successful self-published writer.
Most POD publishers have little or no manuscript screening process, but BookLocker does, and their aim is to continue to publish quality books at a low cost-efficient price to every author who signs a contract with them. BookLocker is highly driven by book sales and a glance at the homepage below directs traffic to 30+ advertised titles. Author services are only linked to this page.
For these reviews, I am going to concentrate on the most important and popular service used by authors using POD publishers, a 200pp black and white paperback/hardback edition.
Service pack pricing with BookLocker is highly competitive and almost all basic necessities for making a book available for print publication and online listing are included, ie, distribution database listing, custom cover, ISBN, set-up, and internal/external layout. All in, for a paperback with original artwork, costs $492, and an additional $54 for hardback, and a further $60 for inclusion in the Ingram catalogue. Ebooks are listed at no additional charge. BookLocker does not include copyright and library registration, preferring the author to carry out this themselves for the small fees charged by the Copyright and Library congress Offices. For authors submitting a second book to BookLocker, the set-up fee is reduced to $99 and thereafter. Book list prices range on the average 200pp paperback at the $14-$15 mark.
Throughout BookLocker’s website there is considerable advice given, including why authors should not choose the POD method of publishing and some of the misleading methods use by other POD publishers.
BookLocker does not offer promotional and marketing add-on services but they will happily advise authors on a one-to-one basis in these areas.
Overall, BookLocker offers a very particular king of POD publishing service, honest, upfront, a quality product, but no unnecessary frills. This model may not suit all authors, but their personalized approach and focus on book sales is worth all the value alone.
Get an Editorial Review | Get Amazon Sales & Reviews | Get Edited | Publish Your Book | Enter the SPR Book Awards | Other Marketing Services
Came across this quite by chance looking for something else entirely! I was delighted to see this review of Booklocker. I published my book — Bridge Table or What’s Trump Anyway? — with Booklocker and have been 100% happy with their services. Have I marketed and sold my book as well as I should have (and it really deserves–it’s a neat book really) NO. But that’s due to my failings purely and because the complexities of having a web page and now social media are really difficult for someone as old as I am an something of a Luddite at that. Angela made the pre-publication process a relative joy by comparison. And the free 90-day marketing plan they provide couldn’t be more helpful–one just has to DO IT.
BookLocker told me the 90 day marketing plan was for me to do they did nothing to help me. In fact they dropped me and my book 2 months after publication. Then claimed it as a “hard to find book”, saying they weren’t going to pay me royalties and they haven’t. They have rigged Amazon to drive all their sales to the various BookLocker affiliates. If your book doesn’t seem to be selling well and your not getting royalties – check it out, as have others who know the real owners. My research concluded this is a very well orchestrated scam that most people can’t figure it out they just don’t make any money. It’s very complicated but you lose no matter how you look at them. I won’t tell you my title because your search for it let’s BookLocker scoop up another sale and not pay me royalties.
I’ve been very happy with Angela and the crew at Booklocker.com. My book, DMZ Diary was first published by a traditional publisher, McFarland & Co. in 1991. The royalties were meager. (I wasn’t in it for the money). When it sold out 1000 copies McFarland chose not to do a second printing, and transferred all rights to me. That’s is when I decided to try a Print On Demand publisher. I chose Booklocker.com. That was in 2001. Every month Booklocker.com sends a little money to my PayPal account. It isn’t much either, but my story is still out there circulating. I hear from other Vietnam vets and history buffs quite often.
I I have another Vietnam War book, this one a fictional novel, and am searching for a traditional publisher. It tells the story of a Viet Cong nurse and an American Marine. Selling the book idea to an agent is such an arduous task that I’m leaning towards just going back to Angela at Booklocker.com. I’ve been querying agents years. They rarely even respond. Any publisher who accepts manuscripts from writers is suspect, in my humble opinion. At 75, I may not live long enough to see it in print. First you have to sell it to a literary agent, and he/she finds the publisher. Then it may take a year or more to get the book out. Booklocker.com is a straight shooter. They don’t pose as anything but a print-on-demand publisher. They are very supportive of their authors. (I no longer have no website. I use Facebook DMZ Diary.)
I’ve used Booklocker for my rather obscure book on railway history in the Boston area and have been very satisfied with their service. I’ve been able to update the book twice at a reasonable cost, something I couldn’t have done easily with a regular publisher. Booklocker seems to be very fair about distributing the royalties to me via my PayPal account. As others have commented, Booklocker will provide generic advice on how to market your book, but you have to do all the work yourself. I knew that in advance, so how well the book is selling is largely up to how much time and effort I want to put into it. One thing that held me back from Booklocker is that you have to communicate with them through email via their secure site. They don’t take phone calls. I thought this would be a problem, but it hasn’t been. Angela responds to me anywhere from a few hours to a couple of days later. I’m happy with their service and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the company.
When you pay upfront, own the printed copies and sell them, it’s a business. When you pay upfront, don’t own the printed copies, and get (or don’t get) royalties, it’s a scam.
This was very helpful. Thank you.