WestBow Press

Complaints & Reviews on USAComplaints

USAComplaints currently maintains 4 historical complaints about WestBow Press, published between 2012 and 2013. No approved complaints have been published on this site during the last three years. For a current reputation snapshot, see the independent sources below.

• Manuscript ignored for months, then refund denied as past deadlinePublished May 30, 2013 · Historical consumer allegation
• Pressured into self-publishing package, then refused cancellationPublished May 14, 2013 · Historical consumer allegation
• Cancelled $3,000 package within days, refund came minus $200Published May 8, 2013 · Historical consumer allegation
• Tiny quarterly royalties and fees demanded to discontinue publishingPublished Sep 19, 2012 · Historical consumer allegation

Independent Sources

Shown for context — not merged with USAComplaints' own numbers.

Contacts

• Official website: https://www.westbowpress.com/
• WestBow Press (site): 844-714-3454
• Author Solutions (BBB 'Other Phone'): 888-519-5121 31 complaints mention this number

Locations

Thinking about publishing with WestBow Press? What to check before you pay

WestBow Press is a paid self-publishing imprint: you pay for a publishing package, and WestBow (a division of Thomas Nelson and Zondervan) says on its own site that it helps authors "self-publish all genres of books," with author support, editorial, marketing, and bookselling services offered through publishing packages "managed by Author Solutions." WestBow's about-us page says its titles are "actively monitored by both publishing companies to identify those books that show promise and strength in the marketplace" — that's a promise to watch for standout titles, not a promise that any particular book will be picked up.

Before you pay for a package, a few practical steps can save you a dispute later:

• Get the full contents of your specific package and its total price in writing, and compare what's actually included against what a salesperson describes verbally.
• Treat marketing add-ons carefully. One consumer's May 2026 complaint on the Better Business Bureau profile that lists WestBow Press as an alternate name of Author Solutions, LLC describes purchasing approximately $21,000 in marketing services. Separately, in a 2015 federal court ruling in a case involving Author Solutions, Judge Denise Cote noted that under one author's contract, she "granted AS the right to market her work, but notably absent is any accompanying obligation by AS to do so" — in other words, at least one contract gave the company latitude to market a book without necessarily obligating it to. Ask exactly what a marketing package guarantees, in writing, before paying for one.
• Ask how royalties are calculated and how sales statements are delivered, and keep every statement you receive.
• Read any arbitration clause in your contract before you sign. In a separate case involving Author Solutions (Ross v. Author Solutions, described below), a court compelled the plaintiff into arbitration rather than letting the case proceed in court, which shows an arbitration clause in an author's contract can be enforced.
• Keep copies of your contract, every payment receipt, and all correspondence.
• If a dispute doesn't get resolved directly, the Better Business Bureau and your state attorney general's consumer-protection office are complaint channels.

This is general information, not legal advice — for a dispute over your own contract, consider talking to a consumer-protection attorney.

What WestBow's current author agreement says about prices, refunds, royalties and disputes

WestBow publishes its current author contract, a "Services and Distribution Agreement" dated December 1, 2025, on its own website. Key terms, quoted or summarized from that document:

• Who you contract with: "Get Publishing! LLC (a Delaware limited liability company), a subsidiary of Author Solutions, LLC doing business as WestBow Press," at 1151 W. 2nd Street, Bloomington, Indiana.
• Package prices (2026 comparison chart): Testimony $2,699; Ministry $4,899; Outreach $6,299; Legacy $8,299. If you choose an installment payment plan, the agreement adds a "non-refundable processing fee of $75.00."
• Refunds if you cancel a publishing package: before you submit your manuscript, 100% of what you paid within 6 months of purchase, 100% less $150 at 6–12 months, and no refund after 12 months; after you submit the manuscript but before final approval, 50% of the purchase price; after final approval, no refund. Individual services are not refundable once fulfillment begins — which the agreement says happens when you return the author questionnaire or work starts.
• Royalties (default terms): 10% of the suggested retail price for print copies sold through outside retailers, 25% for print copies sold through WestBow's own online bookstore, and 50% of the retail price less discounts and taxes for e-books; none on copies you buy yourself, used copies or free copies. Royalties are paid quarterly, within 90 days of the quarter's end, and may be held until they reach $75.
• Disputes: the agreement requires "binding individual arbitration, rather than in court," before the American Arbitration Association, and includes a class action waiver. It also says you can opt out of mandatory arbitration by sending written notice within 30 days after signing, and that any claim must be filed within one year after it accrues.
• Final Approval: after you give "Final Approval," the agreement says you waive claims over errors, omissions or pricing issues discovered later and pay for any later corrections.

Terms in an older contract may differ — check the version you signed.

Company background

WestBow Press describes itself, on its own site, as "a division of Thomas Nelson and Zondervan," and elsewhere on the same site as "a self-publishing alliance of HarperCollins Christian Publishing and Authors Solutions." per WestBow's about-us page, the company says it helps authors self-publish "all genres of books," but specializes in "books with Christian morals, inspirational themes and family values," and that HarperCollins Christian Publishing uses WestBow "as a resource to discover emerging new voices" for Thomas Nelson and Zondervan. WestBow's publishing packages are, in the company's own words, "managed by Author Solutions."

There is no separate Better Business Bureau profile for WestBow Press. Its BBB record is filed under Author Solutions, LLC, headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana, with a business start date of October 20, 2002 and an incorporation date of January 9, 2007; the profile has been BBB Accredited since May 14, 2010, with a BBB Rating of A+. BBB lists a long roster of alternate names for Author Solutions, LLC, including WestBow Press, Balboa Press, Palibrio, Abbott Press, Inspiring Voices, Archway Publishing, LifeRich Publishing, Partridge, Author Learning Center, and Booktango. BBB's profile names Eugene Hopkins as Global Director, Author Advocacy, and Bill Becher as Chief Operating Officer.

Author Solutions has changed hands twice in recent years. Per a March 7, 2025 PR Newswire release, "The Najafi Companies recently completed the sale of Author Solutions … It was purchased by Center Street Ventures," and "The Najafi Companies originally purchased Author Solutions in 2016 from Penguin Random House." The same release describes Center Street Ventures as "based in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, … a private investment firm focused on publishing, media, and marketing services." Author Solutions' own promotional material claims its imprints "have helped more than 250,000 authors" — a figure attributable to the company itself, not independently verified here.

Complaint record: USAComplaints, BBB, Trustpilot, and ComplaintsBoard, reported separately

Several sources track complaints connected to WestBow Press and Author Solutions, which manages WestBow's publishing packages, and this page reports each separately rather than combining them into one figure.

• USAComplaints: 5 own complaints filed against "Westbow Press" between September 2012 and May 2013, including one titled "Misrepresentation and deceptive practices" (filed December 2012). Separately, dozens of complaints exist on USAComplaints about other Author Solutions imprints, such as AuthorHouse, filed between 2005 and 2013 — those are about different imprints and are not counted in WestBow's own complaint total here.
• BBB: the Author Solutions, LLC profile (which lists WestBow Press as an alternate name) carries a BBB Rating of A+; BBB's profile notes that "Customer Reviews are not used in the calculation of the BBB Letter Grade Rating." The complaints tab shows 73 complaints in the last 3 years, with 27 closed in the last 12 months; a May 18, 2026 complaint on that profile describes a consumer who says they purchased approximately $21,000 in marketing services from Author Solutions / WestBow Press. The reviews tab shows a customer-review average of 1.68 out of 5 from 25 reviews.
• Trustpilot: westbowpress.com's Trustpilot profile shows a TrustScore of 3.6 from 888 reviews. The profile is marked "Claimed profile" since December 2018, on a "Paid Trustpilot subscription"; Trustpilot's profile page notes "This company invites their customers to review, whether positive or negative," and that WestBow "Replied to 80% of negative reviews."
• ComplaintsBoard: a profile for WestBow Press, last updated July 17, 2026, shows an overall reputation rating of 1.1 from 1 review and 27 complaints.

Because each of these sources covers a different population, time window, and methodology, this page does not add or average their numbers together.

Lawsuits involving Author Solutions, WestBow's publishing-services partner

None of the court cases below name WestBow Press specifically as a defendant — they involve Author Solutions, the company WestBow's own site says manages its publishing packages. A company being sued, or a lawsuit reaching a particular outcome, is not the same thing as a finding against WestBow itself; each allegation described below is exactly that, an allegation, unless a court decision is noted.

James, Foster and Hardy v. Author Solutions, LLC and Penguin Group (USA) Inc. (U.S. District Court, S.D.N.Y., No. 1:13-cv-02801, filed in April 2013): plaintiffs alleged publisher errors and a failure to pay earned royalties and provide accurate sales statements — allegations, not established facts. On July 1, 2015, Judge Denise Cote declined to grant class certification, writing that "the representations about which plaintiffs complain … are by any measure soft," and, addressing one plaintiff's contract specifically, that "Under her contract, Foster granted AS the right to market her work, but notably absent is any accompanying obligation by AS to do so." Following a settlement conference on August 11, 2015, the parties "settled their dispute in its entirety," and the case was voluntarily dismissed, with prejudice, in September 2015; the settlement's terms were not made public. Author Solutions' CEO said he was "very pleased with this outcome."

Ross v. Author Solutions (U.S. District Court, N.D. Ohio, No. 3:15-cv-00105): on August 5, 2015, the court granted the defendants' motion to compel arbitration, denied the plaintiff's motion to remand, and dismissed Ross's claims against the defendants without prejudice; reconsideration was denied on October 5, 2015. This shows that an author's contract with Author Solutions can include an arbitration clause a court will enforce.

Everette v. Author Solutions LLC (U.S. District Court, S.D. Ind., No. 1:14-cv-01827): filed in 2014 and stayed pending the outcome of the James case above; the docket closed on September 15, 2015. The disposition details of this case were not reviewed for this page.

Is WestBow Press Legitimate?

WestBow Press is a real, operating self-publishing imprint: its own site identifies it as a division of Thomas Nelson and Zondervan, with publishing packages it says are managed by Author Solutions. Author Solutions itself has been owned in turn by Penguin Random House, then by the Najafi Companies (from 2016), and, per a March 2025 PR Newswire release, by Center Street Ventures since 2025. Author Solutions' Better Business Bureau profile — which lists WestBow Press as an alternate name — carries an A+ BBB Rating and has been BBB Accredited since 2010, alongside 73 complaints in the last three years and a 1.68-out-of-5 customer-review average from 25 reviews; a separate Trustpilot profile shows 3.6 from 888 reviews, and ComplaintsBoard shows 1.1 from 1 review and 27 complaints. USAComplaints has 5 own complaints against WestBow Press, filed in 2012 and 2013. Court cases involving Author Solutions include a proposed class action where class certification was denied and the case was later settled and dismissed with prejudice, and a separate case where a court compelled arbitration under an author's contract; none of these cases named WestBow Press specifically. This page assigns WestBow Press no rating, score, or "scam" label of its own — readers can weigh the record above against their own contract and experience.

Court & Public Records

Related Complaints

Names this company in a role other than the primary subject — not necessarily current or complete.

• Named as an affiliate: Fraudulent 14 names one address all them will scam you out of your money

Company Relationships

• Affiliated with: Author Solutions, LLC
• Affiliated with: HarperCollins Christian Publishing (Thomas Nelson and Zondervan)

Frequently Asked Questions