Transparent pricing
Services & Pricing Guide
Indie publishing for first-time and underrepresented authors. Two paths, no hidden fees, no surprises.
At Horizon Quill Publishing, we believe your story deserves to be published — without anyone talking you out of your voice. We work two distinct ways, so every author can find the path that fits.
Horizon Quill Select
A selective publishing partnership for authors who want our imprint behind their book, with shared costs and shared royalties.
Author-Owned Support
À la carte services and consultation packages for authors who want to self-publish on their own and keep everything.
You always know which relationship you're in. There's no hidden crossover.
Start here
The Free Discovery Call
30 minutes · No cost · No obligation
Your first conversation with us is always free. We'll talk through your manuscript, your goals, and which path makes sense for you. You'll leave with a clearer sense of your next steps — whether or not you work with us.
The discovery call is a fit conversation, not a coaching or editing session. Written feedback, document review, and project work begin with paid services below.
Horizon Quill Select
Publishing Partnership
Horizon Quill Select is our selective co-publishing program. When we accept a manuscript, we publish it under the Horizon Quill imprint and share both the investment and the reward with the author.
This is a genuine publishing partnership, not a vanity press. We only publish books we believe in, we invest our own resources alongside yours, and we earn our royalty share — we don't charge a fee and then take a cut of sales we didn't help generate.
What Horizon Quill Select provides
- ISBN assignment under the Horizon Quill imprint
- Copyright guidance, including help filing your registration with the U.S. Copyright Office (copyright remains yours)
- Library of Congress Preassigned Control Number (PCN) request
- Editorial — developmental editing, line editing, copyediting, and proofreading to professional standards
- Design & production — cover design, print interior formatting, and ebook conversion
- Distribution to retailers, libraries, and online stores via print and ebook channels
- Metadata, categories, and keywords for discoverability
- Launch and marketing support, including author platform guidance and review coordination
The partnership economics
Horizon Quill and the author share both the upfront investment and the royalties. The guiding principle is simple: the more you invest upfront, the larger your share of the royalties.
| Author | Horizon Quill | |
|---|---|---|
| Approved production costs | ~50% | ~50% |
| Net royalties, until costs recoup | ~50% | ~50% |
| Net royalties, after recoupment | ~60% | ~40% |
Exact percentages are proposed defaults to be finalized in each agreement. They are illustrative until your contract is signed.
How to apply
- 1Book a free discovery call to confirm fit and intent.
- 2Submit your manuscript (or a substantial sample) plus a short synopsis and author statement.
- 3We review on editorial merit, market fit, and alignment with our mission to amplify BIPOC and historically underrepresented voices.
- 4If accepted, we share a proposed budget, cost-share, and royalty terms for your review.
- 5Both parties sign the agreement before any production work begins.
Acceptance is selective and at our editorial discretion.
Author-Owned Support
À La Carte + Consulting
For authors who want to self-publish on their own and keep every right and every royalty, but want a knowledgeable guide and hands-on help. You own your ISBN, your accounts, your copyright, and 100% of your royalties.
Prices below are either Horizon Quill flat fees or managed-service estimates. No royalty is owed on Path B — ever.
Manuscript Readiness & Editing
Partial Manuscript Review
Up to 25,000 words. A read with a written editorial letter covering strengths, structural concerns, and a prioritized revision plan. No line edits.
Full Manuscript Assessment
Up to 90,000 words. Same written editorial letter, applied to the whole manuscript. Longer or complex manuscripts are quoted separately.
Beta-Reader Synthesis
We coordinate a small panel of target-audience readers and deliver a consolidated feedback report. Reader honoraria, if offered, are separate.
Developmental Edit
Big-picture editing: story structure, pacing, character arcs, scene-level restructuring.
Line Edit
Sentence-level craft: voice, flow, rhythm, clarity, and emotional resonance.
Copyedit
Grammar, consistency, spelling, and style. The polish before proofreading.
Proofread
Final-pass error catch on the typeset manuscript, the last check before publication.
Book Production
eBook Formatting
Clean, reflowable EPUB/MOBI for Kindle, Apple, Kobo, and more.
Print Interior Formatting
Professional print layout, chapter design, front and back matter, trim-size setup.
Cover Design Brief & Vendor Coordination
We write the design brief, source comparable covers, and manage a designer on your behalf. Designer's fee separate.
Custom Cover Design (coordinated)
A vetted designer builds a genre-appropriate cover to your brief, including ebook and full print wrap.
Formatting + Cover Bundle
Savings when you produce your interior and cover with us together.
Publishing Setup & Distribution
ISBN, Copyright & PCN Guidance
Step-by-step walkthrough of obtaining your ISBN, registering copyright, and requesting a Library of Congress PCN. Government/Bowker fees are yours to pay directly.
KDP (Amazon) Setup
Account setup, title upload, metadata, categories, and pricing configuration.
IngramSpark Setup
Print distribution setup for bookstores, libraries, and broader retail.
Metadata, Keywords & Categories
Discoverability work: optimized title/subtitle strategy, keyword research, and the right Amazon + BISAC categories for your genre and audience.
Full Upload & Launch Setup
End-to-end upload across your chosen platforms, metadata, pricing, and a pre-launch QA pass.
Planning & Quality Assurance
Self-Publishing Roadmap & Budget
A custom plan mapping every stage, vendor, and cost so you know what to spend and when.
Vendor Vetting / Quote Review
We review editor, designer, or formatter quotes you've received and tell you what's fair and what's not.
Proof Copy & Pre-Launch QA
A final pass on your proof and retailer listings before you hit publish.
Author Platform & Marketing
Book Description / Back-Cover Blurb
Copy that sells the story — hook, stakes, voice — in retailer-ready format.
Author Brand Setup
Author bio, plus setup of your Amazon Author, Goodreads, and BookBub author profiles.
Launch Plan & Checklist
A custom 8-week launch roadmap with timeline, task list, and review checkpoints.
Author Website Guidance
Strategy and hands-on help building or improving your author site.
Reviewer & ARC Coordination
Advance reader copy distribution and review-gathering logistics, including NetGalley guidance.
Consultation & Handholding Packages
For authors who want to self-publish but want a knowledgeable guide holding their hand through the process. Buy a block of hours and use them however you need — strategy calls, email support between sessions, document review, decision-making help, and project coordination.
Package hours are available for 12 months from purchase and may be used for calls, email support, document review, and project guidance.
Discovery Call
Free0.5 hr
Seeing if we're a fit.
Launch Clarity
$3253 hrs · ~$108/hr
One focused question or a single stage (e.g., "Is my manuscript ready?" or "How do I launch?").
Guided Setup
$6256 hrs · ~$104/hr
Authors who know what they want to do and want a guide to confirm the path and troubleshoot.
Guided Partner
$99510 hrs · ~$99.50/hr
First-time authors who want steady guidance from revision through launch. Our most popular package.
Full Journey
$1,85020 hrs · ~$92.50/hr
Deep partnership from first draft through the full launch and early marketing. Includes priority email response.
Hourly (no package)
$115/hr1 hr · $115/hr
Ongoing support, ad-hoc questions, or topping up a package.
Horizon Quill exists to lift up BIPOC and historically underrepresented voices. A limited number of sliding-scale and reduced-rate slots are available each quarter for authors with financial need. Mention it on your discovery call — no documentation required, just honesty.
Common Questions
Ready to begin?
Your story deserves to be published.
Book your free discovery call and we'll help you choose the right path — whether that's a publishing partnership or author-owned support.