How the partnership works
Not a vanity press, and not a pay‑to‑publish service. We succeed only when your book succeeds.
Four ways to publish
Traditional publishing
- Credible and established
- Highly selective
- A slow process
- An uncertain outcome
Self‑publishing
- Fast and author‑controlled
- The full burden on the author
- Production, distribution and marketing are hard to manage
Pay‑to‑publish
- Services are purchased
- The publisher may not share the risk
- Long‑term incentives may not be aligned
Calumet Editions
- Selective
- Shared investment
- Shared risk and shared reward
- Professional publishing support
Swipe to compare the four ways.
From manuscript to shared revenue
A clear path, step by step, with a full budget agreed before anything is printed.
- Evaluate
- We accept a limited number of titles each year. Not all submissions are approved.
- Plan
- We build a full budget covering editing, design, production and distribution.
- Invest
- Author and publisher each contribute half, Calumet in cash and services.
- Publish
- We manage production, distribution and long‑term rights development.
- Share
- All revenue is shared equally, across print, digital, audiobook and subsidiary rights.
The rights we develop
Like a traditional publisher, we acquire full publishing rights, for one reason: to develop your book across formats and markets.
We publish
- Fiction
- Nonfiction
- Poetry
We do not publish
- Textbooks
- Children’s books
- Partisan screeds
- Print and digital
- Audiobooks
- Foreign rights
- Film and adaptation
Is Calumet right for your book?
Five quick questions, about one minute.
What our authors say
“Calumet Editions felt like the right partner from the start. They believed in my book and helped bring it to the readers I never could have reached alone.”
“The Calumet team combines the best of traditional publishing with the collaboration and transparency every author hopes for.”
“It’s so tough to get a book published these days. Without Calumet’s joint venture arrangement, I’m sure I’d still be sending out query letters.”
Common questions
Is this a vanity press?
No. We invest alongside you and share revenue. We do not operate on a pay‑to‑publish model.
Why do authors invest?
Because it aligns incentives. Both parties are committed to the book’s success.
What makes you selective?
We publish a limited number of titles each year and evaluate each submission carefully.
Will you market my book?
Yes, using a structured publishing and marketing framework. Success is a shared effort.
We review manuscripts for potential, not perfection.
You may submit a full or partial manuscript, or a book proposal. If it accurately reflects your book, it is ready for us to evaluate.