Linden House Books
About Us
Linden House Books is a selective hybrid publisher based in Boulder, CO and Chicago, IL. We provide professional editorial and production support, as well a traditional distribution, for authors seeking greater freedom and choice beyond traditional or self-publishing.
Why Hybrid?
The publishing landscape is changing rapidly. Authors with fantastic chops and great books are regularly turned down by traditional publishers if they lack a large online platform; traditional presses are becoming more and more selective with their catalogs; and the self-pub market is over-saturated. Enter hybrid publishing.
Linden House Books doesn’t fit neatly into publishing’s usual boxes, and that’s by design. We’re not a traditional house, and we’re not self-publishing. Instead, we offer a middle path for authors with a powerful voice and idea, who want professional support and traditional distribution without giving up control on their project.
As a selective independent press, we partner closely with our writers to shape books that are polished, distinctive, and positioned to find real readers. While conventional publishers often take ownership of a book and leave authors to fend for themselves, Linden House Books brings seasoned editors and production experts to the table while authors keep a greater portion of their earnings. This type of publishing is also described as collaborative, or co-publishing. What matters is that we create inroads for great authors to see their work in print. Linden House Books enjoys traditional distribution through Simon & Schuster.
Linden House Books might be for you if...
- You have a powerful book and believe professional vetting, editing, design, and production truly matter.
- You want your book to meet industry standards without surrendering creative control to a traditional publishing committee.
- You’re not interested in reshaping your voice or message to fit what traditional publishers currently consider “marketable.”
- You don’t want to spend years querying agents, waiting for approval, and competing for limited traditional slots.
- You value transparency in timelines, costs, royalties, and decision-making.
- You like the independence of self-publishing, but you don’t want to manage editors, designers, printers, and distribution on your own.
- You believe in investing in your book and you want higher royalty potential than traditional publishing typically offers in return.
- You care about quality distribution and credibility, without giving up long-term ownership of your rights.
- You want professional guidance, positioning, and strategic support.
- You see your book as part of a larger professional or creative vision and want a publishing partner who understands that.
- You want clarity at every stage, from manuscript to launch, and a team that treats your book like it matters.
Our Mission
Linden House Books partners with thoughtful, culturally engaged authors to bring well-crafted books into the world without sacrificing creative control. As a selective hybrid press, we offer collaborative editorial support and traditional distribution while creating space for diverse voices.
We specialize in memoir; science and tech nonfiction; literary, historical and women's fiction; and spiritual/self-help books. Most importantly, we're interested in compelling ideas and distinctive voices. We work with authors unafraid to push the cultural edges in their work.
Our Publishing Package
What’s included:
Editorial Assessment: Our professional assessment and vetting of your manuscript for structure, clarity, and market positioning.
Proofreading: A final polish to correct grammar, punctuation, and mechanical errors before publication.
Strategic Positioning Consultation: Guidance on audience alignment, category placement, and competitive positioning.
Custom Cover Design: Professionally designed, genre-aware cover tailored to your book and market.
Custom Interior Layout & Typesetting: Clean, industry-standard formatting for print and ebook editions.
ISBN Assignment & Publishing Setup: ISBN registration and full publishing infrastructure management.
Print & Ebook Production: Preparation of all files for print-on-demand and digital release.
Wide Retail Distribution: Placement across major online retailers and global distribution channels.
Expanded Distribution Access: Support for bookstore, library, and institutional availability.
Metadata Optimization: Professional setup of categories, keywords, and retail descriptions.
Advance Reader Copy (ARC) Preparation: Digital files prepared for early reviews and endorsements.
Dedicated Project Management: Clear timelines and a single point of contact from manuscript to launch.
Print on demand: POD set up for your book.
Royalties: Author receives up to 70% of royalties payments.
The standard publishing package is $5,000-$7,000 (depending on length and complexity of your manuscript)
Add Ons
Developmental editing, copyediting, and publicity is not included in our standard publishing package. For these services we recommend our sister company, Canyon Author Services.
Developmental Editing: $70/hour
Copy Editing: $55/hour
Traditional Print Run: Dependent on sales potential
Publicity Package: $3k-$10k