UNLEASH YOUR STORY’S POTENTIAL
Join Our Publishing Journey
At Crystal Heart Imprints, we empower authors to share their unique voices and stories with the world. Experience a supportive community that values your creativity and passion for writing.
Writing your story is only the first step in the journey to pubishing. You need to know if it’s ready for readers. We answer that. Your material needs to be formatted a certain way to upload to Amazon. We help with that. What about a cover? That is one of the first things potential buyers see. We provide a list of artists who can help, plus information on free designs.
Our authors share their hard-earned lessons:
“Be sure to upload your story to Amazon a few weeks before you want to launch. (Don’t publish, of course.) I can’t believe how many little changes I had to make once it was in the Kindle Create app.” And: “Make sure you know the size of your cover before you start making one! I had to redo it five times.”
Our process is straightforward. Submit your story for a $150 fee. If it’s not yet ready for publication, you’ll receive a 1–3 page evaluation outlining what’s needed to bring it up to publishing standards. You’ll then have up to three months to revise and resubmit at no additional cost.
All accepted works go through Board approval. If an editor is drawn to your story, it moves forward for additional readings before a final vote. Once approved, you’ll receive a template that includes your copyright page and ISBN assignment.
You’ll also gain access to our library of tutorials covering the most common formatting and publishing questions. From there, you may choose to build a launch team using our guidelines, though every step of the process remains fully in your control.
Before your launch date, if you are producing a paperback, you’ll send us a printed proof copy for final approval. Once everything is approved, you’re ready to launch with a team of authors supporting you along the way.
What is Crystal Heart Imprints (CHI)?
CHI is a cooperative publisher. Our members are writers who wish to get their stories out into the world and distribute their work directly to readers.
Is CHI a publisher?
Yes. But “cooperative” means that you maintain all rights and receive all payments, directly. We do not take a cut of each sale as you will create your own distribution account. We provide ISBNs to our member authors, opportunities for cooperative book launches, plus feedback and support. We currently focus on using Amazon, but also have authors who distribute through Ingram Sparks and Barnes and Noble. Support is offered, wherever you choose.
What is required to join CHI?
If you have a short read, novella, or novel that you believe is ready for publication, you simply fill out the form, pay the fee of $150, and send us the complete short story, or first three chapters of your manuscript.
How does CHI differ from traditional publishing?
In traditional publishing, once your work is accepting, you have little control over editing, cover choices, costs, etc. With a cooperative house, you maintain full control over every aspect of your writing. However, that also means you are doing all the work. Cover decisions, editing, formatting, and marketing can be overwhelming. By doing this together, we make the journey a better experience than going it alone by self-publising. And with our extremely low fee, you aren’t wasting thousands of dollars for a vanity press.
What happens after I send in my manuscript?
After you submit, an editor reviews your short story or the first three chapters of your novel. If it’s a strong fit and well-written, we’ll request the full manuscript. From there, it’s reviewed in full and presented to our board of directors for a final publication decision.
What happens if the first editor doesn’t accept it?
If the first editor doesn’t accept your submission, you won’t get a form rejection. Strong work may be passed to a second editor, as we recognize that tastes vary.
If your manuscript needs development, you’ll receive a 1–3 page summary with clear feedback. You can revise and resubmit for free within three months. If you desire more hands-on help, we offer affordable services to polish your story.
If my work is accepted, what do I receive in return?
We’ll supply you with an ISBN number. You’ll receive a template to use for your material which includes a copyright page. You’ll have access to our video tutorials covering help issues our authors have requested most, plus how to craft a launch team. Once you’re ready to launch your book, we will share your request to members to join your launch team. You’ll need to send a hardcopy of your book before it launches for final approval.
If my work is not accepted a second time, do I receive a refund?
No, refunds are not provided. Instead, you’ll receive a second detailed evaluation to help you continue improving your work.
Our feedback is thorough and designed to support your growth as a writer—services like this often cost hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars elsewhere. As a nonprofit, our mission is to offer high-quality, actionable feedback at a price far below industry standards.