Publishing Package:  

From start to finish, Wheatmark.com takes an average of 12 weeks to complete the book publishing process. This service also offers a 20 percent royalty of the cover price on books sold directly through their onsite bookstore and a 20 percent royalty of the wholesale price on books sold through third-party retailers.

Through the basic paperback package, you get manuscript formatting, barcode creation, assignment of both a Library of Congress Control and an ISBN number. You also get an original cover design and Wheatmark.com is one of only two book publishers we've seen that offer a booksellers return program as part of their basic package-which is a necessity if you're planning on placing your book in any retail store.

For author resources, this service also gives authors five, free author copies of their book, author discounts and access to articles on book marketing.

Bookselling Reach:  

With only 500-plus titles in print, Wheatmark.com has a bit of catching up to do. But they do distribute through both Ingram Book Group and Baker & Taylor, Inc., giving over 25,000 retail outlets access to their books. And, for online sales, this service has its own online bookstore, plus it sells through a few, major online retailers, including Amazon.com, Borders.com, Booksamillion.com and BarnesandNoble.com.

Additional Paid Services:  

Wheatmark.com offers a few services for an additional charge, including copyediting, copyright registration, printing in hardcover, custom interior image placement and a CD ROM archive of your completed book and cover art files. You can also pay to have art created for both your cover design and your book's illustrations.

In the way of additional promotional services, you can pay this service to work with a personal publicist or simply pay for press release writing or creation of a customized sells sheet. You can also pay to have business cards, bookmarks and postcards printed.

Help/Support:  

Wheatmark.com supports its authors through a toll-free support phone, an online form for submitting questions and a thorough set of FAQs.

Wheatmark.com has all the makings of a fantastic online book publisher someday, but for now, it needs to either trim back its prices or bulk up its services if it wants to compete with publishers like our #1-ranked, iUniverse.