Red Thread Publishing

Terms & Conditions 

Effective date: Sept.1, 2022

Your publishing contract lays out the essential details for your book process. (date, word count, & additional services.) 

We have noticed a growing need among our authors: the need for more clear & fierce boundaries. 

To this end, we have clarified & simplified the publishing process in the form of the LEAN publishing map.

We also want to reiterate why staying on track with your personalized plan is of the utmost importance, for the success of your book process, your fellow authors, and the entire Red Thread team.

Please review the following & confirm that you understand & agree.

Late Payments 

Failed Payment Fee 1.5%  

• You have a payment plan set at signing your contract to ensure you stay accountable to your self-investment. 
• Failure to make one of those payments incurs a 1.5% charge (within 5 days of the monthly payment schedule).

** First late payment - publishing services paused

** Second late payment - Publishing services suspended until paid in full

** Third Late payment - grounds for cancelation of the contract after a personal discussion. (let's not have it come to that.)

Additional Edits (high word count) 

beyond the 40K words included (applies to both developmental edit & final edit)

We find that shorter books not only sell better, but are more impactful when the author can be succinct & clear with her message (and the focus of the book). If you are struggling with this, one suggestion is to write a series of books rather than one long one - this is a great marketing strategy as well & creates more earning potential as well. 

*see additional edit costs 

For manuscripts over 40,000 words there are additional editing costs, as follows:

• $125 for 5,000 additional words 
• $250 for 10,000 words
• $375 for 15,000 words 

FUTURE contracts: Additional Edits  (Updated in contract)

• $225 for 5,000 additional words 
• $450 for 10,000 additional words
• $675 for 15,000 additional words

 Changes: Editing/ Formatting/ Cover

NO FURTHER CHANGES can be made to the manuscript after submission. 

We understand and empathize with the temptation to keep tinkering endlessly with your creation, but there comes a point at which every author needs to make the call and decide that it’s done. This is essential for two reasons: 1. It allows you to fully shift your energy out of the writing phase and into the publishing phase. 2. It prevents our busy team from having to re-do work that’s already been done.

To help you make this essential mental shift, and to ensure that your manuscript is truly ready for the next phase, there is now a submission form for your FINAL EDIT

Sign off - Final Edit 

You will get an email prompting: Please reply to this message: 

I understand and accept the submission of my manuscript to the FINAL EDITING PHASE and officially sign off on this. I will make no further changes to the content of the book as-is.  

• Be advised, after this point, any further changes (by you) to the content that requires re-editing will cost between $400 - $700 USD.
• Content changes after official submission that require re-editing

Sign off - Formatting 

• Content changes after submitting that require re-editing or changing what has already been approved.
• Be advised, after this point, any further changes (beyond catching typos or minor errors) requested by you will cost between $250 - $450 USD.

Initiate your Formatting & choose your style on this Form!

You will get an email prompting: Please reply to this message: 

I understand and accept the final formatting of my manuscript and officially sign off on this phase of my publishing process. 

Sign off - Cover 

• Significant changes after sign-off on the design
• Be advised, after this point, any further changes requested by you will cost between $250 - $450 USD.

You will get an email prompting: Please reply to this message: 

I understand and accept the final cover design & officially sign off on this phase of my publishing process. 

Change Publishing Date 

25%-35% of your original contract price

For two reasons, your publishing date is locked in at the signing of your contract:

• 1. Author Accountability: One of the benefits authors get from working with us is the accountability to complete their project on time & get it out into the world. 
• 2. Publishing Team Mission: One of our core policies is to only publish one book per week to give full attention & support to each author. Any change, once set, creates a lot more work, and causes significant challenges for the entire team & your sister-authors. It isn’t just inefficient and disruptive, it limits the number of authors we can serve well in any given year. We take this seriously, for the sake of all involved. 

We have your publishing date in our contract & plan everything around this date. Changing a publishing date causes significant challenges for the entire team & your sister-authors, therefore incurs significant additional change fees. Changing a publishing date is an absolute last resort when all other options have been exhausted, and in some cases is simply not possible. 

A change in your publishing date requires an official consultation & contract addendum, and a 25%-35% (of your original contract price) an additional fee will be assessed. The exact amount depends on when the change is initiated, how much work has to be redone, and whether & when our publishing calendar has openings. 

If you feel you need more lead time than your publishing date allows, please make use of all the available resources to help you make the best use of the time you have. We are here to support you in staying accountable to your goals and agreements, both with us and with yourself. 

Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns or complaints about the Terms & Conditions, please contact us:

• By email: [email protected]
• By visiting this page on our website: www.redthreadbooks.com
• By phone number: +57.314.239.3499
• By mail:  Red Thread Books c/o Sierra Melcher, 218 Sykes Hollow Rd, Pawlet, Vermont, 05761 USA