CLI Books Application
Please fill out the form below in order to participate in the CLI Books Program. If you haven't yet reviewed the Rate Card, we recommend you do so before completing this form. Please read all the info we have provided here before proceeding.

We have included all questions on a single page so you can see upcoming questions and prepare your answers without first needing to fill in required fields in a particular section. There are 6 sections:
  1. Your contact info
  2. Tiers/levels of editing
  3. Print-on-demand platform choice & info
  4. Additional KDP info (applicable if you choose KDP or both to publish through)
  5. Additional Ingram Spark info (applicable if you choose IS or both to publish through)
  6. Your questions
If you have questions regarding the application, email CLIbooks@communitylit.org prior to filling out the application. Please also fill out your application only if you have the required answers. For example, don't fill out any fields with "I don't know", "don't understand", "need more info", "need more time", etc. Any required answers you don't complete will be your responsibility to fill in to KDP &/or Ingram Spark.

We look forward to supporting you on your self-publishing journey!

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SECTION 1: YOUR CONTACT INFO
Name
 *
Email
 *
Phone
 *
Preferred Method of Contact
 *
We will do our best to pair you with a designer with same preferred method of contact; however, you may communicate in other ways as well (particularly email).
Time Zone
 *
SECTION 2: REVISION TIERS
This section will help us determine what Tier you are in & therefore the price of your package. All Tiers come with replacing/removing logos, adding the official barcode on back, and adding ISBN to copyright page.
  • Tier 1: Minor revisions to both cover & interior — $100
  • Tier 2: Minor revisions to cover or interior & major changes to the other — $225
  • Tier 3: Major revisions to both cover & interior — $350
Please note: Amounts above do not include print-on-demand platform options or $25 consultation fee, see Rate Card for full package prices.
I need minor revisions to my cover:
 *
Check all that apply.
Required
I need major revisions to my cover (in addition to any minor edits above):
 *
Check all that apply.
Required
I need minor revisions to my interior: *
Check all that apply.
Required
I need major revisions to my interior (in addition to any minor edits above):
 *
Check all that apply.
Required
Any other details you'd like to share?
Tier Proposed
 *
According to your answers above, which tier are you applying for?

Please Note: The tier you choose may change upon consultation with the CLI Books Manager. Also, at the designer’s discretion, if it becomes apparent edits are beyond the tier paid for, you may need to pay additional compensation.
SECTION 3: PRINT-ON-DEMAND PLATFORM CHOICE & INFO
In this section, you will decide which print-on-demand platform(s) you would like your book to be published on, as well as provide information that is applicable to both KDP & Ingram Spark (called metadata).

Please see the Rate Card for the differences between the two. We also welcome you to do your own research for more specific details before choosing. (Note: Ingram Spark no longer has their own upload fee, which you may see in older articles.)

The CLI Books set-up fee for each platform is $25. If you choose both, you will also need to pay for an ISBN.
Platform Choice
 *
Book's Primary Language
 *
Book Title
 *
Subtitle (if applicable)
Author Name
 *
As appears on cover of your book. This cannot be changed once your book is published.
Other Contributors
It is unlikely you will include additional contributors. It is what will be listed on retails sites & is typically only included if the person played a major part in your book (e.g. there is a lot of illustrations or photographs) or is a well-known person that will help your book sell (e.g. for the Foreword). Some roles include:
  • (Additional) Author
  • Editor (generally refers to an anthology — you do not need to include your proofreader(s))
  • Foreword
  • Illustrator
  • Photographer
If including other contributors, please provide name and role below.
Book Description (required for Ingram Spark)
Please provide a description of your book; no more than 4,000 characters. This will be the product description that shows on Amazon (& other sites your book is sold on if you choose Ingram Spark).
Publishing Rights
 *
Unless your book is a compilation of works in the public domain, choose the first option.
Book Categories
 *
Please choose at least one for your book (e.g. Poetry / Women Authors, Poetry / African-American, Poetry / Family, etc.). List as many as you'd like and we'll narrow down to three (maximum) in your consultation meeting.

Review the choices for Ingram Spark here (BISAC (Book Industry Standards and Communications) Subjects) to make your choices. KDP categories are slightly limited, but we'll be able to find the ones that best match what you are looking for during the consultation meeting if you choose ones from the link provided.


Keywords/phrases
Keywords help customers and retailers find your book. Please enter keywords or phrases that relate to your book. The max for KDP is seven, which is recommended. A link that may be useful in choosing your keywords is "Make Your Book More Discoverable with Keywords" (KDP).

Please separate keywords/phrases with semi-colons.
Book Size
 *
Cover Finish
 *
Interior Options
 *
These are the standard choices. Additional paper weight/thickness options are available on Ingram Spark. You will discuss these options in your consultation meeting if you choose to publish through IS.
Publication/Release Date
 *
This date needs to be at least 5 weeks after you submit your application to order books through KDP or Ingram Spark. If ordering books locally for your release, 4 weeks may be possible depending on your local printer's turnaround times. These timelines may not include getting a printed proof depending on the extent of your revisions.
MM
/
DD
/
YYYY
List Price
 *
This is the price your book will be listed on on Amazon you choose for KDP and the price retailers will receive a discount from on Ingram Spark (see Section 5: Ingram Spark Info section for more details).
SECTION 4: ADDITIONAL KDP INFO
Please fill this section out if you are publishing on KDP only, or both KDP and Ingram Spark.
Sexually Explicit Images or Titles (required)
Does the book’s cover or interior contain sexually explicit images, or does the book's title contain sexually explicit language?
Clear selection
Reading Age (optional)
List the youngest and oldest ages at which a person could enjoy this book.
Primary Marketplace (required)
Will you mostly be selling your book in the U.S.?
Clear selection
Distribution Type (required)
Clear selection
SECTION 5: ADDITIONAL INGRAM SPARK INFO
Please fill this section out if you are publishing on Ingram Spark only, or both KDP and Ingram Spark. Most are optional; however, the more info you provide, the more your book will show up in searches.
Location of Author/Publication: City, State, Country (optional)
Author Bio (optional)
Best to keep under 150 words as it may appear on retailers' websites.
Regional Subject (optional)
If your book is about a specific geographic area (choose a continent, country, state/province, or city), you can include that.
Table of Contents (optional)
This can also help with search optimization and retailers knowing more about your book when they are deciding to purchase. Must be less than 4,000 characters and not include page numbers — if more characters than that, one option is to only include sections with a brief description of each section. Again, not required, just recommended. 

If you are including, please note: Though the designer will have your files, to make the uploading most efficient, and to ensure under 4,000 characters (you can check using Word Count in Word or Google Docs), please include the text you want included below.
Review Quotes (optional)
This can help retailers when they are deciding to purchase your book. They may also show up on other websites selling your book. If you don't have any, that's okay — if possible, get some before your book is published though. Must be less than 4,000 characters.
Short Description (optional)
This will be seen immediately in the Ingram catalogs and on some websites. Maximum 250 characters.
Wholesale Discount (required)
This is the discount  retailers will receive from the list price (e.g. if you choose 55%, that means that if your list price is $20, retailers will buy your book for $9).

It is strongly recommended to be 40% or above. Please note: 55% is the industry standard and going lower can limit the likelihood that bookstores in some markets will purchase your book.
Return Policy (required)
Sometimes retailers will not sell your book and decide to return it. You can decide to not give them this option (which may limit who purchases your book), allow returns and you pay for return shipping ($3 within US), or allow returns and Ingram Spark will destroy. Please indicate your decision below.
Clear selection
Would you like to customers to be able to get a sneak peak of the first few pages of your book? (optional)
Clear selection
SECTION 6: YOUR QUESTIONS
Do you have any questions about the process?
Please share any questions you have at this time. This will help the CLI Books Manager prepare for your consultation meeting. Thank you!
Submit
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