WestBow Press reviews (2026): what authors praise and complain about
WestBow Press is a real Christian publishing imprint of Author Solutions, and it is rated 3.9 out of 5 (Great) from 903 reviews on Trustpilot. Its Better Business Bureau profile belongs to the parent company, Author Solutions, LLC, which runs several imprints: the BBB lists it as A+ rated and accredited, with 73 complaints in 3 years (26 in the last 12 months), so that figure is not WestBow's alone. Trustpilot shows a claimed profile on a paid subscription that asks customers to review, many recent reviews carry the Invited label, and it says the company replied to 85% of negative reviews, typically within 2 weeks. 81 reviews in the last 12 months. Below are the rating, what authors praise, what some authors report (20 one- to three-star Trustpilot reviews we logged, with dates and links), and what to ask any publisher before you sign.
The overall rating, on the day we read it
Trustpilot
3.9 out of 5 · “Great” · 903 reviews on Trustpilot
Read on 16 October 2026. We read the 10 most recent four- and five-star reviews and all 20 one- to three-star reviews on the first page: 7 × 5★, 3 × 4★, 9 × 3★, 3 × 2★, 8 × 1★.
Trustpilot shows a claimed profile on a paid subscription that asks customers to review, many recent reviews carry the Invited label, and it says the company replied to 85% of negative reviews, typically within 2 weeks. 81 reviews in the last 12 months.
What authors praise
For some authors it works. Reviewers report:
- The support team was praised as excellent — “Excellent support team” (5★, October 2026, Trustpilot)
- A mixed process with setbacks, but a positive result and a learning experience — “it was more of a learning experience filled with everything from setbacks” (4★, October 2026, Trustpilot)
- A repeat author expecting a sixth book with the company — “I will have my 6th book with them in the next 24 hours.” (5★, October 2026, Trustpilot)
- A first-time author never felt like a bother to the team — “I never felt as if I was a bother to the team.” (5★, October 2026, Trustpilot)
- A good experience for a first-time author, with quick responses — “It has been a good experience!” (5★, October 2026, Trustpilot)
- The finished product and the personal attention were both excellent — “The finished product was excellent, as was the personal attention I got” (4★, October 2026, Trustpilot)
- A ten-working-day wait for corrections, fixed within a day once the contact was reached — “I waited 10 working days before I reached out to Bob, my contact.” (4★, October 2026, Trustpilot)
- An account supervisor was always available to guide a first-time author — “always available to help a first-time author through the maze of publishing” (5★, September 2026, Trustpilot)
- The book came out better than the author hoped — “The book came out better than I had hoped for.” (5★, September 2026, Trustpilot)
- The interior design and print quality were praised — “The interior is very easy on the eyes” (5★, September 2026, Trustpilot)
We logged 10 four- and five-star Trustpilot reviews from the 10 most recent.
What authors complain about
Reviewers report the following, counted from the 20 one- to three-star reviews we logged. Each line links to the source.
Service after the sale (6 reviews)
- A request sent to the company got no reply — “You sent your request and NO REPLY.” (2★, September 2026, Trustpilot)
- An author care manager did not communicate for weeks — “Weeks went by with no communication” (3★, August 2026, Trustpilot)
- The author repeatedly had to follow up for updates after a marketing upsell — “I repeatedly had to follow up to receive updates” (2★, August 2026, Trustpilot)
- Reaching people with questions after publication was difficult — “reaching people with questions has been difficult” (3★, July 2026, Trustpilot)
- Professional service quality is said to have faded after publication — “once my book was published all that professional service quality evaporated” (3★, July 2026, Trustpilot)
- Communication and responsiveness need significant improvement, though distribution is praised — “their customer communication and responsiveness need significant improvement” (2★, July 2026, Trustpilot)
Refunds (3 reviews)
- The author describes refunds and an editing upsell as treated like charity — “They treat you like you're donating charity money when it comes to refunds.” (1★, August 2026, Trustpilot)
- A dispute over an account and payment, with the amounts said to be owed matching — “we supposedly owe WestBow Press the exact same amount” (1★, July 2026, Trustpilot)
- A refund requested two months earlier had not arrived — “i am now two months after requesting my refund” (1★, June 2026, Trustpilot)
Editing quality (2 reviews)
- The author paid for extra editing and still found mistakes — “I paid for extra editing and still found mistakes” (3★, September 2026, Trustpilot)
- The author says they had to edit and correct their own book after buying an editing service — “I had to edit and correct my own book.” (3★, August 2026, Trustpilot)
Print and proof errors (2 reviews)
- The cover colour did not match the image chosen, and promised reviews were not delivered — “the image I chose for the cover did not reflect the color” (3★, July 2026, Trustpilot)
- The author reports print errors and undelivered marketing and is seeking a refund (1★, July 2026, Trustpilot)
Marketing that did not deliver (2 reviews)
- An author page was awaited for over a month — “I have been waiting for an author page for over a month” (3★, August 2026, Trustpilot)
- The author says the marketing contact neglected her responsibilities after sale (1★, August 2026, Trustpilot)
Timeline and delays (2 reviews)
- The book was still not on Amazon two and a half months later, with a spine specification issue — “2.5 months later it's still not on Amazon.” (1★, August 2026, Trustpilot)
- Seven months to produce a book from print-ready artwork, with print quality concerns — “Took 7 months to produce book from print ready provided art.” (1★, August 2026, Trustpilot)
Hidden or surprise charges (1 review)
- Many extra services or benefits needed substantial added fees, with poor communication — “many additional services or benefits required substantial added fees” (3★, September 2026, Trustpilot)
How the sale was made (1 review)
- A sales call is described as rude (1★, May 2026, Trustpilot)
Other or unclear (1 review)
- Production designers are said to have taken liberties that compromised the design — “Production designers took unauthorized liberties that compromised our design.” (3★, July 2026, Trustpilot)
Questions to ask any publisher before you sign
- Is this a publisher that pays you, or a paid service? Ask for the full price in writing, what it covers, and what is added later.
- What do editing, design and marketing packages cost on top of the base package, and what exactly is delivered by when? Ask for a written list of work.
- Who is your point of contact after the book is published, and how quickly are questions answered?
- How long does each stage take, and what happens if a step runs late?
- Do you approve the cover colours and a proof before printing, and who pays to fix a printing error?
- If you ask for a refund, what is the written policy and how long does it take?
- Can you see your sales yourself? Who reports them, who pays you, and how often?
- If you want to end the contract, what happens to the listings and the rights?
How we handle each of these
We are a competing publisher, so weigh this accordingly. These are the points above where our own pages already say what we do:
- Marketing that did not deliver. We make no sales promises: no marketing service can promise sales or bestseller status. Each package lists the work it includes. Our marketing services, and what each package includes
- Hidden or surprise charges. Our prices are fixed. We don't run discounts or 'today only' offers, and the prices of our packages are listed before you talk to anyone. Our packages and their prices
- Refunds. Our refund policy is in writing before you pay. A refund can be requested before any work has started on your project; once work has begun, payments are non-refundable. We would rather you know that up front. Our refund policy
- Print and proof errors. You approve everything before anything is printed, and nothing is reprinted without your written authorisation. How payment works, on our cost page
- If printed copies arrive damaged or defective. If printed copies arrive damaged or defective because of our error, we reprint or replace the affected copies at no additional cost. Our refund policy says exactly when, and what is not covered. Our refund policy
How this was researched
- We read the reviews of WestBow Press on Trustpilot on 16 October 2026, and logged each review we used: its stars, its date and a theme, with a short paraphrase in our own words.
- A quotation, where we use one, is under 15 words, in quotation marks and linked. We do not edit reviews, write them, or ask for them to be written.
- Sources read so far: Trustpilot. We will add others and update this page, and the date above.
- We describe what reviewers report; we do not claim it is true of every author, and we have not tested the company's service ourselves.
If anything here is out of date, tell us and we'll correct it.
Frequently asked questions
Is WestBow Press legit?
It is a real imprint of Author Solutions. On Trustpilot it shows 3.9 out of 5 from 903 reviews on a claimed profile that invites customers to review. The BBB profile is the parent company's, A+ rated and accredited, with 73 complaints in 3 years across its imprints. Both were read on 16 October 2026. Some authors report problems, listed on this page with dates and links.
What do authors praise about WestBow Press?
Of the 10 four- and five-star Trustpilot reviews we logged, authors praise the support team, first-time-author hand-holding and the finished book. One repeat author is on a sixth book. Some also note delays, which they say were fixed.
What do the unhappy authors complain about?
Among the 20 one- to three-star Trustpilot reviews we logged, the themes reviewers report most are service after the sale (6), refunds (3), editing quality (2). Several say the team was good before publication and harder to reach after it, and some report extra fees for services. On the BBB, the seven complaints we read that name WestBow are about marketing refunds, royalties, editing and formatting, and a copyright registration that was not filed.
Whose BBB record is it?
WestBow Press shares its BBB profile with its parent company, Author Solutions, LLC, which runs several imprints, so the totals (73 complaints in 3 years) are not WestBow's alone. Of the 30 most recent complaints we read, 7 named WestBow Press.
How is Harmony Publishing different?
We are a competing publisher, so weigh this accordingly. What we can point to: you publish on your own Amazon KDP account and keep 100% of your royalties and rights, our prices are fixed and listed before you talk to anyone, you approve everything before it is printed, and our refund policy is in writing before you pay. Each is linked on this page.