From first draft to finished book — we make publishing possible for new voices with something meaningful to say.

Fresh Takes is a nonprofit publishing team for new authors, composers, and poets with an uplifting message. We offer editing, ghostwriting, publication, and other related services for creative people seeking to present their unique interpretations of spiritual and self-care traditions.

Who We Are

Who you are needs to be shared. We can help.

We are a hybrid nonprofit publisher, a combination of traditional and vanity publishing. This means several very important things:

  • We cooperate with the author each step of the way like a traditional publisher;

  • We offer an a la carte menu so the author decides what services authors want; and

  • The author only pays what they can afford. Typically, we ask for half of anticipated expenses up front, but arrangements can be made if necessary. The balance is taken from sales or from contributions made either to Fresh Takes Publishing (a 501(c)(3) company) or to the individual project;

  • The author gets 80 percent of the net profits.

What We Do

We put authors first.

Take a moment and think about how many people you know, including yourself, who have started a book, written poems, or drafted songs but never done anything with them. For decades, we were those people. The reason why so many important and uplifting messages are not being heard is simple: The publishing process is hopelessly confusing and ultimately demoralizing.

In traditional publishing, you have two choices. One is to submit to a standard publishing company and hope they accept your work. The average number of submissions it takes to even get a reply is over fifty. Steven King reportedly papered his bathroom wall with rejection letters before he was accepted. The good news is that if you get accepted, they will edit, format, and print your book at no cost to you! The bad news is they will not market your book (unless you are already very successful), and they also keep almost all the profits. Typically, you get five to ten percent of sales. Most of us have neither the time nor the fortitude for that little payout.

The other option is vanity or self-publishing. The bad news here is that you either do all the work (editing, formatting, printing, and marketing) yourself or you pay other people a lot of money to do it for you. We all know people who have written great and important works that are sitting in boxes in their garage. Most of them haven’t recouped their costs.

Why We Exist

There must be a better way. We’re here to do it.

  • Our editorial staff receives your materials and workshops them;

  • A determination is made if the materials meet our standards for nonprofit purposes. If the submissions are uplifting and make the reader/listener better, it qualifies (if not, we have a separate division that operates as a for-profit company);

  • We discuss the possibilities and broad suggestions with you, the creator;

  • If we agree on a path forward, a budget and timeline are established;

  • We then begin the revision process, keeping in regular contact with you to make sure we are going in the same direction;

  • Once we have a final edit, we begin the publishing process, which includes formatting, illustrations, and other related details; and,

  • When those are settled, we publish your works in the appropriate venues.

After that, 80% of proceeds (after costs and expenses) go to you.

How It Works

As easy as that.

Help us bring stories to life!

We believe there is more good in this world than not. We just don’t hear enough of it. We are a conduit for positive, healthy, affirmative messages of all types, helping the creators make the world better—one song, one story, or one poem at a time.

Please consider joining Fresh Takes Publishing in our mission to spread seeds of hope and love to a needy world. We are seeking members, writers and composers, editors, artists, and financial contributors. All contributions are tax deductible.

CONTACT US TO DONATE