Thomas Nelson’s children’s division has selected the first title from its self-publishing arm, WestBow Press, to be published and distributed through Thomas Nelson. The company will release Three Cups with a redesigned cover in November.
Nelson chairman and CEO Michael Hyatt said the company created WestBow in partnership with Author Solutions “to find the new voices…. Finding the next bestseller is like searching for a needle in a haystack. WestBow Press provides us with a kind of ‘farm team.’ We watch the sales of these titles carefully and are committed to offering traditional publishing contracts to those authors whose self-published books begin to gain traction.” Nelson launched WestBow in October 2009, and it has released almost 400 titles since its inception.
Three Cups was first published in August 2008 and has sold more than 30,000 copies, including sales through Hallmark Gold Crown stores, banks, and financial institutions. It is based on the real-life story of Tony Townsley, a successful CPA and father of two, and teaches the value of giving, saving, and spending, using three cups.
Three Cups is the first self-published book done through one of Author Solutions publishing partnerships to be picked up by the publisher's mainstream operation.
