• Do you want to get your amazing Catholic book into even more hands?
• Are you tired of competing with search algorithms and having your listing get buried when you know it deserves more attention?
• Do you sometimes feel out-of-place in secular marketplaces while also overlooked in faith-based ones?
• Do you want to elevate the standards of self-published books and show what Catholic indie authors & illustrators can bring to the table?
If you're nodding your head and saying AMEN, you're in the right place.
MISSION
At Thy Olive Tree, we know what it takes to self-publish Catholic books and we want to support you in this bold journey. To that end, we curate a selection of high-quality independently published Catholic books. Our goal is to showcase the amazing, and often unseen, work of independent authors and to provide customers a one-of-a-kind shopping experience.
To ensure a great shopping experience, we are highly selective about the books chosen to enter our market. Our goal is to elevate the impression of Catholic self-publishing, making our market a portfolio of books unlike anything you’ve ever seen.
AUTHOR BENEFITS
Our community provides you with a platform to showcase your work and bring in extra revenue at no upfront cost.
Additionally, accepted authors receive the following benefits:
Social Media Marketing
Introduction on our Instagram and Facebook pages. Inclusion in our Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Google Shops, as platforms allow. Free exposure through social media + e-blasts throughout the year.
Catholic Self-Publishers' Community
Access to a private Facebook group of Catholic self-publishers. Your ultimate support network!
Round Tables
Access to private "round table" video calls with other Catholic self-publishers to discuss specific publishing topics.
Giveaways
The opportunity to participate in our organized giveaways on Instagram & increase your followers, as space permits.
Book Review Program
Enroll in our Book Review Program where Catholic influencers, bloggers & news sites review, promote & curate lists of books.
Book Photography
Send us a free copy of your book and we'll take photos for promotional use & post them on social media. The photos are yours to use as well!
HELLO!
I'm Kate, Owner & Founder of Thy Olive Tree. I believe in the power of numbers and that together we can increase visibility of our creative works.
When I set out to self-publish my first book, I had no idea what I was doing! I longed for a community that could support me on this journey. When it came time to market my book, I felt like a little fish in a big sea of options, but none that felt quite right.
To participate in a market like this would have been my dream a few years ago when I was just starting. With a tug from the Holy Spirit, I decided to create one.
If you, like me, long for community and support, I hope you'll consider joining! May God bless you and the books you bring forth.
FAQ's
Think your book found its new home? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions to learn more about how our program works, including our selection criteria and application process. We can't wait to see what you've created!
We accept books of all genres and for all ages. At this time, we are only accepting printed books, not e-books or digital resources.
The following are examples, but certainly not an exhaustive list, of the types of books we accept:
• Prayer resources
• Journals, notebooks, workbooks, etc. Typically, must be more than a blank or lined journal, unless of exceptional design and uniqueness.
• Artisan quality books, including handmade
• Coloring books
• Faith formation resources
• Planners & organizers
• Children's books
• Poetry
• Chapter books – Please note that anything text heavy must have several forms of reviews or endorsements. Anything particularly focused on morals and theology should have an imprimatur or other authoritative approval. See more on this below.
1. First and foremost, books must have some ties to Catholicism and explore Catholic themes and be in line with Catholic Church teaching.
2. We believe beauty elevates the faith and that strong book design can make or break even the best-written book. While all aspects of book creation are important, we will especially look at the design of the book. Books with striking covers, thoughtful typography, and beautiful interior layouts and illustrations appeal most to our customers.
3. We also look for innovation and uniqueness. We love discovering books that don't exist elsewhere.
You are the author and/or illustrator of the book and you own the rights to your book. You have not worked with a publisher (traditional, large or small press) to get your book to market. Print-on-demand platforms, like Amazon, are fine as long as you still retain the rights to sell your book on other marketplaces. It's also fine to have hired designers, editors, proofreaders, etc. to help you publish your book. The key is you. It's YOUR book you've seen through from start to finish!
Many self-published authors choose to publish their book under their own business name. That is perfectly fine as long as you were the author and/or illustrator of the book and aren't in the business of publishing other people's books. For example, small publishers who take on other authors would not be eligible.
We do shy away from accepting books published by large businesses with writers, editors, and designers on staff that function like a publishing house. We focus on independent authors and illustrators.
Absolutely not. This is a non-exclusive agreement, and we are not the publisher of your book. You maintain the rights to your book and are free to sell wherever you choose. Think of this as one additional revenue stream!
We function using a dropshipping model. Our customers place an order with us and we contact you to fulfill that order at an agreed upon price. In order to participate, you'll need to have inventory on-hand, ready to ship. While many dropshippers require suppliers to hide their company info, we allow our authors to include promotional materials in each shipment. We also provide you with a dashboard to seamlessly view and fulfill orders without the back and forth of email.
We pay you for all orders once a month via Paypal. We work with you to determine a fair listing price for your book on our site. This is typically equal to the retail cost of your book plus the average cost a customer would pay for shipping. That way, our prices remain comparable to what a customer would pay if purchasing elsewhere. For every sale, we retain 25% of our listing price. In exchange, you receive 75% and access to the many author benefits and marketing opportunities available through our market.
No and no. We gather information from you to set up your book listings, but there is nothing on your end needed to manage. Just update us if any changes to your listings are needed. Additionally, we handle all customer service inquiries.
Unfortunately, no. We are not a publisher of other author's works, but rather a market for final versions of ready-to-ship books. We do hope to provide resources and training for up-and-coming authors, so stay tuned!
In our application, we'll ask you to provide a link to each book you'd like considered. In most cases, this will be enough information. We do like to see images of the front cover and at least 3 inside spreads (6 pages) to get a good snapshot of your design and writing style. You can email us additional photos if needed, hello@thyolivetree.com.
We can't possibly read and review every book, but we do have a few different things we look at:
• Customer reviews • Reviews written by credible Catholic news sites and bloggers • Endorsements • Reviews from individuals such as your pastor, other Catholic priests, Religious Education Directors, and Catholic influencers • Imprimaturs (a formal declaration provided by your diocese)
• Catholic Writers' Guild Seal of Approval • CatholicReads Reviews
Not everything above is required. However, books dealing strongly with faith, morals and theology will need to have more sources, likely including an imprimatur or formal review process like the Catholic Writers' Guild Seal of Approval.
That works too! We certainly don't want to limit anyone's access to beautiful faith-filled resources. We want to see you've received Catholic-specific reviews or endorsements to support your work's marketability to a Catholic audience. Additionally, we ask all members of our self-publishing community to be mindful and respectful of our adherence to Catholic Church teaching.
Currently, we are only accepting applications for authors based in the 50 United States and District of Columbia.
There are no fees to apply or participate in our market.
To apply, simply click the apply button on this page to pull up our application. Due to the number of inquiries received, we cannot respond to all applications. If accepted, you can expect to hear from us within two weeks.
Please note, there are many reasons we may not be able to extend an acceptance. For example, your book might be too similar to something we already carry, or we may be prioritizing certain books related to the current liturgical season. Your application will be kept on file and periodically reviewed.
Re-applications are accepted if substantial changes have been made to the original submission, such as new cover art.
Thank you for your interest and may God bless your creative works!
