Hello Michelle,
From the very beginning, it has truly been a pleasure communicating with you. You've been kind, thoughtful, and enthusiastic throughout the process. However, we’d like to share some important points for clarity regarding the recent challenges in finalizing your book.
When your illustrator was brought in to assist with the images, the dynamics of the publishing process began to shift. Unfortunately, despite having limited experience in publishing, he began to take control in ways that disrupted our workflow. This created avoidable delays and confusion for everyone involved.
One critical issue we faced was the refusal to provide source files for the illustrations. These files are essential for adjusting layout and dimensions, especially in children’s books, and not having access made it extremely difficult to proceed smoothly.
Your book has actually been complete for several weeks now. However, your request for us to publish the book under your personal KDP author account without granting us any access or providing the necessary credentials is simply not possible for any Publisher. Another standard route many authors choose is to upload the finalized files themselves, but that option was also declined.
Despite our continued efforts to offer support (even without additional charges), your illustrator continued to intervene, often misguiding you into believing that we could somehow publish the book on your KDP account without any direct access. This misunderstanding caused prolonged frustration, and eventually, you ceased communication though we’ve remained available and willing to help.
Regarding the copyright page, we asked for confirmation or documentation that your book is officially copyrighted, which is a standard industry practice to ensure legal protection and legitimacy.
As for physical copies, printing and shipping paperbacks always involve additional costs, depending on the quantity and delivery. These are either billed separately or included in specific publishing packages. Since you opted for our Basic Plan, which is designed to cover digital publishing only, no extra charges were applied beyond what you initially paid.
In all honesty, we believe this experience could have been much smoother and more enjoyable for both sides had there not been external interference. We still believe you're a wonderful individual with a lovely vision for your book, and it’s unfortunate that the process was impacted in this way by a third party.
We’ve successfully helped hundreds of authors publish their work, and we genuinely hoped this journey would be just as seamless and fulfilling for you.
Wishing you all the best moving forward, and please don’t hesitate to reach out if you decide to continue.
Warm regards,
Team Aspire