Balboa Press Reviews 

576
•
TrustScore 2.5 out of 5

2.7

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Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Onboarding with Andi and working with Ann was fast, professional and efficient to getting the book published. I am now moving into the audiobook. John

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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Would give even less, I am shocked that balboa Press publisher has any connection with Hay House publisher !!!! Stilling your work and money, dreadful customer service. The guy sitting in customer ca... See more

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Rated 5 out of 5 stars

As a first-time author, I started the publishing process with a lot of enthusiasm and roughly a thousand questions. The Balboa Press team answered every one of them with patience and care, and nev... See more

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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

It was a horrible experience publishing my book with Balboa Press! The quality of the printed copies are extremely low, the publishing team was very rude and disorganized, yet they demanded extra paym... See more

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Company details

  1. Media & Publishing

Written by the company

Balboa Press is a self-publishing company specializing in self-help titles that inspire and enlighten readers. We help you publish your self-help book by providing bundles of services called publishing packages. You choose a package and we work with you to fulfill all the services included. At the end of the process, you hold a finished book in your hand and become something brand new: a published author.


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2.7

Poor

TrustScore 2.5 out of 5

576 reviews

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2.7

All reviews

(576)

40 reviews in the last 12 months

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Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I'm a first time author

I'm a first time author, with little technical knowledge. From the beginning, they worked with me, I never was made to feel stupid. Because of my team at Barboa, the process was smooth and they delivered just what I wanted.

7 October 2022
Rated 4 out of 5 stars

They responses are usually prompt and…

They responses are usually prompt and they are helpful. I think though that because different people are contacting me from different departments, some order needs to be in place. e.g you shouldn't be asking a client to purchase a marketing package when the client has not been notified that the book is published, nor have they approved such publication.

22 August 2022
Rated 4 out of 5 stars

First-time author has a positive experience

As a first-time author, I found comfort in knowing Balboa Press was a solid company focused on self publishing. I found their sales people very helpful in knowing the process and services and answering my many questions. I chose a medium level publishing package and 9 months later was able to upgrade to a higher level a the same discount rate. I appreciated that flexibility. After I wrote my manuscript and uploaded it for the layout process, all of my questions were answered but there was not a lot of hand-holding. The rep seemed very busy did his job well, however. I found Balboa beat all their committed timelines significantly, which was a real plus to keep things moving and get my book on the market. One miss that surprised me was not getting officially notified when my book was made live on Balboa Press (or Amazon or B&N). I found out as I was working with a Balboa person to order my author book copies and I asked what his perspective was and he indicated "it's probably live right now"...and it was. Two days previously. I recognize Balboa cannot control when those other online booksellers go live, but I did not know when Balboa went live either, which would have cued me to look for the others. Given the importance of that date, I felt flat-footed. I am now in the early marketing phase of my book using Balboa...no review to provide as of yet. Overall, I have been very satisfied with Balboa Press.

3 November 2022
Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Prices are too high

Prices are too high. I felt that they haven't really done anything, other than making the format of the book. I haven't received my business cards even though it was in the package. I've sent a mail about it and haven't gotten an answer.
Before this they were quite quick with answering mails though but apparantly when the book is online, they don't answer.
For the price I paid I'd expect they would review the book, get at least some marketing and more distribution. I'm disappointed.

12 September 2022
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Thank you

Hi, thank you for this moment. For helping me write my very first book. Very much appreciated. Thank you once again for your help at Balboa Press. Great job!

18 October 2022
Rated 4 out of 5 stars

For the most part I felt very supported.

For the most part, my experience was good. There was timely flow of communication and very kind and respectful support. I am most disappointed in the final editing process. I needed more help discerning the final edits and am not pleased with the final product of my book because of that. I either didn’t know how to communicate that I needed more help or guidance or was becoming overwhelmed at each task. I also got confused when other entities like marketing and book printing called. They were great people, but I don’t think I truly understood that if I bought the biggest package, that there would be significant (for me) additional expenses involved. All in all, there was great kindness but the end of the writing/editing process was overwhelming and I felt confused when marketing called about purchasing other packages. The staff are all extremely respectful and kind. With that said, if I were to self publish again, I would strongly consider Balboa.

11 October 2022
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Balboa Press was so helpful in…

Balboa Press was so helpful in assisting me at all stages, to get my work published. I found the staff, each one, to be helpful, kind and infinitely patient. Upon completion of the work, I received a wonderful email from them, encouraging me. I now feel I can claim to be a real "author". Thanks to Balboa for making my dream a reality.

12 October 2022
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

The Balboa team has been simply amazing…

The Balboa team has been simply amazing for all the attention to detail, customer service, editorial review, graphic art design, and support. I have had the privilege to author four books published by Balboa and each subsequent publication seemed to be better than the previous ones. Thank you, Balboa Press, for your total service package. I was very pleased with the experience.

10 October 2022
Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Balboa assigns representatives that…

Balboa assigns representatives that stay with you throughout the writing and publishing process from start to finish. I love this about Balboa. They do what they say they’re going to do. The author needs stamina and must be well motivated to work through all the details of getting the manuscript completed and uploaded.
I was not as please with the final aspects of design, especially. I felt that close attention was not given to some things, so I had to make requests, which were granted. Royalty percentage is low. Be aware. Overall, I’m happy with balboa services because they have expertise in so many areas.

27 September 2022
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

AWFUL experience, please do not fall prey

AWFUL experience. I am the author of Tuned In to Being. This company lacks integrity under the guise of love and light to simply financially benefit. My experience was a 16k scam and manipulation from their senior publishing consultant Brian Adamson. Do not trust this company with your hard work and pure energy.

1 January 2022
Unprompted review
Rated 3 out of 5 stars

All and all --good.

The final product is great and even though there was a lot relative to getting permissions on quotes and images it was worth it. The only issue is communication from the contact person Lucas to the editting dept. was slow and many times inaccurate. It took almost two years to finally get this book done.

21 September 2022
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Balboa Press Delivered for Me

I was extremely pleased with every facet of the process of my book publishing experience with Balboa Press. From the first contact with my sales rep to receiving the printed books, I was guided by knowledgeable helpers at each step of the way. The entire process took a little over six weeks. It would have been much faster if I hadn't taken extra time to re-edit my manuscript. I was extremely pleased with the design of my book and the extra touches that made the printed version look very professional. I would recommend Balboa Press to anyone who is thinking of self-publishing. They are reasonably priced as well as helpful and efficient. They do make their money with their marketing services, so I would suggest that you weigh the cost vs. benefits.

27 July 2022
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

I paid for a expensive marketing plan…

I paid for a expensive marketing plan and I cannot get Kean Wilson to respond at all. He's the second marketing person assigned to me, no idea what happened to the first one but she didn't respond either. I call and email and nothing. They are very eager to sell their service but lack greatly in work product outlet and customer services. I won't use them again.

19 September 2022
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I worked with Balboa Press on my cookbook

I worked with Balboa Press on my cookbook "For the Love of Shabbos" (Favorite Shabbat recipes from my home to yours.) Everyone I interacted with at Balboa was kind, courteous, and professional. They helped me bring my legacy project to life. Thank you!!

12 September 2022

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