Review: Notion Press – Examining this Self-Publishing Company

In the dynamic and ever-evolving world of self-publishing, Notion Press has emerged as a prominent player, known for its comprehensive services and author-centric approach. Founded in 2012, the Chennai-based company has quickly risen to be one of India’s leading self-publishing platforms, providing a robust suite of services designed to help authors bring their literary dreams to life.

Origins and Mission

Notion Press was established by a trio of young entrepreneurs, Janarthanan T, Naveen Valsakumar, and Bhargava Adepalli, who identified a gap in the Indian publishing market. They realized that many talented writers struggled to get published due to the traditional industry’s selective nature and long waiting times. With a mission to democratize publishing, they founded Notion Press with the goal of empowering authors by providing accessible, high-quality publishing services.

The company’s mission statement reflects this commitment: “To enable every storyteller to share their story with the world.” This mission resonates through every facet of their business, from service offerings to customer support.

Services Offered

Notion Press provides a comprehensive range of services that cater to every stage of the publishing process. These services are divided into three main categories: Publishing, Marketing, and Distribution.

1. Publishing Services
   • Manuscript Editing: Professional editors work with authors to refine their manuscripts, ensuring clarity, coherence, and grammatical accuracy.
   • Book Design: The company offers custom cover design and interior formatting to ensure books are visually appealing and professionally presented.
   • Illustrations: For authors of illustrated books, such as children’s literature or graphic novels, Notion Press provides illustration services to bring stories to life.
   • ISBN Assignment: Each book is assigned an ISBN, which is essential for distribution and sales tracking.
2. Marketing Services
   • Author Website: Notion Press helps authors create personalized websites to promote their books and engage with readers.
   • Social Media Marketing: Tailored social media strategies are developed to increase visibility and build an online presence.
   • Book Launch Support: The company provides guidance and resources for successful book launches, including press releases and media kits.
   • Amazon and Goodreads Marketing: Specific marketing strategies are implemented on Amazon and Goodreads to drive sales and reviews.
3. Distribution Services
   • Print and eBook Distribution: Notion Press ensures that books are available in both print and eBook formats, catering to diverse reader preferences.
   • Global Distribution: Through partnerships with major retailers like Amazon, Flipkart, and Barnes & Noble, Notion Press offers global distribution, allowing authors to reach audiences worldwide.
   • Print-on-Demand: This service enables books to be printed as orders come in, reducing upfront costs and minimizing inventory risks.

Pricing

One of the appealing aspects of Notion Press is its transparent pricing structure. Unlike traditional publishers who may offer advances and royalties, self-publishing companies typically charge authors for their services upfront. Notion Press offers various packages, each tailored to different author needs and budgets.

1. Basic Package (Free)
   • This package includes basic editing, cover design, and distribution services. It allows authors to publish their book without any upfront cost, although additional services can be purchased separately.
2. Essential Package (Starting at $499)
   • Includes comprehensive editing, professional cover design, interior formatting, and basic marketing support. This package is ideal for authors looking for a balance between essential services and affordability.
3. Professional Package (Starting at $999)
   • Offers advanced editing, custom illustrations, enhanced marketing strategies, and priority distribution. Suitable for authors seeking extensive support and higher production quality.
4. Premium Package (Custom Pricing)
   • Tailored to meet specific author needs, this package includes all services from the Professional Package plus bespoke marketing campaigns, author website development, and exclusive promotional opportunities.

Author Experience

Authors who have worked with Notion Press often praise the company for its supportive and collaborative approach. Many commend the transparency and professionalism exhibited throughout the publishing process. The ability to maintain creative control while receiving expert guidance is a significant advantage for many writers.

However, some authors, particularly in online forums, have noted that the marketing services could be more personalized, royalty calculations could be more transparent, and customer service could be improved. While the company seems to provide excellent foundational support, some authors feel that more in-depth, targeted marketing strategies would further enhance their book’s success.

Notion Press Reviews & Reputation

Surprisingly, given that the Notion Press website claims to have helped over 30,000 authors worldwide as a leading self-publishing website in India, there aren’t many Notion Press reviews to be found online. The reviews that are published online are mixed at best. For instance, this Notion Press client wrote an entire blog post on LinkedIn about his experience with Notion Press. In his critical review of Notion Press, he complains about lackluster support, slow response times, unclear royalty systems and processes, etc.

Notion Press reviews on Quora

Then there’s this Notion Press reviews thread that includes many commenters discussing issues with Notion Press, including the company’s poor editing, lack of marketing, incorrect royalty calculations, and inexperienced and unhelpful staff. The biggest complaint that seems to keep popping up online about Notion Press is the lack of transparency when it comes to royalties.

Here’s an example from that thread of reviews when asked if Notion Press is trustworthy:

To be fair, there are a few positive reviews in that same thread when asked about Notion Press’ legitimacy – one example (an excerpt) can be seen below.

You’d think that a company helping tens of thousands of authors would have hundreds of customer reviews posted online for everyone to see, but that’s just not the case… I think the company would do well to ask its clients to post reviews on Trust Pilot, for instance, so that potential customers can see a larger sample size of customer feedback prior to signing up. I believe that being able to see more reviews about Notion Press would only help the company’s credibility.

Notion Press reviews on Trustpilot

Notion Press on Trust Pilot has an overall 3.2 star rating (with fewer than 10 reviews posted in total) as of this writing. The 1-star review shown below (a screenshot from Trust Pilot) calls into questions Notion Press’ sales reporting. It may or may not be true, but it sounds convincing and it stands out because of the limited number of reviews posted on Trust Pilot for Notion Press. It also aligns with some of the other complaints throughout Internet about Notion Press’ royalties.

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Notion Press overview & my final rating