As you can see from our site, we’ve had a tremendous amount of siyata d’Shmaya and have grown tremendously. We are now releasing, on average, 1–2 new books a month, and our books are (BH!) gaining a lot of attention and selling well.

We create all types of books for all types of people. Some of our books are intended for the Orthodox community, some are more kiruv-y, others on subjects of interest for frum and/or Jewish people, and some develop their own niches.

As authors ourselves, working with various publishers over the years, we’ve come to realize that it is more profitable for the author – and better for all involved – if the author pays for the initial development and printing of the book – as has been done in Am Yisrael with sefarim for hundreds of years.

Here is why:

First of all, few Jewish publishers today can pay for the entire book-creating process and still make a profit. After taking account of the bookstore discount, costs of distribution, and relatively small market, the numbers rarely add up. When a publisher does offer to pay, the author usually ends up getting a very small royalty, with many “hidden” costs appearing along the way.

Also, when a publisher pays for a book, the publisher owns it. The publisher alone decides on the cover and title. The publisher decides how many copies will be printed or not printed, and the author needs to buy back copies at 50% (or more) of the retail price! Even if a book is effectively out of circulation and the author wants more copies for their own use, the publisher can – and often does – decide not to print again, as it is not worth their time or investment, leaving the author without copies of their own book. The publisher can do a lousy job in the creation, distribution, and promotion of a book – and the author can do nothing about it. Unfortunately, many authors have had negative experiences like this – including us!

We work differently, for all of our authors – including ourselves. Although Mosaica is certainly a company that aims to make a profit, we are also authors who are offering the best deal on the market for authors: When the author invests in the book, he or she actually ends up making more money and retaining more control.

We work with the author.

Authors have – and should have! – veto power over the cover and title (and of course the text itself), but Mosaica is not a vanity press or Do-It-Yourself operation. Authors come to Mosaica because of our experience and expertise. We know what will be noticed, accepted, and sold – and we mold your book into a solid seller, IYH. Our copyediting and proofreading are done according to accepted conventions – and Mosaica standards. As a publishing house with proven success and an experienced, talented staff, we are able to take your book from good to great.

Each project is unique. How many words? Paperback or hardcover? Is there Hebrew, or extensive footnotes? How many copies does the author need for their private use, and how many will be printed in total? Are there pictures? It is impossible to give a set price without seeing the manuscript and understanding the project. That being said, most books end up costing between USD $14,000 and $20,000 plus/minus. This is only an estimate – every book is different.

Rav Yaacov Haber is the visionary behind and Rabbinic Advisor of Mosaica: yhaber@mosaicapress.com.