How publishing with Sankofa works.
A clear path from manuscript to published book, with no publishing fee for accepted authors and no guessing about what happens next.
Ten steps from submission to royalties.
Submit your manuscript
Send your manuscript and details through our free submission form. No payment information is ever requested.
Editorial review
Every submission is assessed for quality, audience, list fit and production needs. You should hear back within 7 calendar days.
Decision or conditional acceptance
You receive a clear decision. If a manuscript needs substantial editing, we may offer conditional acceptance with a written report explaining why.
Agreement and onboarding
Accepted authors receive our publishing agreement and complete a short onboarding so we have everything needed for production.
Editorial preparation
Where needed, the manuscript is prepared for production. You may use any qualified editor, or Sankofa's optional editorial service.
Cover and interior production
Professional design of your cover and interior, with 2 rounds of author consultation on each.
Proof and approval
You review the proof and confirm. Routine approvals have a 7-day window, with friendly reminders along the way.
Distribution and launch preparation
ISBN, metadata, retailer copy, your author website and launch communications are prepared.
Publication
Your book goes live on the scheduled date, which Sankofa confirms with you.
Sales, statements and royalties
Follow sales estimates in your portal, receive quarterly statements, and get paid as your balance passes the payout threshold.
Our target for a first response is 7 calendar days. For a standard text-based book, production typically takes about 8 to 10 weeks from a production-ready manuscript. That is an estimate, not a guarantee, and depends on the book’s complexity, author response times and the approved launch date.
If your manuscript needs work.
Sometimes we want a book but it needs substantial editing first. When that happens we offer conditional acceptance together with a written report that explains what needs to change and why.
You then choose how to get there: revise it yourself, hire any qualified editor you like, or use Sankofa’s optional editorial service. Buying our editing is never required. Whoever edits it, we reassess the revised manuscript in the same way.
How publishers choose books.
Publishing is a business as well as an art. Traditional and independent publishers alike do not accept a manuscript simply because it exists. They weigh quality, the audience for the book, its market potential, the author’s platform and the cost of producing it well, and they ask whether it fits their list.
Sankofa is selective in the same way. Publishing without a fee does not mean automatic acceptance. Our editorial assessment is a free, professional evaluation of your book, not a paid gate.
The truth about advances.
In traditional publishing, an advance is generally a payment made against the royalties a book is expected to earn. Until the book earns that amount back, the author normally receives no further royalty payments.
Sankofa works differently. We pay no advance, so there is nothing to earn out, and your share of net receipts begins with the first qualifying sale. This is a different economic model, not a verdict on any other way of publishing. Many authors value a traditional advance, and for some books it is the right choice.
Bookstores and modern distribution.
Bookstore presence can be valuable. It is also not the only way books reach readers. Today they arrive through online retail, ebooks, print-on-demand, libraries, wholesale availability, direct-to-reader sales and authors’ own audiences.
Many trade channels also allow unsold books to be returned, which creates inventory and return risk for a publisher. Our approach is available to bookstores, not dependent on bookstores: we keep books orderable through wholesale channels while relying on print-on-demand and direct sales to avoid speculative inventory.
Ready to send us your manuscript?
It takes about fifteen minutes, costs nothing, and needs no payment details. We aim to respond within 7 calendar days.