About Oriental Watchman Publishing House (OWPH)

Oriental Watchman Publishing House is a Christian denominational publisher owned and operated by the Southern Asia Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. OWPH is situated in the SDA mission campus at Salisbury Park in Pune, the ninth most populous city in India, which is 560 meters above sea level and known also as the cultural capital of Maharashtra. Before moving to Pune in 1922, it was born in Calcutta in the year 1903 as an answer to the prayer of early believers who in 1898 started publishing work in Southern Asia without owning a printing press. They prayed for one own printing facility to print and publish literature in every language of Southern Asia, to proclaim the everlasting Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to carry the message of healthy living. It grew steadily and was relocated to Karmatar in 1905 and then to Lucknow in 1909.

Each year, OWPH publishes several new English & vernacular book titles. The books are mostly distributed through Literature Evangelists and HHES online stores of Seventh-day Adventists.

We would be pleased to have you join our family of published authors. Please read on to find out how it’s done.

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Do You Want to Publish a Book or Print a Book?

OWPH offers both publishing and printing. Authors must be Seventh-day Adventist Church members. Most authors wish to have their manuscript published, which means the publishing house takes full responsibility for producing and selling the book and pays royalties to the author. Authors who wish to have their work published on this basis are invited to send submissions according to the information and guidelines given below.

A small number of authors wish to have their work printed so they can sell it themselves or request distribution through the publishing house. Authors who need printing services only should check our Speciality Printing page and contact us.

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What does OWPH publish?

The mission of the OWPH is to provide readers with a wide variety of books that connect them with God and help them develop a relationship with Him; provide information about God, His character, and His ways; and encourage and uplift them in the struggles of life. OWPH books serve to bring individuals to salvation and to prepare them for eternal life with God, in complete harmony with the Bible. We also publish books on education, health and healthy lifestyle.

OWPH publishes Christian books with a Seventh-day Adventist perspective in the following categories:

For Adults

Story collections
Cookbooks
Health and nutrition
Marriage and parenting
Topics and issues
Biographies and true stories

For Adults

Inspiration/Christian life
Prayer
Doctrine and Bible study
Church history
Ellen White
Books for sharing and gospel outreach

For Children

Illustrated Bible Stories
Illustrated Moral Stories
Bible Textbooks
Kids Bible
Story Books
Nature’s Discoveries

Before You Send Anything to OWPH

  • Check the competition so you know if you’re duplicating books in print.
  • Examine the current products available from OWPH at HHES.
  • Check subject listings at the library to find books on your topic published in the last five to ten years.
  • Read similar books that you find through research, especially OWPH titles if any exist in your subject area.

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The Submission Process

First Time

  • If you’re sending material to OWPH for the first time, please start with a query letter. It should contain these elements:
  • A one-sentence thesis of the book’s main idea.
  • A summary of the book.
  • The intended audience.
  • Your qualifications for writing on the topic.
  • A sentence making it clear whether you have written the book or are in the planning stage.
  • A chapter outline
  • The complete manuscript, if it’s finished.

Second Time or More

If you’ve had a book published by OWPH before, skip the query stage and submit a proposal. Be sure to include all the information that goes into a typical query letter in your proposal cover letter.

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How to Submit a Query

  • OWPH only accepts queries, proposals, and manuscripts electronically. Do not ship or mail hard copies or disks.
  • Please email queries to: presidentowph@gmail.com
  • Typical response time for queries: 30 to 60 days

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How to Submit a Proposal

  • If a book editor responds to your query with a request for a proposal, or if you have been published by OWPH before and wish to submit a new proposal:
  • Send, via email, a minimum of three chapters and a chapter outline or annotated contents page. You may send a complete manuscript.
  • Write a cover letter and include the main thesis, the purpose of the book, the potential audience, and proposed length.
  • Indicate whether you have submitted simultaneously to other publishers.
  • Only submissions sent to presidentowph@gmail.com will be accepted. If you do not have access to email, find a friend who can help you.

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How to Submit a Finished Manuscript

If our editor asks to see a completed manuscript, please follow these requirements.

Format Requirements

  • Include complete contents page, plus any dedication, acknowledgments, foreword, or preface you wish to include.
  • Perform a spelling and grammar check with your word processor or a web-based program, before sending a manuscript.
  • VERY IMPORTANT: We only accept electronic submissions; do not send a hard copy.
  • Please obtain a copy and follow the guidelines.

Delivery of Manuscript

  • Send email attachments to presidentowph@gmail.com
  • Microsoft Word is preferred.

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About Contracts, Advances, and Royalties

  • After OWPH accepts a manuscript, the author receives a letter of acceptance and two copies of a book contract. Upon signing and returning both copies of the contract to OWPH, the author receives an advance on future royalties.  Royalty payments are made as per the policy.
  • OWPH is responsible for, and has the final say on, all editing, proofreading, formatting, cover design, and title and back cover copy. After editing and formatting work is completed, the formatted manuscript is sent to the author for review.
  • Except in special circumstances, royalty rates are: 12% of wholesale price.

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What Books Will be Rejected?

  • Here are the top reasons books or proposals are rejected:
  • Submitted to the wrong publisher (i.e., not the type of book we publish).
  • Not a topic of interest to our readers.
  • Boring—didn’t grab attention.
  • Not a large enough audience to make a viable book.
  • Nothing new or original in the manuscript.
  • Focus of the topic is too narrow.
  • OWPH already has enough material on the topic
  • Unacceptable theology.
  • Poor writing (frequently, good topic and poor writing).
  • More appropriate to general Christian market (not distinctive to Adventists).
  • Note the following reasons for rejection in particular categories:

Fiction

We don’t publish science fiction or fantasy or secular fiction.

Secular topics

OWPH publishes material related to Adventist Christianity. Practical books such as cookbooks must have an Adventist connection. Secular treatments of any topic are not considered.

Children’s Picture Books

OWPH does not publish picture books that deal with general Christian topics, since other Christian publishers have taken care of most generally acceptable topics.

Unacceptable Theology

All OWPH books fit somewhere within the spectrum of Adventist theology.

Poetry

OWPH does not publish poetry.

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What is OWPH looking for?

  • Fresh, original treatments of Seventh-day Adventist beliefs and doctrines.
  • Fresh material on inspirational and general biblical/spiritual topics.
  • Practical, original books on Christian living, including cookbooks and lifestyle guides.
  • Dramatic or moving life stories of Adventist individuals.
  • Bible-based, imaginative, and edifying children’s books on specifically Adventist topics, including animal stories, mysteries, adventures, and Bible stories.

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