Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/13/2025

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I submitted a children's book named Flight of the Falcon to Covenant Publishing in early 2023 and my manuscript was accepted, I completed all of the necessary steps to have my book released in April of 2024, however due to the poor quality of the company's provided illustrations, I opted to re-illustrate the book by my own illustrator at a slight fee. My phone that I was in contact with the company with was lost, and though I have repeatedly called my personal editor, **** *********, as well as the company itself, I have not received any calls back. I have been unable to reach anyone to give them my new contact information, just the answering machine every time. I have paid upwards of $3600 dollars for this book to be published, and it feels very unprofessional for them to ignore my messages.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/08/2025

  Dear ****,  I'm sorry you're not happy with the book you received a year ago.  From our notes in our records we're waiting on you to mail the new illustrations.  You sent **** your new email on 3-25-25 and also let her know you'd be mailing the illustrations. It seems communication was an issue, either emailing or leaving messages on your phone. **** will reach out to you again once we receive the mail.
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/12/2025

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I hired a ghost writer through Covenant Book Publishers to produce a Script along with me. My Film Script (Sojourners Moon) was uploaded and published to ***************. I believe the copyright was taken by doing this, removing my rights to the copyright. I demand it be unpublished immediately, with proof of same. Mr. ***** ******** is the ghost writer. I had NO idea this was part of the agreement, with him forcing his name on the cover page, then registering the Script with his name on it. I never received a full document explaining that process. In any event, I want the Script unpublished. Covenant should be ashamed. I have to wonder about their real intentions when it comes to "helping" their Authors.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/26/2025

  First, Im sorry your experience working with Mr. ********* wasnt what you expected.  Now, so you understand,***** ******** will not steal your copyright.  Hes a professional screenwriter, NOT a ghost writer.  He reads your book and writes a screenplay based on your story.  I dont believe any of the documentation or agreements for the screenplay option uses the term,Ghost Writer.  Also, your screenplay has not been published, its waiting for your approval, so we dont need to unpublish it.  Mr. ********* job is to promote screenplays to the industry to find an interest with a production company to hopefully produce it to a movie or miniseries.  ****************************** also produces feature films and TV series.   Again, Im sorry you misunderstood the service you signed up for and cancelled any further work.  I've been notified by the accounting department you have charged back the payment and we do not owe you a refund.
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/27/2025

   
  Complaint: 23053764
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

   

  1. Covenant either didn't review his terms and deem them unreasonable and detrimental to the author, or simply don't care.Improper vetting.

  2. As far as I am concerned, in our arrangement, he is just another contract ghost writer, asked to do a job, that's all. He is not ************

  A one page contract is not sufficient without all details. I trusted Covenant. 

   

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** *******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/08/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I hired Covenant Books to publish my book Have Faith in God But Believe in the Devil. They accepted my manuscript and money and I assumed they would do a good job. The editing was horrendous and every time they would fix one thing, three more would pop up! This went on for months and I came to the conclusion that Covenant Books was trying to sabotage the release of my book. The chain of letters concerning this is exhaustive. Had I kept on making corrections, my book would still not be published. The final slap in the face was Covenant not doing my press release until five weeks after my launch!! I wrote the *** ****** a letter explaining all the problems and she never bothered to answer! I feel Covenant Books has done irreparable damage to my book! Had they done their job properly? We would be much further down the road. The book is receiving amazing reviews at Amazon and ************** but things could be so much better, Had they been done correctly? This company has a strong reputation and I am shocked the way they handled my account! Sincerely,*************************** Bring the faith.net

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/02/2024

  Dear *****,  I'm truly sorry your experience working with our editing department wasn't good and I do not recall receiving a letter from you or I would have responded.   I looked at your file and see you only had one round of editing and approved the edit before moving on to page design. Page designers are not editors, they are typesetters.  You went several rounds with the typesetter not the editor. I will also reach out to the media department to see why your press release took as long as it did to publish.    

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/05/2024

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I paid almost $7,000 to Covenant Books. Contract started on 2/16/2023. I provided the cover page, an edited manuscript, and several illustrations. They edited again; no changes compared to original. They did a book design, identical to what I already provided. Second attempt was OK. No choice though, third change at my cost. Each edit took weeks or months, despite minimal edit requests. Process began in February of 2023, and the book was not made available until 11 months later with repeated problems. Numerous emails and phone calls. Responses from my assigned associate were often short, with minimal detail. Example: As-of today, there is no issue with your Amazon listing. I also forwarded you the email sent to you on ***** - at which time I did not indicate the book was available for purchase. The listing is available on US Amazon. You will receive a response once ****** has a moment to address your concerns. **** again: I confirmed with ****** that she did not have a chance to investigate your listing. We appreciate your understanding that the listing was simply completed as I previously explained. Thank you for your patience. ****** seemed to indicate otherwise in her message to me. Then I was informed that an authors web page would be set up, which took weeks. When completed, it was simply an advertisement page for Covenant Books including a blurb about my book. According to my assigned associate: We're currently working to complete your webpage, which will take around another week to upload, and bring us to the end of the process. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I have yet to receive any information about the Publicity and Press Release Distribution according to my agreement. I paid additional for additional marketing. The only information I can get: In regard to marketing, third parties will reach out to you in the coming weeks.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/20/2024

  Dear ****, We are sorry to know your experience with us was frustrating and not to your satisfaction. We are looking into these issues and hope to resolve them promptly. I have gone through your files and am trying to understand the issues,  I'd like to contact you this week so we can discuss it further.
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/23/2024

   
  Complaint: 21244299
  
  I am rejecting this response because: no one has reached out to me.  Neither by email or phone.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/24/2024

  We are very sorry this author hasn't been happy with our services and the schedule. The marketing departments have been in contact with him and he has decided he did not want to continue. According to the timeline he received in the beginning we were in line time-wise with the various stages.  The social media packages take time and the author submitted his form in February.  They did his Zoom interview in February.  They sent him his social media plan and got completed everything at the end of February.  He responded to the media department about his social media plan on Feb. 25th. They just lacked uploading his videos on time due to ******* because ****** had been giving them issues. However, they were still on time with this author.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/30/2024

   
  Complaint: 21244299
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  They made no effort to reach me, as they promised to do so.  They haven't even paid me for the check I was due.  They mailed the check the wrong address, and it was lost in the mail.  I contact their online billing company from where I get paid, and they informed to have Covenant Books void the check and issue a new one.  Covenant Books would not do so.  The billing company then stated I would have to wait 90 days for the check to void automatically and the reach out to them.  Covenant Books offers horrible service and makes no effort to assist you.  Yet, I paid thousands to this service.

  They were also not very informative as to all the difficulties I experienced with my book being put on Amazon due to various issues that seem to stem from Covenant Books.  The worst company I have ever dealt with.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/22/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I want to either receive the manuscript submitted years ago by ******** Castle or be able to receive one physical copy. Covenant Books not only has terrible customer service but also wants to charge the author for their own book. We called five times today, and they hung up the phone all five times. Really unprofesional.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/22/2023

  I don't know the number she was calling but I assure you we would not hang up on a customer five times.  The author Bianckah Castle is no longer in an agreement with Covenant Books.  Our publishing agreements are for 2 yrs.  When she was sent a renewal agreement on 11/08/2019 she did not respond, she was sent a follow up to the renewal and did not respond.  Her title was removed from distribution on 12/02/2019.  I will be happy to send all her files to her on a thumb drive. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/22/2023

   
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and Im open to finding a solution. I would like to receive from them an apology for hanging up the phone, and I would like to receive my files at the following email address: ***********************. 

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/22/2023

  If the number you called you were hung up on we do apologize, Our client was Bianckah Castle and we would need her permission to send her files to ********************************  The email we have on file for Bianckah is *********************. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/22/2023

   
  Thanks. That email is also acceptable.
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/08/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Covenant Books charged a very high fee to self-publish my book. Since this was my first book I didn't realize it was way overpriced and that I wouldn't get any marketing help whatsoever once the book was published. They also had a hard time fixing editing or artwork errors. Any problem with the book I had to find myself. I have also not been paid even one cent for books they have sold through ****** on Amazon. Furthermore the amount they said they would pay (if they did pay) is less than 10% of the book's cost. The publishing process was lengthy because one agent left in the process and they didn't reassign until I made a complaint to the company. I wouldn't suggest working with this company. They just seem to have the goal of making as much money as possible from unsuspecting authors without helping books get advertised and marketed properly.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/08/2023

  ***************, thanks for sharing your feedback. Were sorry your experience didnt match your expectations. We will be happy to help you get the word out about your book, ******'s Tree. Your coordinator will work with you to create a sell sheet to send to the retailers.  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/09/2023

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have done two book collaborations with Covenant. The first went well but this time did not.When the cover design was completed I suggested a different font then waited for the change to be made. After several weeks, I questioned the delay and was told it was in process. After nearly two months I sent a costly overnight letter to the **** hoping to get the process moving. The delivery tracker verified the *** signed for the letter noon the next day, but I didnt get a reply until Wednesday of the following week. The person showed a lack of concern, and the matter was left unresolved.When the cover design was released it was perfect except for a typo made by the design team. Surprisingly, this took a month to correct. An honest merchant who makes a mistake will make it right for the customer as quickly as possible.At length the book was published but now theres a new problem. The contract states that once the print and eBook are available on the various distribution platforms, the author will be assigned to an Audio Production Coordinator to manage production of an audiobook. Its been well over a month since the print and eBooks availability, and Ive heard nothing from Covenant despite email queries. I have paid the contract in full and expect Covenant to fulfill their obligations.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/10/2023

  Dear *****,  Our apologies about the length of time the process has taken.  I have reached out to Audio Books, they have your book information and a coordinator
  

  will be in contact with you. 
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/11/2023

   
  Complaint: 20037720
  
  I am rejecting this response because: Until I hear from the Audio Books representative I have no assurance the business is acting in good faith.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/26/2023

  Audio Book has your files and the representative will contact you. This stage does take a little more time. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/15/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Out of the entire contract they ************ design and, I did the Book cover because the one they show me was horrid. ***y made a 30 second video that was so boring I did not finish it. ***y also said that they would garantee at least 10k in sales, when I did not sold a single book. ***re was no promo, *** press release was sent and never follow up. I paid these people $3500 and the 9 book it said I sold, I bought my self to give away. Every effort to sell and promote was made by me. I sent many messages to see what was going on and one day they just stop answering.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/16/2023

  Our apologies about your experience with Covenant Books. We would be happy to look at what can be done to help promote your book and build your sales. Authors do not earn royalties on books they purchase, only on sales from the retail market. We have added several more marketing opportunities since you signed on with us in 2020. I will have a coordinator reach out to you to discuss what's now available to our authors.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/17/2023

   
  Complaint: 19409051
  
  I am rejecting this response because I. 3 years I had no communication, help, and they did not do what they said they would. I sold 0 books. Not low amount...None. Everything they did I paid for, I had to do on my own. **************...and more. I hire them so my book can be ready and have exposure.... They did not did their job. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/03/2023

  We have reached out to this author with a possible solution and she has not accepted our offer. She will not be renewing her agreement. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/23/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I am the legal representative for Pooks ************* and its owner, an author who has contracted with Covenant Books for publishing. Covenant Books repeatedly refuses to respond to requests for information on sales, and despite not having any othe copyright rights, continues to sell my client's books, in clear violation of copyright law.******************* repeatedly refuses to respond to correspondence, which have been sent to them for nearly a year. Instead, **************** claims that Covenant Books has ceased all sales of the books, which is clearly a false representation, given the remaining books on Amazon and elsewhere with Covenant Books as the publisher. She also refuses to give information on the royalties on books sales, withholding information that no doubt shows underpayments by Covenant Books. Despite the repeated warnings of the copyright misappropriation, Covenant Books clearly doesn't care. It is the worst publishing company that I have had the pleasure of doing business with over my 20+ years as an attorney. The A+ rating is a joke.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/01/2023

  Contact Name and Title: *************************
  Contact Email: ***************************************
  Dear ****************, I have been in communication with you via email and sent you proof the titles were removed from the distributors last May 2022. We have sent sales reports to the author and there have been no sales since May of last year. As I explained, the books Amazon may have in stock we have no control with. If you lost the emails I sent you with the screen shots of the books removed from distribution I will be happy to resend them along with the sales reports.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/05/2023

  Type:Delivery Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Hello, I have paid covenant books to publish my book. they were paid ******** dollars for the package to publish my book. It went into the editing phase, but they kept messing up on the editing. Many times I have resubmitted my manuscript to the editing department and still there were mistakes and misspelled words. So, I asked *********************** for a refund. I received a text that I would get a refund in December 2022 but I have not received it. This dispute has been an on going issue and covenant books refuses to refund me. Here is the receipt.Merchant: Covenant Books ****************************************************** ** ************** Order Information Description:Order Number: P.O. Number:Customer ID: Invoice Number:Billing Information Shipping Information *********************** Payment Information Date/Time: 08-Feb-2022 09:03:48 PST Transaction ID: *********** Transaction Type: Authorization w/ Auto Capture Transaction Status: Captured/Pending Settlement Authorization Code: 65517P Payment Method: MasterCard XXXX7486 Shipping: **** Tax: **** Total: USD ******** Please, help me get back my refund, thank you ***************************. Here is the timeline Author(s): ****************************** Email address: ******************* Title: Empty Souls Living Beyond Your Grave Client No: ****** Download Timeline Current ******************* Publication Assistant:*********************** ******************************** ************ Paperback ISBN: 978-1-68526-842-8 Ebook ISBN: 978-1-68526-843-5 W9 Tax Form

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/16/2023

  Thank you, but I have not heard back from them and they still owe me money. What can I do to resolve this. Is this company a scam?

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/09/2023

  The author has decided to continue with the publication of her book.