We are excited to announce we’re getting underway our “100 Prisoner Book Publishing Literacy Program.”
This program aims to provide an internship opportunity to undergraduate and graduate students to learn about the publishing industry through hands on experience in editing and marketing books written by incarcerated authors.

With this internship we aim to provide a professional development program that will provide the students with a well rounded understanding of what working in the publishing industry would be like as well as insight into the experiences of the incarcerated and the current social justice movements.

Even more, this internship, in part, is an extension of our organization’s 100 Prisoner Book Publishing Literacy Program, which aims to publish 100 books written by prisoners to create a platform for their untold stories so as to discover real solutions to the problems before our communities.
In terms of writing and what it does for those who are incarcerated, it allows constructive expression of feelings of being trapped, voiceless, and misunderstood. Most do not have a voice. They cannot speak the words they truly wish to say. Writing, therefore, becomes a total release.

Through both our publishing and internship program we hope to help share the powerful stories of those incarcerated as well as provide students and the incarcerated the opportunity to give back to their communities while developing their skill sets.

Notably, we intend to publish books that focus on the social, political and economic conditions in underserved communities. Here, we are giving special attention to those book projects that encourage societal change bridging the racial gap between all people and promote the need and solutions to address the plight faced by those in underserved communities.

Lastly, these books will be invaluable to the development of our other programs. For example, they will greatly assist with providing insight and experience for our juvenile mentoring program. Even more, they will assist to rewrite the narrative by giving a voice to the voiceless and changing how incarcerated people are seen in our society.

That said, the more money raised, the more books we will be able to publish. Donate TODAY!

BE A PART OF THE CHANGE!

• Is the author under the foundation’s imprint? Yes.
• How much control does the author have over their work? You own the copyright and terms of publishing contract are flexible.
• Does the author keep full ownership and rights? Author owns copyright and the rights are shared based on industry standards.
• What percentage does the foundation get? Author receives standard royalty on retail price of book. For example, first 1,000 copies sold, author receives 8.5% of retail price on books sold. This figure tops out at 15% over 10k sold. Movie rights, etc. are based on industry standards.
• Can the author put their imprint on their work? No.
• Does the foundation give advancements for the authors? Not with first time authors; meaning until author has a demonstrated ability to sell units, we will not pay an advance.
• How long has your foundation been in operation? We were incorporated in 2014. 
• Do you handle all promotions, marketing, and book signing releases? Yes and no. We promote and market. Due to authors incarceration, we have yet to figure out the book signing release logistics.
• Is your foundation traditional? No.
• What do you offer authors who sign on with your foundation? An opportunity!
• How fast does your foundation put work out? Depends. Depending on the size and scope of the publication and availability of volunteer staff, 6 to 18 months. 
• Is it a problem if an author submits books back to back within months? No.
• Do you produce only a specific book format? We produce ebooks, paperback and in some cases audio books.
• Are your printed versions of published works in 5″× 8″ paperback/softcover form? Yes.
• Do you seek acquisition of subsidiary rights or royalties attached to the work/s being published? Yes. 
• With a publishing contract, do you offer free copies of the book(s) to the author/s after it’s printed and bound? No.
• Do you offer to the author(s) the option of purchasing additional copies of the final printed version of the book at a discounted rate? Yes. If so, please state the rate at which you offer any such discount. Typically it costs us $4.70 to print a 230 page book. Our markup is $1.00; making your price as author $5.70.
• What makes your company competitive? The United Black Family Scholarship Foundation, is a non-profit organization. Our “100 Prisoner Book Publishing Literacy Program” connects prisoners with university student volunteers to learn about the publishing industry through hands on experience in editing and marketing books written by incarcerated authors. With this internship we provide a professional development program that will provide the students with a well rounded understanding of what working in the publishing industry would be like as well as insight into the experiences of the incarcerated and the current social justice movements. Even more, we’re creating a platform for untold stories by incarcerated authors so as to discover real solutions to the problems before their communities. Through both our publishing and internship program we hope to help share the powerful stories of those incarcerated as well as provide students and the incarcerated the opportunity to give back to their communities while developing their skill sets and funding our scholarship and community grant programs.
• What sets our publishing company apart from other small start-ups? Our founder Ivan Kilgore spends 23 hours a day locked in a prison cell in Northern California. Having been sentenced to life in prison, he stands as a beacon of inspiration for those determined not to allow circumstance to curtail their ability to make a positive contribution to society. An accomplished author, lecturer, and advocate for human rights, his passion to assist other prisoners to publish their works is driven by: (1) a political strategy control the narrative as to who you are as incarcerated human beings; and (2) a need to survive, a need to understand and navigate the political, historical, and cultural forces that operate to hold you captive–both physically and mentally.
• How does this difference benefit your clients/authors? See above.
• Have any of your published authors exceeded 100,000 copies sold? No. This is a newly formed publishing entity unique to prisoner publishing.
• Do you have a standard marketing and advertising budget for works of different genre submitted by first time authors? We have a Media & Marketing Committee ran by student volunteers to market and promote our authors.
• Is it possible that we may get a copy of any single urban novel published by your company? Yes. Have your family log on to Amazon, search: Ivan Kilgore and you will find several titles available for purchase.
• If a publishing contract is entered with Zo Media Productions, LLC, are the authors required to establish an account with a financial institution or will you write royalty checks for the author/s if that is the most workable option for the author? Due to state and federal restrictions on prisoners conducting business, authors must have a designated power of attorney and/or permission from the warden to conduct business. All royalty checks will be issued to the designated person, account and/or prisoner account provided it is approved by warden.