Understatement: The publishing industry has changed dramatically since the late 20th Century. Back then, a handful of big houses were essentially gatekeepers making decisions on what book buyers could read. Digital printing and the internet have democratized publishing so that authors now have a variety of choices about how to produce their work.
With these innovations has come a lot of confusion, along with guised experts capitalizing on the market by hawking “guaranteed” paths to “bestseller status.” Honestly, it takes someone impartial and well-rounded in all aspects of writing and publishing to help you make an informed decision about your project.
One of the first things we’ll chat about, should we work together, is your long-game goal as an author. This will set the trajectory for the development of your manuscript and how you decide to publish.
We will talk through the pros and cons of the traditional, self and hybrid publishing models. Based on the route you choose, I’ll escort you through that process for your book’s highest outcome.
Deciding HOW to publish seems like a lot of know and decide, right? Well, there’s more.
The real work begins once your book is published. For more on that, read below about my Author Support Services.
Traditional publishers take on all the financial risk and pay the author upfront in the form of an advance. Royalties are paid if the advance earns out. Authors don’t pay to publish but will certainly be required to invest in marketing and promotion. Many/most of the big houses require an author to have representation by an agent.
With independent/self-publishing, the author manages the entire publishing process and hires the right people and services to edit, design, publish and distribute their book. The author remains in complete control of all artistic and business decisions.
Hybrid publishing is an umbrella term for a publishing arrangement in which the author funds the book’s publication in exchange for assistance, and those costs can vary greatly. Each platform or company has its own distinct business model and contract with fees explained. Some are run by former traditional publishing professionals and offer high-quality results; others are basement startups with little publishing world expertise who are masquerading as “publishers” and take advantage of an author’s inexperience. A legit hybrid publisher maintains the highest industry and ethical standards and produces books that are on par with traditional houses.
I am happy to share my broad and deep knowledge about this form of publishing and help you determine if it’s right for you.
There is much more to publishing than printing the book. It’s a sales force, distribution machine, and developing relationships with booksellers, book buyers and readers. It’s finding inventive ways to make your book pop amongst the millions of new titles published every year.
My author support services are geared towards helping you do something with your excellent prose once it’s published. I draw on my entire cache of skills and instincts in advertising, branding, PR, product positioning, event planning, online presence, marketing collateral production and more. The result? How your writings are shared with the world will be highly personalized to you and your goals.
Among all the other things related to that very large word “publishing,” my deep experience in book promotion can serve you in these ways:
To help you overcome the challenge of obscurity as a new author or expand your platform even more as a seasoned author, I work with a distinguished circle of highly-vetted pros who specialize in aspects of the above—publicists, media trainers, tech gurus, social strategists, etc. Again, the team we assemble to support you will be customized based on your goals and budget.
Take a stroll through some of my favorite book projects.