Book Writing and Publishing Resources
Self Publishing / Printing
For printing, you’ll need to decide whether you are doing offset printing or Print on Demand (POD). With print on demand your cash outlay is much less, since you generally do not need to order a minimum number of books, but the quality is not quite as good (though getting better all the time).
“Lisa, your new book is beautiful. Who is your publisher?” I hear this all the time. My publisher is a dream to work with and designed a gorgeous cover and inside for The Joy of Writing Journal: Spark Your Creativity in 8 Minutes a Day. She also created all those QR codes you’ll find in the book to link readers to videos and audio meditations. She is a fabulous collaborator and I highly recommend her. So, who is she? Tamara Monosoff.
Lightning Source, now owned by distributor Ingram, is probably the least expensive and highest quality POD (many other POD and traditional publishers use them for printing). Ingram also owns IngramSpark, whose advantages over Lightning Source include “cost-effective pricing and the ability to simultaneously set up an e-book title and make it available to more than 70 e-retailers (including Apple, Kobo, B&N Nook, Amazon Kindle) at the same time a print title is set up for distribution.” Generally, IngramSpark is their solution for individual authors. However, Lightning Source has different advantages so check out their comparison page.
Amazon’s publishing services for ebooks and paperbacks is now found under Kindle Direct Publishing. While inexpensive, some authors complain about ease of use and lack of support. You may want to hire freelancers to help you through the process. My publisher, Tamara, took care of all the details and used Amazon KDP.
Many traditional publishers offer a self-publishing arm. Just be sure to do your research, look inside their sample books and ask authors about their experiences. You can pay a good amount of extra money for services that look good on paper or sound good coming from the salesperson’s mouth, but don’t actually help your book sales one iota.
See below for self publishing consultants / book shepherds to take you through the self publishing process, once your book is written.
Traditional Publishing
As a book proposal coach, I can help you write a compelling book proposal to attract top agents and publishers. You may need to grow your author platform, in which case I recommend some of the publicity and digital media services below. You can also schedule a author platform building consultation with me to develop your strategy and explore which options will be most effective and work best for your strengths, interests and budget.
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Editors and Proofreaders
Email me for specific people based on genre and other specifications.
Ghostwriters
Email me for specific people based on genre, specific needs and budget.
Read more about my ghostwriter referrals here:
- How to Hire a Ghostwriter
- Find a Ghostwriter
- Ghostwriter Contracts and Fees
- Ghostwriter for a CEO Memoir
- Business Book Ghostwriter
- Ghostwriter for a Company Culture Book
Layout/Design and Book Covers
Alexander von Ness: Alexander works on your book cover design personally and gives you the personal attention to get a great cover–many of his designs have won awards! He will work on your design until you are 100% satisfied, too. A cover is $495, a great value for the quality. His website also features an award winning blog with articles on self-publishing, book marketing and more.
Karen Hauser Design: Karen designed the cover for Teri Scheinzeit’s Award Winning book, Success Without Stress: Simple Steps to Finding Calm for Women Business Owners. Teri says, “She’s a dream to work with,” and her beautiful design speaks for itself.
Mila Design: Eye catching, professional covers at the lowest price for such quality. Last I asked her covers were $350 for a fabulous cover. If you’re on a tight budget, Mila is your gal.
Lanphear Design: Beautiful, eye catching covers. Starts at $1,000. Layouts are also eye catching and well done. Lots of spiritual books.
Marisa Jackson: A wide variety of eye catching and professional looking covers. Marisa works with traditional publishers and self-published authors.
Book Publicity and Publicists
Free resources include helpareporter.com and pitchrate.com..
Many people waste money on PR that doesn’t pan out, so ask for referrals and do your due diligence. Below are some PR companies my clients, colleagues and I have used that are high quality and high integrity:
Zilker Media has represented many of my clients and I have recommended them to many clients–from doctors to therapists to entrepreneurs. I have worked with Zilker founder Rusty Shelton for over 15 years and his previous companies supported many books to become true bestsellers—from The New York Times to USA Today. Now headed by Paige Velasquez, they do excellent work.
Mouth Public Relations: Several of my clients have gotten great national publicity working with Mouth PR and I’ve been impressed with their work.
Stephanie Barko, Literary Publicist: I have heard great feedback about Stephanie’s work from both clients and trusted colleagues. Stephanie niches in pre-pub adult nonfiction and historical fiction.
Melissa Sones Consulting: An Awards Marketing Company, Melissa’s expertise is in applying for business awards and her clients tend to take top honors at the American Business Awards, International Business Awards, Stevie Awards for Women in Business. She knows how to develop a compelling story around your accomplishments.
PR Leads: If you’d like a low cost option ($99/month) that provides high quality leads (queries from journalists and media producers), focuses on leads just in your expertise area and provides training, sign up for PR Leads.
Self Publishing Consultants and Book Shepherds
These folks can take your written book and help you through the entire self publishing process–from choosing a cover design, layout designer and publisher to helping you choose paper stock and print dimensions. If you don’t want to teach yourself all the details of self-publishing, their services can both save you time and help you publish a professional looking book that brands you and your message and saves you from mistakes of novices.
My publisher, Tamara Monosoff offers publishing packages and, if you like, will even add QR codes (which can be scanned with a phone to play videos that go with your chapters–a fabulous marketing tool!). Tamara is the publisher of my latest book, The Joy of Writing Journal: Spark Your Creativity in 8 Minutes a Day. She’s amazing!
Howard Van Es offers a full array of self-publishing services and has expertise on book marketing on Amazon, in particular.
John Reizer will do it all for you—book cover, layout, website, press release (and put it on search engines) and get your book printed and in e-book formats as well. His prices are reasonable and he does a very professional job.
Martha Rhodes: A former advertising executive turned author, she has advised several of my clients on self-publishing decisions while going through the process herself.
Webinar and Teleconference Resources
Zoom: I now use zoom and have been happy with their services.i
AudioAcrobat: to record conference calls, teleseminars (you can turn these recordings into a product, too!), webinars, coaching sessions (some clients love that): $99 every 6 months. Even though Zoom records calls, I often use audioacrobat to record individual sessions or material for my audio recordings that accompany my self study programs and to store many of my audios and videos in a convenient way.
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Photography
My photographer is the bomb. He captures the essence of his subjects, is highly creative, and puts you at ease–we automatically look 10 years younger when relaxed! If you’re in Rhode Island, check out Seth Jacobson Photography.
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Newsletters
Infusionsoft: This is the product I use for my shopping cart, newsletters and affiliate program. It manages everything and is a full CRM (customer resource management) tool. However, it’s not simple to use. My VA does most of the work with it and she often has to call support to get things done. If you don’t have a VA, I would not suggest using it. If you are looking for lots of CRM capabilities it’s worth exploring.
Constant Contact: I used to use this for my newsletters before my list got big enough that the cost was not longer competitive. Also, it isn’t completely integrated with some shopping carts so do your research.
Mail Chimp: Another service that starts out free and goes up with the number of contacts.
Digital Media and Website Design
Natalie McGuire Design is my new web designer and does an excellent job. She’s also super-responsive when you need a change.
Boomtown Internet Group specializes in Creative Web design, Custom Web development, Open source customization, PHP Development, Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimization & Social Media Optimization, Email Marketing and Affiliate Marketing etc. They host and maintain my site, help me with SEO, security and other issues and have designed great sites for a number of my clients.
Video Production / Editing
Ian Garlic and his company Authentic Web are amazing – they help you capture customer/client stories (better than testimonials!) and use them as a powerful marketing strategy and for SEO.
Daylight Films
Local to Rhode Island. Have done a great job shooting and edited several of my videos including speaking video. while their website and business is now more wedding oriented, they do business video as well.
Branding, Logos, etc.
Our new designer, Natalie McGuire Design came highly recommended when our previous designer closed her web/design business. We’ve been very happy and look forward to some bigger projects with Natalie.
ShahZadiqbal on Fiverr.com has done lots of excellent design work for us at a great price—from formatting course materials to look fun and inviting (as well as useful) to doing the layout and formatting of our ebooks.
Communications, Products, Printing
Vervante: Produces our course materials: spiral binder workbook, thick looseleaf binder, both with CDs in them. They offer competitive pricing and quality. They do fulfillment, design, CDs, DVDs, course materials, etc. Great for CD covers, etc. And we have been extremely happy with their customer service.
Podcasting: Training, Editing, Production and Publishing
Fast Twitch Media: Dan Thibeault, founder of Fast Twitch Media, edited and perfected the 30+ videos for the Joy of Writing Journal. He added background music, found great images when needed, created the playful animated introduction to all the videos, gave me great ideas, and was just an invaluable asset to my book team. He’s a joy to work with and super generous person, too. A great experience in every way.
Patricia Raskin: I’ve known Patricia for well over a decade and she is one of the most positive people I know. A pioneer in positivity, radio and, now, podcasting, Patricia offers training packages to the aspiring podcaster. She will train you to do all the aspects of podcasting.
Donna Mac Voiceovers, Audio Production, Audience Coach
Donna Mac can help you conceptualize, produce, and deliver audio messages to your audience that are concise and powerful. She can be the voice of your company, or help you find new power in your own voice. Professional services include voiceovers, complete, state-of-the-art audio studio services, and audience coaching – helping you speak in a way that will move and motivate your target audience.
Audio and Audio Books
Donna Mac Voiceovers, Audio Production, Audience Coach
Donna Mac can help you conceptualize, produce, and deliver audio messages to your audience that are concise and powerful. She can be the voice of your company, or help you find new power in your own voice. Professional services include voiceovers, complete, state-of-the-art audio studio services, and audience coaching – helping you speak in a way that will move and motivate your target audience.
Chart Productions, run by WBZ host Jordan Rich, can record your audio book – author read or by a professional voice over artist.
Organizations
The Authors Guild: This professional organization supports and protects authors and “the writing life.” Services include guidance on the publishing process, advice and contract reviews, book marketing resources. The organization is also an advocate for authors and the writing life.
The International Women Writers Guild: Great conferences and resources for new and established writers–and anyone can join (men, too, unpublished writers, etc.). A great place to feel a sense of community; learn from writers, agents and publishers; pitch to agents and more. Great conferences!
Editing Software
Autocrit offers manuscript editing software.
Social Media Marketing
I’ve known the awesome Jamie Palmer of Outlier Marketing Group for over a decade and it’s been exciting to see her business grow. Jamie offers both DIY and DFY programs for social media, and website design, as well.
Cathy Turney’s award winning book Get 10,000 Twitter Followers: Quickly, Easily , Ethically is a great resource.
Blogs for Authors
Here are some of my favorite writing and publishing blogs:
Jane Friedman ‘s blog is arguably the greatest resource on book publishing and writing advice.
The Book Designer, founded by the late Joel Friedlander, offers great information on book design and more.
Live Write Thrive, CS Lakin’s blog is particularly apt for fiction writers.
Positive Writer Bryan Hutchison
Business and Marketing
Tamara Monosoff offers excellent advice for authors on how to make money with their books and how to use video and other strategies to sell more books on Amazon.com.
Jamie Palmer of Outlier Marketing Group helps authors and entrepreneurs develop a sales funnel and business strategy, including help with market identification, marketing, sales copy, developing content and more.
Disclosure: I am an affiliate for some of these companies in which case I receive a commission when you use the link I provided. For others, I do not receive a commission. In all cases, I am referring those companies and individuals who I deem offer the highest value services and either I use them and/or my clients or mentors have.
