Getting started is often the hardest thing, especially if you’re new to the publishing world. Here are a few questions you might want to consider:
- Do you have a great idea for a book that can help your business but no time to write it?
- Have you just finished the first draft of your manuscript and you are in need a professional editor, or has it already been brilliantly edited by a seasoned pro and you just need a polish?
- Do you have a cover concept in your mind, or do you need inspiration from a professional artist?
- Are you looking for an illustrator for your book? Or a gifted designer to lay out the inside?
- Have you finished your book but need help with marketing?
In order to answer the above questions, you need to familiarize yourself with the three main publishing options available to most authors: do you want to publish your business book traditionally, dive into the do-it-yourself model or use the assisted self-publishing model (aka author-services model)?
Let’s discuss the pros and cons of each option:
Do It Yourself:
The do-it-yourself model has the lowest barriers to entry – basically anyone can upload a PDF to Amazon and call themselves published. But to put out a quality book that opens doors and takes businesses and careers to the next level is quite a different matter. Although taking the DIY route may be a cost-effective option for non-professional writers, business authors cannot afford to cut corners when it comes to editing, book and cover design and marketing. As a result, you’ll need to hire and project-manage a large number of freelance professionals and suppliers, such as editors, proofreaders, cover designers, typesetters, printers, and book promotion specialists. In addition, you’ll have to obtain ISBNs, barcodes and Library of Congress cataloguing data.
Traditional Publishing:
Traditional publishing, by contrast, has the highest barriers to entry but the lowest personal cost. However, it’s extremely hard to get picked up by an agent (to say nothing of a publisher) if you’re an unknown, first-time author. It’s certainly not impossible, but if you feel this is your path then you want to ensure that your manuscript is the absolute best it can be (solid editing and proofreading are both a must) before you send it off as a submission. Once accepted, however, your publisher will take care of the rest of the production issues, but marketing will still be somewhat your responsibility.
Assisted Self-Publishing:
Assisted self-publishing is the middle ground that takes advantage of the resources available to traditional publishers (e.g. ghost writers, professional editors, proofreaders, designers, book promotion and marketing specialists, etc.) but is offered to you as a turn-key service. In this model, you leave the end-to-end project management and service delivery to an author services firm like Cascadia Author Services, who will in turn guide you through every step of the publishing process to completion. In terms of financial commitment, author services are more cost effective than the piece-meal hiring of freelancers due to the efficiency of economies of scale. In our opinion, assisted self-publishing is the ideal solution for busy, time-constrained business authors that require a high-quality product at a reasonable cost.
Next Steps
We pride ourselves on offering the best quality product for the price available anywhere in the industry, through understanding and focusing strictly on the specific needs of entrepreneurial authors. Take a quick glance through all the services we offer to get an idea of the scope of the project to produce your book, or better yet, use our contact form to book a 30-minute free consultation with one of our publishing consultants to help you decide what services you need to invest in for your book project to succeed.