Publishing consultation services at affordable rates.

I’ll help you avoid common and costly publishing mistakes and increase your chances of success.

How it Works

Start with a FREE 20-minute discussion of your publishing goals.

Select and request the consultation package that best serves your needs. (See options below)

Schedule a session. Times available Monday through Friday 9 AM–5 PM Pacific Standard Time.

1. Author Q&A session

$160. Includes up to 1 hour. $80 for additional hours.

Discuss anything you want. Ask any questions you have about how to publish your book, such as, how to prepare your manuscript, how to concept the book design, which printing method is best for your project, how to start marketing your book, or anything you need to know. I’m here to help you.

Ideal for first-time authors, self-published authors who want to rescue a failed publication, or successful authors looking to publish independently for the first time.

Get common questions answered. Should I self-publish? Can publishing help my business? How do I get a distributor? Will bookstores carry my book? Should I use POD or offset printing? Did the editor do a good job? My book is online—why is it not selling? I paid to have the book designed and formatted, so why does it look so bad? Get expert answers now!

2. Publishing Strategy Essentials

$160. Includes up to 1 hour.

Learn the pros and cons of different publishing methods

I’ll help you make informed decisions about whether self-publishing, independent publishing, or traditional publishing is the best strategy for your publishing goals and marketing abilities.

I’ll explain the pros and cons of each approach for your project as well as likely earning differences and common contract hazards to avoid.

3. Book Concept Evaluation

$160. Includes up to 1 hour. ($220 with #5 Marketing Strategy, additional hour)

Get your book evaluated by an expert and learn how to take it to the next level.

This consultation package is ideal for book project planning and/or self-publishing rescue. This consultation is ideal for how-to books, textbooks, children’s books, memoirs, autobiographies, and more. I will help you with concept evaluation, including content focus, identifying your unique selling point, discoverability, and best value proposition. For unpublished works, this consultation includes book product recommendations (such as book size, edition type, and user experience strategy) and requirements to make the manuscript publishable and print-ready. For previously published works that were unsuccessful, I’ll identify common conceptual, design, and production problems that can be fixed.

4. Print Strategy

$160. Includes up to 1 hour.

Making the right print decisions is crucial to success. I will help you select the best print strategy for your type of project and marketing abilities.

This consultation package explains the cost and quality differences between POD and Offset, competitive enhancement options for product differentiation, impact on order fulfillment, and how each method increases or decreases your marketing options.

5. Marketing Strategy

$160. Includes up to 1 hour. ($189 with #6 Endorsement Strategy, additional half-hour)

Marketing is the key to your success.

Align your book with a strong author online and social media branding strategy and discover which marketing methods are best suited for your abilities. Discuss topics such as

• Backcover sales copy
• Website ranking
• Blogging
• Social media campaigns
• Press releases

I’ll also help you with the crucial issues of discoverability, high-value keywords, your book’s value proposition, and more.

6. Endorsement Strategy

$80 Up to a half hour.

Your brand equity begins with strong reader endorsements.

I’ll explain how to select and motivate endorsers, the different types of endorsers, content presentation considerations, how to manage endorsement objectives, important placement strategies, and more.

7. Speaker Strategy Basics

$160. Includes up to 1 hour.

Increase speaker engagements and book sales.

This session is ideal for business professionals who want to use publishing to market and expand their businesses. Learn how to create and build a speaker brand, identify target audiences, develop service pitches and follow-up strategies, and more.

8. Your Personal Publishing Coach

Use Design For Books™ to design and format your book and get and get this $960 value for only $640!

Get start-to-finish professional publishing guidance for each stage of your book project. Get the consultation you need to navigate the content development, editing, design, cover text, retail requirements, and printing of your book. I’ll give you advice and tips on what to expect, mistakes to avoid, and ways to take your project to the next level.

Includes 7 consultation packages (Up to 6 and a half hours total. Good for 1 year.):

• Package 1. Author Q&A session
• Package 2. Publishing Strategy Essentials (regular $160 value)
• Package 3. Book Concept Evaluation (regular $160 value)
• Package 4. Print Strategy (regular $160 value)
• Package 5. Marketing Strategy (regular $160 value)
• Package 6. Endorsement Strategy (regular $80 value)
• Package 7. Speaker Strategy Basics (regular $80 value)

9. Self-publishing Book Rescue

A $960 value for only $640!

Ideal for authors who want to know if a failed self-published book can be salvaged. Includes an evaluation focused on the book product, the cover concept, the title’s discoverability, reader value proposition, keyword values, clarity of the unique selling point, the book design, the quality of the formatting and user experience, and print production values. This consultation also includes sample texts (front matter and chapter) evaluation.

Most self-published books fail to meet the production expectations of book professionals. Don’t allow your creative effort, time, and money to be wasted because of simple mistakes and shortcuts that discredit your publication, such as obvious editorial or typesetting mistakes, omissions, poor print quality, badly written back cover texts, or other common errors. Authors who take charge of their own publishing rarely understand the best practices used by established publishers to create trade-quality book projects. In fact, the term “trade quality” has no legal meaning and can be used by anyone for substandard work. Book professionals—distributors, reviewers, store buyers—easily recognize substandard publications and quickly disregard them long before even considering the author’s message or writing abilities.

For a full manuscript, review see Complete Manuscript Review package.

10. Complete Manuscript Review

Prices vary depending on project size and complexity

• $6–8 per page for manuscript assessments
• $6–18 per page for manuscript assessments with developmental editing

Ideal for authors who need help bringing a manuscript into form for publication. Whether you have a simple book, a self-help book, or a complex textbook, I can help you convert your rough manuscript into a book that readers find clear and easy to use.

I do both simple and in-depth manuscript assessments and provide developmental editing and content development services.

11. Copy Editing & Proofreading

Estimate and Sample Edit: $60

Copyediting: Focuses on ensuring consistent voice, identifying missing transitions and conclusions, editing sentence structure (such as parallel construction, subject-verb agreement, internal logical fallacies), usage, punctuation, and grammar according to conventions described in the Chicago Manual of Style or as directed.

12. Color Print Management Service

$460 if files prepared by Design For Books, $680 if files prepared by yourself or a different company.

Consultation includes common mistakes to avoid, advice for selecting paper, the best special effects for the project, and how to formulate a retail unit price based on print costs.

Service includes:

• 3 estimates (Options include 1 offshore and 2 stateside or 2 offshore and 1 stateside) from trusted vendors
• Pricing options for edition types (hardback and paperback)
• Pricing options for special effects and enhancements, such as embossing, spot varnishes, gate-folds, custom endpapers, foil and spot inks, etc.)
• Communication consultation: I will speak with the print representatives when needed to explain project goals and print expectations.
• Optional: You can route the color proofs and samples through our office for review.