No … and that’s by design. Traditional publishers acquire your manuscript, own your rights, and pay you a royalty, usually a small one, on their timeline, not yours. Self-publishing means you do everything yourself, or hire out pieces of it individually. What we do sits in between, but closer to full ownership: you invest in the production of your book, direct every decision, and walk away owning 100% of your rights and royalties, always. You’re not giving anything up — you’re paying for expertise, not a publisher’s approval. We’re a global team, licensed and insured, ready to bring your book idea to life with the structure and professionalism it deserves.
Yes, always — all of them. That’s not a sales pitch, it’s the actual answer. You retain 100% of your rights and all royalties on your book, published under your own retailer account with full visibility into your sales and the ability to make updates whenever you choose. Your manuscript, your cover, your files — all of it stays yours from day one. There’s no fine print buried in a contract giving someone else a cut of your future; you’re paying for the labor and expertise to bring your book to life professionally, and everything it produces belongs to you. If a publishing agreement doesn’t say that in plain language, read it twice.
An award-winning author, founder of Amazingly Published, and a recognized authority in leadership and learning development. She’s sold more than 35,000 books and been featured by NPR, ESPN Radio, the American Library Association, the Association for Talent Development and Stars & Stripes.
As involved as you choose to be but the vision stays yours. We build in structured checkpoints at every major stage, from manuscript edits to cover design, so your book reflects your voice and your standards from start to finish.
Every author wants a firm number here, and I understand why — but the honest answer is: it depends on the scope of your project, and on you. Timelines vary depending on the scope of your project and the services you choose. Once we understand what you’re looking for, we’ll give you a realistic timeline for your specific book. The single biggest factor after that isn’t your publishing team, it’s how quickly you respond to feedback, approve proofs, and make decisions — a book moves quickly when an author is engaged and responsive, and stalls when they’re not. If life gets in the way, we’ll work with you to adjust. And if someone gives you an exact promise with no caveats, ask more questions.
Publishing your book is only half the win. Some of our packages include launch support and ongoing marketing, giving you a partner well beyond publication day. You choose the level of support that fits.
Book a call with our team. We’ll ask about your project, your audience, and where you want this book to take you — then map out the path that fits. Every project starts with strategy, not a sales pitch.
I get asked this more than almost anything else, and I get why. Nobody wants to commit to a number without knowing what it buys. Here’s the honest answer: it depends on what you’re building. A simple, professionally designed book starts around a few thousand dollars. A full curriculum built to sell into schools and organizations is a different investment entirely, because it’s a different kind of asset. What doesn’t change is this: you should always know exactly what you’re paying for, line by line, before you commit. If an agency can’t tell you that, that’s your answer right there.
ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number, think of it as your book’s social security number. It’s a unique code that identifies your specific book, in its specific format, so retailers, libraries, and distributors all know exactly what they’re looking at. Short answer: yes, you need one if you want to sell your book through retailers. Longer answer: it depends on how many formats you’re publishing. Each format, paperback, hardcover, ebook, needs its own ISBN. Think of it like a fingerprint. One book, three formats, three ISBNs. You can buy them yourself through Bowker, or your publishing team can guide you through it.
These get confused constantly, and they protect very different things. Copyright protects your actual written work, the words on the page — you get this automatically the moment you write something original, no paperwork required, though registering it strengthens your legal protection. Trademark protects a name, phrase, or brand, like a book title that’s becoming a series, or a character people will recognize; that one takes an application. If you’re planning to build a series, or if your character has real potential to become a brand, trademarking is worth looking into — I trademarked And That’s Okay!®, because I knew from the beginning it wasn’t going to be one book, it was going to be a body of work. If you’re writing a single, standalone title, it may not be necessary yet. But if you’re building something you want to protect and grow, don’t wait until someone else claims it first.
“Format” just means the physical or digital version your book comes in — there are more options than most first-time authors realize. Paperback: affordable, lightweight, the most common format, and almost always the right first move if your budget only allows one to start. Hardcover: more durable, signals prestige, and many libraries prefer it for exactly that reason. Ebook: digital, no printing or shipping, opens the door to readers who never buy print at all and to library lending systems that only carry digital copies. Audiobook: narrated, growing fast, reaches readers who “read” during a commute or workout. You don’t need all four to launch, but each format reaches a different reader — the more you offer, the more types of readers you can actually reach.
This is the part most authors don’t picture clearly, so here’s the real order of operations. First, a questionnaire, so your team understands your vision beyond just the words on the page. Then design begins: interior formatting, cover concepts, illustrations if needed. You’ll review proofs and give feedback along the way. Once everything’s approved, files go final, and your book becomes ready to publish. The one variable that changes this timeline more than anything else? How quickly you respond at each step.
Both let you publish and distribute your book, but they’re not interchangeable. Amazon KDP gets your book on Amazon, fast, easy, and it’s where most individual readers will find you. IngramSpark distributes far more broadly, bookstores, libraries, and retailers beyond Amazon, but it takes more setup and a bit more patience. If you only want Amazon sales, KDP alone is fine. If you want your book to have a real shot at bookstores and libraries, you need both.
If you plan to sell in physical stores, yes. The barcode on the back of your book is generated from your ISBN, it’s what a cashier scans at checkout, and what a bookstore uses to track inventory on their shelves. If you’re only selling digitally or exclusively through Amazon, you can technically skip it, Amazon generates its own tracking behind the scenes. But if there’s any chance your book ends up in a bookstore, library, or boutique shop, the barcode needs to be there.
Trim size is simply the finished, physical dimensions of your book, the height and width once it’s printed and, well, trimmed to size. A children’s picture book might be 8.5 x 8.5 inches. A novel is often 5.5 x 8.5 inches. The trim size you choose affects everything: how illustrations get laid out, how the book feels in someone’s hands, even printing cost.
