Coaching for Prospective Authors

If you are an author with an important message that you wish to share, and that the world needs to hear,  and would like some help in navigating all the intricacies of publishing your new book, this is the right place for you!

There are three ways to get a book published:

  1. Work through a conventional publisher: they control everything (paper quality, fonts and design, cover, distribution and pricing), own the rights to the book, let you buy books from them at 50% discount, and will pay you royalties of around 10% of sales. They will place your book in retail stores and online. You will be responsible for marketing, editing and other prep costs. They will fall in love with you, but it is a short romance—about 90 days, and then they are onto the next thing, and you will need to fend for yourself.
  2. Self-publishing: There are several companies that will take on your publishing project, and even Amazon offers their own imprint. The benefit is that you get a published book without having to figure out the details of the publishing industry or finding freelance professionals you can trust. The best and most expensive services (which can easily exceed $30,000) offer a quality experience that is comparable to working with a traditional publisher. The challenge with self-publishing is getting a quality product that the author is excited about.
  3. Direct publishing: You do everything yourself to get your book published.

We coach you through option 3.

The Secretan Center has a long experience in publishing. Lance Secretan’s first books were published through traditional publishers, but he soon realized that the support publishers are prepared to give you (unless you’re Margaret Atwood or Stephen King) is minimal. Support from publishers is quite robust to begin with, but soon after, you will find yourself on your own. The publishing world is a tricky place to navigate and there are many more steps involved than at first appears. After reclaiming the publishing rights for his previous books (except for one which continues to sell well, so Wiley won’t release the rights!) and publishing 22 of his own books, as well as publishing the works of other authors, The Secretan Center has learned its way around the navigational hazards of publishing. (Check out two of the books we recently published: The Cardinal of Marmaduke Abbey and Peak Performers).

What You Will Gain Through Author Coaching with Lance Secretan

We’ve worked with a lot of freelance organizations, and over many years, we have discovered who the quality players are. We know who does the best work in each of the specialized components of publishing. This has become our publishing network.

What we can offer you is a handholding experience, coaching and professional advice that will shortcut the entire experience, freeing you up to do what you do best (pouring your heart and soul into your book) and ensure that you end up with a high-quality book that will look like it was produced by a high-end New York publishing house. This includes:

Coaching as often as it is helpful to you, focusing on content, design, market opportunities, and whatever it takes to make a successful book, including:

  1. Connecting you with a top-flight editor
  2. Arranging for the cover design of your book
  3. Arranging for the layout design of your book
  4. Connecting you with a high-quality printer for your book
  5. Helping you get your webpage designed and web domain name(s) registered
  6. Helping you to upload your new book to all the digital retail sites
  7. Advising you on pricing and discounting
  8. Helping you create a digital/Kindle version of your book
  9. Helping you to create an Audible version of your book
  10. Connecting you with app developers to support mobile apps linked to your book
  11. Filing all the legal documents and government papers necessary, including obtaining an ISBN number, bar code, Library in Congress (US) and Catalogue in Print (Canada) registrations
  12. Helping you to protect your intellectual property, and where necessary, register trademarks and copyrighted materials
  13. Helping to obtain editorial reviews and endorsements
  14. Supporting you in obtaining permissions and copyright exemptions
  15. Submitting to Access Copyright Canada and other copyright organizations
  16. Strategizing around domestic and international publishing rights.
  17. Helping to strategize marketing options and connecting you with media outlets that can be helpful.

Our end goal when Lance Secretan and his team become an author’s coach is to guide you through the entire process of writing, production, launching and marketing your book, and making sure it is as successful and as beautiful as possible—and ensuring that everyone else loves your new book as much as you do.

Contact us for more information at info@secretan.com. We can discuss our fees and “heartstorm” your book baby with you.