Episode 219: Book Publishing Project Management: What Business Owners Get Wrong

Sep 16

In this episode, Jodi welcomes back Ashley Shepard to talk about book publishing project management and dispel one of the biggest myths in book publishing today: that self-publishing equals total DIY. Jodi and Ashley talk about how publishing is an investment, whether of time, money, energy, or a mix of all three.

Time Stamps:

00:00 – Welcome back, Ashley
02:00 – The myth that self-publishing means total DIY
04:00 – Publishing as an investment: time, money, energy
06:00 – Capacity vs. bandwidth, and why we overestimate our energy
11:00 – The "if you want it fast, it's not going to be cheap" rule
14:00 – Project management for publishing: aligning your book with your business goals
18:00 – Coaching, consistency, and the value of an outside perspective
21:00 – Vetting a publishing partner: referrals, reviews, and the Olivia Benson approach
24:00 – Red flag: bulk book packages and why Ashley avoids them
26:00 – Reading your contract and asking about rights and royalties
29:00 – The non-negotiables: cover designer, formatter, editor
33:00 – The "queen bee" concept and protecting your income-producing activities

Keywords:
self-publishing, book publishing strategist, business owner authors, publishing as an investment, capacity vs bandwidth, book formatting, cover design, professional book editing, hiring a book editor, publishing project management, vetting a publishing partner, book contracts, rights and royalties, lead magnet book, nonfiction book for business, author coaching, profitable publishing, book launch strategy, queen bee role, income-producing activities, DIY book publishing myths, traditional vs self-publishing, publishing red flags, book as a marketing asset, hiring contractors for your book, book editing myths

Resources Mentioned:

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Profitable Publishing Episode 16

Profitable Publishing Episode 7Clockwork by Mike Michalowicz

About Our Guest:

Ashley Shepard is a self-publishing consultant and book marketing strategist based in the metro Atlanta, GA area. As the owner of Shep Publishing House, Ashley helps self-published authors get from the page to the people™with efficient and effective marketing strategies.

Client wins include selling 100 books sold in a week, $10,000 made in presale revenue, speaking gigs secured, book launch parties sold out, and much more. Shep Publishing House focuses on helping authors connect with their audience to publish profitably.

With a background in literacy, teacher coaching, and staff development, Ashley is able to explain complex marketing and publishing ideas in simple terms to help authors and entrepreneurs reach their goals. Unlike most book marketers and publishers, Ashley has the unique quality of being a best selling author herself. This insight helps her to make realistic suggestions and effective options to support client needs.

Book Site: www.ProfitableSelfPublishing.com

Main Site: Www.ShepPublishingHouse.com

Facebook: www.Facebook.com/ShepPublishing

Threads: https://www.threads.net/@ShepPublishing

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ShepPublishing

Instagram: www.Instagram.com/ShepPublishing

LINK TO FULL EPISODE (RAW) TRANSCRIPT:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gQRNy4il7q1fni72sVY0QzlMbtaJVeuXblf0PX5lan0/edit?usp=sharing