Book publishing help: what to know

What the job involves, what changes the price, and what to ask a pro.

What book publishing help is

A book publishing consultant guides you through editing, cover design, formatting, printing or digital release, along with the ISBN and distribution steps, so your book can reach readers. The consultant helps you plan each stage and decide what to do yourself and what to hire out.

Signs you need it

  • You have a finished manuscript and do not know the steps between it and a printed or digital book.
  • You want to self publish and need help choosing between print, digital or both.
  • You are unsure what a cover designer, formatter or printer needs from you.
  • You have been quoted for publishing services and want an outside view of what you actually need.
  • You need an ISBN and want help understanding what it is for and how it is assigned.
  • You want your book distributed to readers and do not know how that works.

What the pro does

  • Reviews your manuscript and your goals, then plans the steps from editing to release.
  • Explains the choices for print, digital or both, with the file formats each one requires.
  • Coordinates or advises on the cover design, the interior formatting and the proofreading.
  • Helps you obtain or assign the ISBN and set up the book's details for listing and distribution.
  • Checks the final files against the requirements of the printer or the digital platform before release.

What changes the price

Every job is different, so we do not publish prices. These are the things that move the quote up or down.

  • Length and complexity of the book, including images, tables or footnotes.
  • Which stages you need help with, such as editing, cover, formatting, printing or distribution.
  • Number of formats, such as print, ebook and audiobook.
  • Whether the consultant manages the vendors or only advises you.
  • Number of revision rounds and the deadline for the release.
  • Whether ongoing support after release is included.

What a written quote should spell out

  • Which stages the consultant covers, and which you handle yourself.
  • The formats the book will be released in.
  • Who manages the printer, the cover designer and the formatter, and who pays them.
  • How the ISBN is obtained and who holds the account it is listed under.
  • Whether ongoing support after release is included, and for how long.

Questions to ask before you hire

  • Which stages of publishing do you handle, and which do I need to arrange myself?
  • Which formats do you recommend for my book, and why?
  • Who owns the ISBN and the files once the book is published?
  • How will you check the files before they go to the printer or the platform?
  • What happens after release, such as updates or corrections?
  • Can you show a book you helped publish, with the stages you handled noted?

Red flags

  • Promises that the book will sell, be reviewed or be picked up by a publisher.
  • Asks you to buy the ISBN through them without telling you who will own it.
  • Charges for services that are unclear, with no written list of what is included.
  • Pressures you to buy a package before you have decided what you need.
  • Will not explain the steps or the files required for print and digital release.

What you can do yourself

You can publish a digital book yourself using the files and steps that the platforms publish for authors, and you can learn the basics of formatting and cover design before you decide what to hire. Hire a publishing consultant when you want a print book with a professional finish, when you need help with the ISBN and distribution, or when you have tried to publish yourself and the files keep being rejected or the book does not look finished.

Licenses and permits

Book publishing help is not commonly licensed, so a license is usually not required for this work. Check with your state or local licensing agency about business rules that apply to you, and ask the consultant for examples of books they have prepared, with the stages they handled, as proof of skill.

Book publishing help questions

What is an ISBN?

An ISBN is a number that identifies a specific edition of a book in a format, such as a print or digital version. Each format and edition usually needs its own number. Ask the consultant how it is assigned and who holds the account it is listed under.

Should I self publish or look for a publisher?

It depends on your goals, how much control you want and how much work you are willing to do yourself. A publisher handles more work and makes its own decisions about the book. Self publishing gives you more control and more of the work. Ask the consultant to explain the trade-offs for your book.

Who owns the book after it is published?

The author should keep ownership of the manuscript and the files. Put that in the agreement with any consultant, along with who holds the ISBN and the listing account.

Pro reviewers

Pros who offer book publishing help remotely can improve this guide, like Wikipedia. We check every edit before it goes live. Every approved edit is credited in the edit history and on the pro's profile.

Edit history

How guide reviews work

How it works

  1. 1. Describe the job

    Pick the service, add your ZIP and a sentence about what is going on.

  2. 2. Pick the pros you want

    See screened pros who serve your ZIP and choose who you want to hear from.

  3. 3. They reach out

    They contact you the way you chose: phone, email or in-app messages.

More writing, editing and translation guides

Find a pro near you

Find a pro

About this guide

Request book publishing help