Guided Publishing · One package · $2,250 · Focused 90-day engagement
Publish independently. Not blindly.
Guidance for this book. Knowledge for the next. Guided Publishing is one fixed $2,250 package — a focused 90-day professional engagement for an author who intends to manage the publishing work. We set the publishing direction, then apply professional judgement at each major publishing milestone, ending in a production-ready handoff. You complete or obtain the work and run your own platform account.
- One fixed price
- $2,250, paid in full before activation
- Focused term
- A 90-day engagement from your activation date
- Five major milestones
- Direction, cover, interior, publishing setup, handoff
- Stops at
- Production-ready — ready for you to submit
Come ready to work. Leave ready to submit.
Before you choose Guided Publishing
You manage the project and your providers. Self Publish Me provides independent publishing guidance at the major milestones, across a focused 90-day engagement.
A typical Guided Publishing author creates their own cover in Canva, Affinity or Adobe software — or hires their own designer. They format their own interior in Word, Atticus, Vellum or InDesign — or hire their own formatter. Then they bring those finished or near-finished results to Self Publish Me at the next major publishing milestone.
We review those items from a publishing and production standpoint, identify concerns, explain them plainly, and clarify the appropriate next step. We do not become the designer, formatter, file repair service, project manager or KDP operator under the Guided Publishing fee. We also do not teach those applications or provide unlimited calls and messages. Guided Publishing covers established publishing decisions and production requirements for standard print or POD submission — not custom marketing, sales, business-model, licensing or unconventional distribution strategy. If you want Self Publish Me to physically perform professional production work, that is separately assessed and separately contracted, or a Done For You project.
- Step 1
Create or hire
You make the cover and interior yourself, or you hire your own provider.
- Step 2
Submit at a milestone
You bring the finished or near-finished result to the next major publishing milestone.
- Step 3
Self Publish Me reviews
We review it from a publishing and production standpoint, explain the findings, and answer one round of clarifying questions on them.
- Step 4
You make or obtain corrections
You fix it, or send it back to your designer, formatter or provider.
- Step 5
Production-ready handoff
We confirm the appropriate next publishing step, up to readiness for submission.
The author does
- Creates or obtains the cover, interior and any editing
- Manages any providers they hire
- Makes or obtains every correction
- Uploads files and enters listing information
- Owns and operates their own KDP account
- Keeps the project moving
Self Publish Me does
- Establishes publishing direction at the start
- Performs the defined Publishing Reviews
- Identifies publishing and production concerns
- Explains the findings in plain language
- Confirms the appropriate next publishing step
Not part of Guided Publishing
- Designing your cover
- Formatting your interior
- Repairing your files
- Managing your outside providers
- Chasing deadlines for you
- Operating your KDP account
- Uploading or submitting the book
- Marketing, sales or business strategy
Are you ready for Guided Publishing?
Guided Publishing works best for an author who is ready to actively move a book forward over the next 90 days. A good fit usually looks like this:
A good fit right now
- Your manuscript is complete — this is not manuscript-development coaching.
- You are prepared to work on the project actively during the next 90 days.
- You can create or obtain the cover, interior and any editing, or you already have providers for it.
- You are ready to make ordinary publishing decisions and respond in a timely way.
- You understand you manage your project and providers, and operate your own POD or printer account.
Better to begin later
- You are still writing or still rewriting the manuscript.
- You have no realistic way yet to obtain the cover, interior or editing work.
- The next few months are not a period when you can move the project.
None of that is a problem — it simply means a later start is better. The free Publishing Starting Point, Self-Publishing Foundations and the Publishing Director are available in the meantime, and Done For You exists if you would rather the work be handled for you.
How you begin
A free Fit Consultation comes first.
Nobody should go from a webpage straight to a $2,250 payment. We talk first, confirm the engagement fits your project, and only then does anything become formal.
01
Request a free Fit Consultation
A short, no-obligation conversation about where your project stands, what you believe you need, and whether Guided Publishing is the right engagement right now. It is not a sales call.
02
We confirm fit and readiness
We confirm responsibilities, the $2,250 price, the 90-day term and the production-ready stopping point — so nothing about the engagement is a surprise.
03
You receive a concise engagement summary
A short written summary and agreement stating the included milestones, the boundaries of the service, the activation date and the term.
04
Payment in full, then activation
Guided Publishing is $2,250, paid in full before activation. Your Publishing Workspace opens and the 90 days begin on the activation date.
05
Publishing Direction begins
The engagement opens with the scheduled direction consultation and a written publishing direction summary. The free Fit Consultation is a separate, earlier conversation.
Guided Publishing is designed for authors who plan to create or obtain their own publishing materials and want professional judgement at the major publishing milestones. If you want Self Publish Me to perform the production work, choose Done For You or request separate professional work.
Request a Free Guided Publishing Fit ConsultationFree, no obligation, and not a sales call. The Fit Consultation is separate from the paid Publishing Direction milestone.
How Guided Publishing works
Publishing direction at the start, then the major publishing milestones.
Every engagement begins by establishing direction. From there, the human guidance points are the major milestones below, ending in a production-ready handoff. Between them, the work is yours.
Start
Publishing Direction
The engagement opens with a scheduled professional direction consultation: what you intend to publish, in which formats, what you already have, which production and publishing items are still needed, the sequence and the responsibilities. This is not manuscript evaluation or writing guidance.
A written publishing direction summary, and what you are responsible for handling.
01
Cover Milestone — Cover Publishing Review
You submit the cover or full wrap you created or obtained. We review its publishing and production fitness: intended trim, resolution, bleed and safe areas, spine and full-wrap considerations, and obvious technical suitability.
You receive our findings plus one clarification round on those findings. This is not art direction or redesign — corrections are made by you, your designer, or as separately contracted work.
02
Interior Milestone — Interior Publishing Review
You submit the formatted interior you created or obtained. We review page dimensions, margins and gutter, bleed where applicable, pagination, obvious layout or production problems, and general technical fitness.
Findings plus one clarification round. This is not editing the manuscript and not formatting the book. Professional formatting is separate work.
03
Publishing Setup Milestone
We review your standard publishing setup decisions: ISBN and imprint choice, formats, title and subtitle presentation, book description and metadata, categories and keywords, normal list-price considerations and production specifications for your title.
Findings plus one clarification round. You remain responsible for entering the information and operating your own platform account.
04
Production-Ready Handoff
The natural final milestone. We review whether you have the files, specifications, publishing information and resolved standard publishing decisions needed to submit the project to your chosen POD platform or commercial printer. The outcome is one of three: production-ready and ready for submission; corrections or standard publishing decisions still needed; or separate professional production work recommended.
Includes the final findings and a closing hand-off discussion as appropriate. Guided Publishing ends at readiness for submission — uploading and submitting to Amazon KDP, another POD platform or a printer is a separate stage, and platform approval is never guaranteed.
How a review runs
Each included Publishing Review has a clear beginning and end: you submit the required material, we review it, the findings are delivered with one clarification round on those findings, and that review closes. A new version, a substantially revised file, a new issue or an additional formal review is not automatically included, and unused reviews expire at the end of the 90-day term.
What you are paying for
Professional judgement, not file inspection.
Guided Publishing is not “we look at your files”. It is professional publishing guidance applied at the points where mistakes are expensive.
Professional publishing direction
You start with a clear picture of what you are publishing, in what order, and who is responsible for what.
Professional judgement at the major milestones
An experienced publishing view of the cover, interior and setup decisions that are expensive to get wrong.
Problems found before production
Publishing and production concerns are identified and explained before you submit anything to a platform or printer.
Clear explanations and next steps
You are told what matters, why it matters, and what the appropriate next publishing step is.
Knowledge you keep
You learn the publishing process by moving your own book through it, and what you learn stays with you.
Production-ready handoff
The engagement closes with a straight answer on whether the project is ready for submission.
Starting at the beginning
You have a manuscript and have not begun production yet. We set the publishing direction before you spend money or time in the wrong order.
Already underway
You already have a cover, an interior, or a designer, formatter, editor, publisher or consultant in motion. Guided Publishing can begin with the project exactly where it stands today.
Already working with another provider?
That is perfectly fine. Guided Publishing can begin with your project where it stands today, alongside whoever you have hired.
- We review the publishing work and decisions presented to us within our engagement.
- We do not supervise your provider, interpret their agreement or promises, or determine contractual responsibility.
- We do not mediate disputes, take sides, or criticise or defend another provider's philosophy or service.
- If we identify a publishing concern, we explain the concern, why it matters, and what must be resolved before moving forward.
- Working with your provider — or choosing a different solution — remains yours.
5.0 out of 5, from 100 Google reviews
Guided Publishing is new, but responsive personal guidance has long been part of Self Publish Me. See customer reviews.
All my questions were answered and addressed in a timely manner.
Who does what
You manage and complete the work. We review it.
You are responsible for
- Completing the manuscript
- Arranging editing or proofreading if needed
- Creating or obtaining the cover
- Creating or obtaining the interior formatting
- Making corrections
- Managing outside providers
- Maintaining their own POD or printer account
- Entering information, uploading files and submitting the book
- Keeping the project moving within the 90 days
Self Publish Me is responsible for
- Establishing the publishing direction
- Providing professional judgement at each major publishing milestone
- Identifying publishing and production concerns reasonably observable in those reviews
- Explaining the findings plainly, with one clarification round per review
- Confirming the appropriate next publishing step, up to the production-ready handoff
Completing the project is not Self Publish Me's responsibility on this path.
What the guidance covers
Standard publishing decisions and production requirements.
We help you navigate the publishing process — not build a business or marketing strategy around the book.
Guided Publishing covers established publishing decisions and production requirements for preparing a book for standard print or POD submission. It does not include custom marketing, sales, business-model, licensing, promotional or unconventional distribution strategy.
In scope
- Trim size
- Print format and binding choices within ordinary publishing practice
- Interior production specifications
- Cover and full-wrap requirements
- ISBN and imprint choices
- Title and subtitle presentation
- Book description and metadata
- Categories and keywords
- Normal list-price considerations
- Standard file readiness
- Readiness for submission to a conventional POD platform or commercial printer
Not part of Guided Publishing
- Custom marketing strategy, promotional campaigns, advertising strategy
- Sales campaigns, funnels, affiliate schemes or direct-sales systems
- Author business-model development, licensing or revenue schemes
- Custom subscription concepts or unusual bulk-sales structures
- Experimental or unconventional distribution arrangements
- Assessing whether an author's own marketing, sales or publishing-business concept will work
- Interpreting or mediating another provider's promises or business model
Normal book list-price considerations are a publishing decision we can review. Designing your broader pricing, discount, sales or business strategy is not part of Guided Publishing.
Communication & support
Human guidance tied to your milestones.
You will not be left wondering what our review means. Each major publishing milestone includes our professional findings and an opportunity to clarify those findings.
The Publishing Workspace is the official record
Reviews, decisions, files, findings and next steps live in one place, so the project record is never scattered across inboxes.
Publishing Direction includes a scheduled consultation
A professional kickoff and direction consultation, followed by a written direction summary.
Each Publishing Review includes one clarification round
Consolidated questions about our own findings for that milestone. Not unlimited coaching, software tutoring, repeated file reviews or new consulting topics.
Brief updates by text or email
Self Publish Me may send short updates, reminders, clarifications and prompts to check the workspace by SMS or email.
General questions between milestones
The Publishing Director answers ordinary general publishing questions any time, at no cost.
A clarification round means consolidated questions about our own findings. It is not unlimited coaching, software tutoring, repeated file reviews or new consulting topics, and phone access is not open-ended.
Authors already understand this about editing.
Most authors accept that professional editing matters, because important weaknesses are far better found before release than after it. Publishing and production decisions deserve the same seriousness: trim, cover specifications, interior production, ISBN and imprint choices and setup decisions are all easier to get right before you submit than to unwind afterwards.
Guided Publishing puts experienced publishing judgement in front of those decisions while you still control them. It is not a promise that every possible issue will be caught, and it is not a criticism of authors who publish alone — it is professional oversight at the points where it counts.
What it does not include
- Unlimited phone calls, drop-in consultations, unlimited email or text questions, or continuous on-demand access. Human questions stay tied to a review, decision or defined milestone.
- Repeated reviews of the same file. A new version, a substantially revised file, a new issue or an additional formal review is not automatically included.
- Ongoing project management, vendor supervision or deadline chasing. Keeping the project moving is yours.
- Manuscript development coaching, writing help, story or chapter organisation, and literary critique.
- Editing, proofreading, cover design, interior formatting, file repair or production, eBook production, uploading or publishing actions — unless separately contracted.
- Uploading or submitting the book to Amazon KDP, another POD platform or a commercial printer. The package ends at the production-ready handoff.
- Custom marketing, sales, promotional, licensing, business-model or unconventional distribution strategy. Legal, tax and rights advice.
Professional work is separate
If a review finds a problem with your cover, interior, editing or files, there are three clean options:
- 1You correct it yourself.
- 2You send it back to your designer, formatter or provider.
- 3You separately hire Self Publish Me to do the professional work, where it is work we offer.
One package · Paid in full · Focused 90 days
- Guided Publishing is a single fixed package at $2,250, paid in full before activation. There are no tiers, add-on levels or hourly billing.
- The engagement is a focused 90 days, beginning on the activation date after agreement and payment.
- The written agreement states the included milestones, the activation date and the term.
- Unused milestone reviews expire at the end of the 90-day term unless Self Publish Me expressly agrees otherwise in writing.
- Waiting on your own designer, formatter or editor, travel, changing priorities or inactivity do not automatically extend the term. If a delay is ours, we deal with it fairly.
- New or materially changed files, new problems and additional formal reviews are separately assessed.
Production-ready handoff
The milestones are complete and the project is confirmed ready for submission to your chosen platform or printer.
Closed with items outstanding
The engagement is complete but corrections or standard publishing decisions remain yours to resolve before submitting.
Expanded
You ask Self Publish Me to perform specific professional production work, or to handle submission. That work is separately assessed, agreed and priced.
General questions between reviews
The Publishing Director is available for ordinary general publishing questions, and can relate answers to what you have recorded in your Book Publishing Profile in this browser. It does not replace a human Publishing Review: it does not review your manuscript content, make consequential publishing decisions for you, or take actions on your behalf.
One package · One price · 90 days
Guided Publishing is $2,250.
One fixed package of project-based professional publishing guidance: publishing direction at the start, professional judgement at each major publishing milestone, and a production-ready handoff at the end. There are no tiers to compare and no hourly billing. It is paid in full before activation, and the written agreement states the milestones, the boundaries of the service and the 90-day term before you commit to anything.
One fixed package · $2,250 · focused 90-day engagement. It begins with a free Fit Consultation and ends at the production-ready handoff — submitting the book to Amazon KDP, another POD platform or a printer is a separate stage.
Guided Publishing is designed for authors who plan to create or obtain their own publishing materials and want professional judgement at the major publishing milestones. If you want Self Publish Me to perform the production work, choose Done For You or request separate professional work.
If you later want Self Publish Me to take over specific work, or to handle submission, it becomes separately assessed professional work or a Done For You project, by written agreement. See what a full project covers.