Six to eight months, strategy to market
The Authority Programme
By the end you do not simply have a published book. You have a position you can defend, a body of intellectual property built from it, and a campaign designed to put both in front of the people who decide things.
Publishing a book has never been easier. Publishing the right one, and then using it properly, is another matter.
Most authority books fail quietly. They are competently written, professionally produced, and then nothing happens, because nobody decided in advance what the book was for or who needed to encounter it. The manuscript was never the hard part. The argument is, and so is the twelve months afterwards.
How it runs
Four stages, in this order, for a reason.
Six to eight months end to end. The book is normally published around month six, and the campaign runs from that point onward.
Position
A full day together plus a written strategy document. We work out what you can credibly own that others cannot, who it matters to, and the specific commercial, professional or ministry job the book has to do. Nothing gets written until this is settled.
Extract
Interview-led. We draw the thinking out of you rather than asking you to find writing time you do not have, then structure and edit it until it reads like your strongest day. Three review points, agreed in advance.
Publish
Cover, interior, Nielsen ISBN, print-ready files, ebook, hardback where it fits, and worldwide distribution through IngramSpark, Gardners and Amazon. You retain publisher-of-record status and every penny of royalties.
Activate
A structured six-month campaign: podcast and speaking pitching at agreed volumes, a content series drawn from the book, and a keynote, workshop and lead capture page built from the argument.
Straight about this
What we are accountable for, and what nobody can promise.
The positioning work and the written strategy. The manuscript process and the editorial standard. The publishing specification. The campaign assets. And the agreed volume, quality and timing of every pitch that goes out on your behalf.
That a particular podcast host, conference programmer, client or institution says yes. Nobody controls that, and you should be wary of anyone selling you a number. We agree one written objective before we start and report against the activity we can control.
We agree what success looks like before we start
Six months is a long engagement, and “did it work?” is a question people answer very differently after the fact. So we settle it at the beginning. On the first day we pick one thing the book has to achieve, put a number on it, and write it into the contract.
For one author that might be five podcast appearances. For another, two paid speaking invitations, or three new enquiries they can trace back to the book, or their congregation using it as a teaching text. Whatever genuinely matters in your situation.
It does two things. It forces both of us to be honest at the start about what the book is really for. And at the end there is a clear answer rather than a vague feeling.
Investment
What is included, and what it costs.
Authority Programme
Positioning through to campaign
6 to 8 months · published around month six
- Positioning day and written strategy
- Interview-led manuscript, 40,000–50,000 words
- Developmental, copy and proof editing
- Cover and interior design
- Nielsen ISBN and worldwide distribution
- Print, ebook and hardback formats
- 100 copies of the finished book, delivered
- Podcast and speaking pitching campaign
- Content series drawn from the book
- Keynote and workshop outlines
- Lead capture page and media bio
- One written success measure, agreed upfront
If a full campaign is more than the book needs, our publishing packages cover production on its own, and Transchribe builds a manuscript from your recordings or from interviews with you.
Before you apply
This is not the right thing for everyone.
The best fit is someone who already knows their subject thoroughly. The problem is rarely expertise. It is that the market cannot yet see, package or repeat what makes that expertise worth paying for.
Worth a conversation if
- You have real expertise and it is not converting into enough opportunity
- You can name what one new client, contract or invitation is worth to you
- You need a stronger reason for people to choose you over someone similar
- You want to speak or teach beyond the rooms you already have
- You published before and the book did not do enough afterwards
Probably not, if
- You want a novel, a poetry collection or a purely creative manuscript
- The only goal is high-volume book sales
- You would rather learn and execute every part yourself
- You need the whole thing finished in a few weeks
- You do not want to be interviewed at length, or challenged on the thinking
Apply
Four questions, then a call.
We read every application. If the fit looks right we will send you a time; if it does not, we will tell you plainly and point you somewhere more useful.
Programme calls run on Mondays
Discovery calls for the Authority Programme are held on Mondays between 9am and 5pm UK time. Tell us which part of the day suits you and we will confirm a slot. Enquiries about publishing packages, Transchribe or add-ons are handled through the general contact form and are not restricted to Mondays.