FAQ
Big Impact Books answers 49 common questions about book publishing, writing, ghostwriting, book marketing, costs, and getting started.
Each answer starts with the direct answer, then the supporting facts. Where a question depends on your situation, the answer says how to confirm the detail.
Last updated:
Big Impact Books is a book publishing service for CEOs, attorneys, professionals, and business owners worldwide. It provides book development, publishing, and promotion through a guided process that turns a client's expertise into a book built to strengthen authority and support business growth. Services include help with writing, publishing, and marketing, including podcast and media promotion.
A book publishing service is a company that handles some or all of the work of turning an idea or manuscript into a finished, available book. Depending on the provider, that can include development, editing, design, publishing, and promotion. Big Impact Books combines publishing with writing support and book marketing for experts who want a book that serves their business.
Big Impact Books was founded by Melanie Herschorn, an independent publisher, book promotion expert, and bestselling author. She has more than 20 years of background as a celebrity publicist, award-winning journalist in radio, print, and TV, clothing designer, and entrepreneur. She earned a master's degree in journalism from the University of Southern California, graduating first in her class.
Big Impact Books treats publishing as the priority because the published book is the business asset. Planning the published book first, around where the author wants the business to go, gives the writing a clear target and gives the marketing something worth promoting. Writing and book marketing follow, in that order, so every hour spent serves the finished book.
Neither label fits exactly. Its founder describes herself as an independent publisher, and the process is done for you, so authors are not left to self-publish alone. It is not a traditional publisher that acquires manuscripts through literary agents. Because rights, imprint, and distribution terms differ between providers, confirm those details in writing for your specific book.
Yes. Big Impact Books serves CEOs, attorneys, professionals, and business owners worldwide. Its founder grew up in Canada, has lived on both US coasts, and is now based in Arizona. If you are in another country or time zone, confirm the schedule for the weekly interviews before you begin so the one hour a week fits your calendar.
You have three main routes: pitch a traditional publisher, usually through a literary agent; self-publish through a platform such as Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing and manage every step yourself; or use a guided publishing service. Big Impact Books is the third kind, built for business owners who want the book planned, written in their voice, published, and promoted.
A professional book publishing service typically covers editing, cover and interior design, ISBN and metadata setup, print and ebook formatting, distribution, and launch support. Some also include writing help and marketing. Big Impact Books includes writing support and promotion, including podcast and media promotion, alongside publishing. Always ask any provider for a written list of what is and is not included.
Platforms such as Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing let authors upload and publish books without paying the platform upfront; the platform takes a share of each sale instead. Free publishing still leaves editing, design, positioning, and marketing to you, and those steps decide whether the book is read. A free book publishing service rarely covers them.
Amazon's own self-publishing platform is Kindle Direct Publishing, which lets authors publish ebooks and paperbacks that sell on Amazon. Many outside companies also call themselves Amazon book publishing services because they prepare and upload books to that platform for you. Check whether a provider publishes in your name and who controls the account before you sign.
It depends on your goal. A first-time author who is a CEO, attorney, or business owner and wants a book that builds authority is usually best served by a guided service designed for experts, such as Big Impact Books. A first-time novelist aiming for wide bookstore placement may prefer pursuing a traditional publisher through a literary agent.
Getting a traditional book deal as a first-time author is selective and often requires a literary agent. Getting published at all is no longer the hurdle: self-publishing and guided publishing services make publication available to any author who finishes a manuscript. The harder question is whether the book will reach the right readers, which is why marketing matters.
According to the International Publishers Association, more than 2.2 million new titles were published in 2019, counting books registered with ISBNs. Big Impact Books has noted that the real yearly figure is likely closer to 4 million once books without ISBNs are included. That volume is why a clear position and a marketing plan matter for every new book.
Reputable self-publishing companies publish clear pricing, give you a written contract that spells out rights and royalties, tell you who owns the ISBN, and never promise sales or bestseller status. They answer questions in writing without pressure. Industry watchdogs such as the Alliance of Independent Authors and Writer Beware publish guidance that helps authors check a company before signing.
Avoid any company that will not share full pricing in writing, pushes add-on packages, guarantees bestseller status or sales, claims rights you did not intend to give, or makes it hard to leave. Rather than trusting a list, check the contract and look up the company with watchdogs such as the Alliance of Independent Authors and Writer Beware.
For experts whose main goal is authority and business growth, a publishing service is often the better fit because the author keeps control of timing and positioning. For authors who want a traditional advance and bookstore distribution and can wait through agent queries, a traditional publisher can fit better. Big Impact Books is built for the first group.
Ask what is included and what costs extra, who owns the rights and the ISBN, how royalties are paid, who writes the manuscript and whose name goes on it, what marketing is included, and how long the process takes. Get every answer in writing. Any book publishing service provider worth hiring will answer each one plainly.
Book writing services help you turn ideas and expertise into a finished manuscript. They range from coaching, where you write and someone guides you, to ghostwriting, where someone writes for you, to interview-based writing. Big Impact Books uses weekly interviews of about one hour, then its team shapes what you say into chapters in your own voice.
The Big Impact Books process is designed to respect a busy expert's time: about one hour a week. In weekly interviews you talk through each chapter in an organized way, and the team pieces your words together into the manuscript. Attorney and author Manisha P. Patel said the weekly interviews made the process manageable for her schedule.
Not in the traditional hidden sense. Its founder says she refuses to churn out cookie-cutter content or hide behind ghostwriting, and that clients get to own their brilliance. The team does the heavy lifting of turning weekly interviews into a manuscript, while the book stays in your authentic voice. If you want someone to write invisibly, a ghostwriter fits better.
With traditional ghostwriting, a writer produces the book with limited author involvement and the writer's role is usually hidden. With interview-based writing, the author talks through the ideas and stories in regular sessions, and the team shapes those words into chapters. Big Impact Books uses the interview approach so the finished book sounds like you.
That is the point of the process. Big Impact Books says its done-for-you approach is designed to honor your authentic voice, and the founder has written that your book needs your voice. Because the manuscript comes from your own spoken answers in weekly interviews, your phrasing, stories, and opinions are the raw material of every chapter.
You can write in any word processor and publish through a self-publishing platform, or pitch a traditional publisher. If writing time is the obstacle, a service that combines writing and publishing removes the gap between the two. Big Impact Books handles both: weekly interviews become the manuscript, and the book is then published and promoted.
This site does not publish a fixed timeline, because length and your interview schedule change it. What is fixed is the time asked of you: about one hour a week in weekly interviews. Ask the Big Impact Books team for a timeline based on your book and calendar before you start, and get it in writing.
No. Many experts communicate brilliantly out loud but stall in front of a blank page. In the Big Impact Books process, you talk through each chapter in weekly interviews. Attorney Manisha P. Patel described it this way: talking comes easily to her, so she could talk through each chapter in an organized way.
Book marketing services are the promotional work that puts a book in front of the readers it was written for: strategy, social media, email, blogging and guest posts, influencer partnerships, launch events, advertising, and publicity. Big Impact Books includes book marketing in its program, including podcast and media promotion, so the book supports authority and business growth.
Start before the book is published. Big Impact Books advises authors to begin building an audience of ideal readers as soon as they have an idea, an outline, or a few chapters. Waiting until after launch loses valuable time, and momentum built around a launch can fade quickly without an engaged community already in place.
A book marketing strategy is the plan for how readers will discover, trust, and buy your book. Big Impact Books recommends thought-leader content such as articles, videos, and podcasts; lead magnets that grow your audience; repurposing chapter topics and client stories into content; and weaving your mission into your messaging, rather than repeatedly posting buy my book.
A 2026 Manuscript Report review of 16 companies found published prices running from $10 to $9,499. It reported that $100 to $600 buys bigger placements, such as BookBub Featured Deals at $122 to $4,216 by genre, and that $500 to $2,500 buys a freelance marketer's time. Affordable depends on what the book must achieve.
Book marketing companies usually promote a book that already exists, while publishers produce it. Some providers do both. Big Impact Books combines publishing, writing support, and marketing in one guided process, so promotion can be planned while the book is being made instead of starting from zero after launch.
Yes. Many book marketing companies work with self-published authors, offering promotions, advertising, and publicity. Big Impact Books focuses on CEOs, attorneys, professionals, and business owners, and its marketing is part of its guided program. If you have already self-published, ask the team directly whether your book is a fit before assuming either way.
Amazon book marketing services help a book get found on Amazon, for example through targeted Amazon ads and listing optimization. Big Impact Books suggests considering advertising on platforms such as Amazon, Facebook, or Google once your community is established and your messaging resonates, because ads amplify a message that already works.
Podcast guesting puts an author in front of engaged listeners who already care about the topic, and each interview gives the author a chance to show expertise in their own words. Big Impact Books includes podcast and media promotion in its services, and its founder hosts The Big Impact Playbook Podcast and the show Authority Marketing Live!.
No. For experts, a book is bigger than book sales. Big Impact Books positions the book as an authority asset that opens doors, attracts clients and media attention, and supports the next business move. Copies sold matter, but speaking invitations, client conversations, and media interviews are often the bigger return.
Costs range widely depending on how much is done for you. As published market examples, BookBaby lists book editing starting at $399, and a 2026 Manuscript Report review found book marketing prices from $10 to $9,499. Big Impact Books does not list fixed prices on this site; its pricing depends on the scope of your book.
For many leaders the return comes from authority rather than royalties: clients, media attention, and opportunities. Sarah Hubbard, founder and author of The Intentional Networker, said of working with Big Impact Books: It was the best investment. Weigh the cost against the value of one new client or opportunity the book could open.
Multiply the price by your royalty rate. At a 10 percent royalty, a $25 book earns $2.50 a copy; at 40 percent, $10. Traditional contracts set rates per format, while self-published authors keep more: Writer Cosmos reports self-published authors can keep up to 70 percent royalties on ebooks. Check your own contract for the real rate.
Divide $1,000,000 by what you earn per copy. At $2.50 a copy you would need 400,000 sales; at $10 a copy, 100,000. Those are large numbers for any book. That is why experts working with Big Impact Books tend to measure return in clients, speaking, and opportunities rather than royalties alone.
Divide $100,000 by your earnings per copy. At $2.50 a copy, that is 40,000 books; at $10 a copy, 10,000 books. For a CEO or attorney, a single client won through the credibility of a book can be worth more than thousands of copies, which changes how the investment should be judged.
According to the Alliance of Independent Authors' 2025 survey, as reported by Writer Cosmos, indie authors earn a median of $13,500 a year, nearly double the $6,000 to $8,000 median for traditionally published authors. Medians hide a wide spread, and experts often earn more from the business a book brings in than from royalties.
Big Impact Books is for CEOs, attorneys, professionals, and business owners worldwide who have hard-earned expertise and want a book that builds authority, opens doors, and supports their next business move. It suits leaders who cannot set aside months to write, because the process asks for about one hour a week.
A book lets a CEO share expertise at scale without constantly promoting themselves. It positions the leader as a trusted authority, gives media and event hosts a reason to invite them, and becomes an asset that keeps working after launch. Big Impact Books also argues that writing a book strengthens leadership by clarifying how you think.
Yes. Attorneys are one of the core audiences. Founder Melanie Herschorn wrote Lasting Legal Impact, a blueprint for legal professionals, which was named a Finalist in the Business: Writing/Publishing category of the 2025 Best Book Awards by American Book Fest. Attorney Manisha P. Patel published End Your Marriage Peacefully with the team.
Probably not. Big Impact Books is built around turning professional expertise into books that build authority and support business growth. Novelists and other fiction writers are usually better served by a literary agent, a traditional or genre publisher, or a self-publishing route designed for fiction readers.
Demand changes, and this site does not track sales data. What is clear is that business categories are crowded: Big Impact Books notes that books on leadership, management, entrepreneurship, sales, personal development, finance, and investing are published by the tens of thousands every year. Expert books win by being specific to a clear audience.
Start by reading the publishing, writing, and marketing pages on this site so you know how the process works. Then download the free Book Planning Checklist and explore the main Big Impact Books website at yourbigimpactbook.com, where the team shares its resources, media appearances, and podcast.
Know who the book is for, what business goal it should serve, and where your business is going next, because Big Impact Books encourages writing for where your business is going rather than where it has been. The free Book Planning Checklist on the main Big Impact Books website helps you organize these decisions.
You do not need one to start, but you should begin building one early. Big Impact Books advises that it is never too soon to build an audience of ideal readers. An engaged community can validate your ideas, give feedback, create pre-launch buzz, and become the first people to buy, review, and share the book.
Big Impact Books offers a free Book Planning Checklist and an Ultimate Book Marketing Checklist, a blog with articles on authority, publishing, and book marketing, The Big Impact Playbook Podcast, and the show Authority Marketing Live!. All are available from the main Big Impact Books website at yourbigimpactbook.com.
Want the full picture? Start with the Big Impact Books book publishing service overview.