Submitting your manuscript to a publisher for consideration can feel incredibly daunting, and many authors agonize over whether they’ve prepared enough before sending it in. But doing too much to your book on your own before reaching out to a publisher can lead to authors creating even more work for themselves and their publisher. We’re hoping this article puts your nerves at ease, and will help you work with your publisher, rather than unknowingly work against them, as you prepare to submit your draft.

The children’s book market is a complex, crowded beast filled with nuance and lingo that can be intimidating for authors looking to break into this space. But the first thing that any debut or established children’s book author should understand when developing their manuscript is the difference between the main book categories that make up children’s literature.

As an author, you likely know how challenging it can be to navigate the publishing landscape, especially at the start of your journey. Relying on the expertise, insights, and skills of seasoned publishing professionals can significantly enhance the quality and success of your book.

At Greenleaf, we collaborate with authors at every stage of their journey to help them determine their publishing path. We assist with book development—whether through editing, ghostwriting, or coaching—and guide the entire process.

Behind every great author is a great editor — and behind every brilliant author might be several. The quality of editorial work that goes into a manuscript can be what makes or breaks a book’s success.

Friends, colleagues, family—everyone wants to give you advice when you are writing a book. But what do you do with advice that is confusing or feels contradictory? Here are five tips to help you navigate all that feedback so you can make your manuscript even better.

When it comes to branding and marketing, it may feel like social media and online content are the only ways to grow your brand and reach new audiences. While these are vital components to a strong growth strategy, there’s one area you may have overlooked: writing a book.

If you’re a subject matter expert, you should absolutely be looking into distilling your expertise into a book. Whether you’re documenting your own success story in hopes of inspiring others, or offering advice for clients or other leaders like you, a book can be the key to revamping your marketing plan. Combine your book with a strategic launch plan and you’ve got yourself an invaluable tool to build your thought leadership and grow your personal and corporate brand.

You’ve written your book, and you’re ready to launch it into the world—as quickly as possible. Like most authors, you are naturally anxious to get your book out and into readers’ hands after spending so much time writing it. The hard part is complete, so there’s not much more to do, right? Well, if you’re a first-time author, you might greatly underestimate the amount of work that still needs to be done to produce your book and how important that work is to set your book up for a successful publication.

This article looks at typical book production timelines for three different publishing models: traditional publishing, self-publishing, and hybrid publishing. Publishing time can vary widely, depending on a book’s specific needs, but this overview will give you a general idea of what to expect from the standard process for most books.

You’ve worked hard developing your manuscript or book proposal; now it’s time to decide how you will get your book out into the world. There are several different options; deciding which path is right for you will depend on your career goals, writing topic, potential market, and resources.

Here we will break down each of the three primary publishing options, along with their pros and cons, to help you find the right approach for you.