In today's episode, we'll be talking all about book covers, from what makes them successful to the designer's process for arriving at a finished cover. Neil Gonzalez, the Art Director here at Greenleaf Book Group, will be joining us to share his insights.

In this episode, we'll be focusing on understanding your message and why you should be the one sharing it. We'll be using the building blocks we discussed in the previous episode to create a full strategy with Brand Strategist Karina Keating.

This is the second of a two-part series on Author Branding. Part I can be found here.

In this episode, we'll be doing a deeper dive into the components of an author brand, like website, social media, newsletter, etc. Brand Strategist Sam Alexander joins the show again to discuss the author brand in more detail.

This is the first of a two-part series on establishing an author brand with Brand Strategist, Sam Alexander. Part II can be found here.

So why does an author brand matter? An author brand can really make or break the success of a book and is so important that Greenleaf built out a branding team to help authors with it. On that team is Sam Alexander, whose goal is to help authors understand their message and strategize how to bring that to their audience in the best way possible.

You can subscribe to Published on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play.

In today's episode, we'll be discussing ghostwriting with Dan Gerstein, the Founder and President of Gotham Ghostwriters. Gerstein is a nationally recognized political writer, communications strategist, and idea man who has been writing professionally for himself and others for 25 years. To learn more about Dan, his full bio can be found here.

Welcome to the very first episode of Published! The purpose of this podcast is to bring some clarity to the journey of writing a book and give you the tools to launch the book to your readers.

Hosted by Tanya Hall, the CEO of Greenleaf Book Group, Published will dive into a different aspects of publishing in each episode.

A nonfiction book proposal is the key document that allows an agent or publisher to determine the viability of a project. Unlike fiction, where an author must have a completed manuscript ready before they approach a publisher or agent, a nonfiction author only needs to develop a proposal to submit to publishers and/or agents.

The proposal should answer the following questions:

1. Content: What is the book about?
2. Market: Who would be interested in this idea?
3. Competitive Titles: What other books already exist on this topic and how does this one differ?
4. Platform: Who is the author, why is the author the best person to produce this book, and what are they doing to engage with potential readers?

If you are looking to be published by a major publishing house, having an agent is essential. Most of the large publishers don’t accept submissions directly from authors. However, the agent is more than just a middleman. The agent represents the author, presents the author’s work to the appropriate acquisitions editor, and handles contract negotiations for the author’s rights over the work. The agent does all of this in exchange for 10% to 15% of all advances and royalties earned by the author. Avoid “agents” who ask for reading fees or any money up front—they shouldn’t make money until you do.

How do you get an agent?

Start by researching agents who represent your genre. This is important. You waste your time and the agent’s time if you send queries to someone who doesn’t represent your genre. You want an agent who is passionate about your genre and who will know the best place to send your work. It’s also good to go after a new agent—they’re more receptive to new authors. You can locate agents through the following resources: