FAQ

  • We’ve produced thousands of beautiful books, but it’s the “Girl Friday experience” that’s kept authors coming back for nearly two decades. Your path to publishing begins with our evaluating your project, your goals, and the best available opportunities across sales channels and reader engagement points. As you journey through production and distribution, we’re with you every step of the way.

  • They do more than just sell (though they do!):

    • Our books regularly reach #1 New Release and Bestseller status in their category on Amazon, popping their visibility and driving conversion.

    • They rake in awards! So far in 2023 alone, more than a dozen award-winning titles in Fiction, Multicultural Nonfiction, Business and Economy, Christian Fiction and counting…

    • They garner stellar industry reviews and impressive numbers of 5-star average reader reviews.

    • They get rights deals and are published in scores of languages and in various countries.

  • We’re known for our high quality and distinctive design. Whether authors choose print-on-demand or offset printing, we are fully equipped to bid, contract, and manage any type of printing, both overseas and domestically.

  • It generally takes about eight to ten months from finishing your manuscript to having books available for purchase. We can work with you to accelerate schedules and meet hard deadlines, so please ask and we’ll see what we can do!

  • Following submission and acceptance, we’ll craft a book plan just for you. Unlike other firms, we provide a dedicated publishing manager who acts as your personal consultant. Your in-house team also includes a marketing strategist, art director, and production editor, who will arrange vetted specialists, including a designer, developmental editor, copyeditor, proofreader, and ebook converter. Other specialists may be engaged depending on your project scope and genre. Our team does the work and consults with you on approvals.

  • We offer customized book coaching to help you refine your concept, develop a strong hook, understand your audience, build a structure and framework for your message, establish your voice, create a chapter outline, and position your book for success. Your coach can also be available to you throughout the writing process to serve as a sounding board.

  • We distribute through all major online retail channels, including Amazon, Chapters, Powell’s, Barnes & Noble.com, Books-A-Million, Bookshop.org, and more worldwide. Our reps also sell into gift and specialty retail, libraries, airport bookstores, and indie bookstores across the country.

  • We produce gorgeous hardcovers and paperbacks, ebooks, and audiobooks as a matter of course, though we’ve also created boxed sets, special editions, and even pop-up books! Your publishing team will advise you on specs, format, and pricing for your project.

  • We create custom proposals based on your manuscript and your publishing goals. We encourage you to procure multiple bids—it’s an important decision!—and compare apples to apples. Read the fine print on custom vs. templated work, the scope of editorial services and marketing support included, and the makeup of your dedicated project team.

  • Books provide a variety of opportunities for ROI. Many of our clients use their books to establish their position as an industry expert. This enables them to secure speaking engagements, grow their client base, raise their rates, and more. We also encourage authors to think of rights sales and different forms of content creation as possible revenue-earning channels.

  • Our hybrid publishing authors receive 70% of net proceeds while custom publishing clients receive 100% of net proceeds.

  • Yes! Our in-house strategic marketing program is the best in the business. We use our decades of experience to craft customized digital marketing campaigns based on your objectives, book genre, and target audience. Your strategist will perform in-depth market research on your target readers’ buying habits in order to determine the most effective sales channels. We advise you on the most worthwhile tactics to pursue—and execute those on your behalf, if you want us to.

  • We prioritize digital marketing over traditional publicity to meet the needs of all authors. However, if you want someone to pursue media placement, bookings, or tours, we can recommend firms to support your publicity efforts.

  • We’re called “Girl Friday” because our founders, Ingrid and LAM, realized that our collective publishing and editing journeys and experiences gave us the ability to help clients in many different ways—from ghostwriting to agent pitches to developmental editing and more. We also liked the irony, taking a phrase that in conventional wisdom meant “a secretary” and reclaiming her feminine power. We were the female heads of our own firm and completely in charge of our business arc and our destiny. The only ones we get coffee for are ourselves (or each other).

  • Of course. Don’t let that “girl” fool you. She’s not a client; she’s in charge—and ready to help make publishing dreams come true.

  • We hold our authors and their work in the highest esteem and work to build a relationship that lasts. We’re proud of our “Excellent” rating from The Alliance of Independent Authors and proud members of Independent Book Publishers Association and American Book Producers Association. We’re looking for authors who strive for excellence and value strong working relationships and communication.