Work With Us

Is Spoonbridge Press a hybrid publisher?

No. Like a hybrid publisher, we guide authors through the tangled web of self-publishing and manage a dream team of top editors, designers, and distribution specialists—but you own your ISBNs, you’re the publisher on record, and all royalties go directly to you.

But it’s our hands-on approach to your publication where we really shine. We don’t just have you choose from a list of services; we handpick the publishing pros we think will best help you succeed, and we provide crucial quality control to ensure you’re receiving the highest-quality work throughout the process. While you are ultimately in charge of all editorial and design decisions, we steer you toward the decisions and strategies that make publishing success possible.

Who is Spoonbridge Press’s ideal client?

We do our very best work for independent authors publishing softcover books using print-on-demand (POD), but we also produce illustrated children’s books, hardcover editions, and academic texts. We publish nonfiction (especially self-help, memoir/autobiography, and how-to) as well as fiction (especially science fiction).

How is Spoonbridge Press different?

We’re not a hybrid publisher, and we’re not a vanity press. We’re a small (very small!) company owned by two women who care deeply about every project we take on, and we simplify the publishing process by guiding our clients to make the best decisions for their books and managing each step along the way. 

We stay abreast of self-publishing changes and pivot as publisher requirements change. Further, we pride ourselves in our rigorous back-end research into the keywords and categories that can help your book shine. (Because of our dedication to this often-overlooked process, the majority of our authors has received a “bestselling author” or “top new author” tag in at least one of their categories.)

And here’s the best part: because there are just two of us, you don’t have to worry about your emails getting lost in the shuffle or explaining your situation to yet another customer service representative. We personally manage every project ourselves, and we’re always happy to answer your questions.

How do you support your clients?

Unlike many publishing service providers, we fully educate our clients on what it means to be an independent author so they are empowered throughout the process. That means each of our full publishing clients receives the following:

•  A welcome meeting with both of us to answer any questions
•  One scheduled phone or video meeting during each stage of publication
•  Unlimited email support
•  Custom guides and information to add context and help you make the best decisions possible
•  An optional exit meeting to go over publisher accounts and next steps in your publishing journey
•  Complete project management and coordination with editors, book designers, and other professionals
•  Crucial quality control checks throughout the process

How long will it take to self-publish my book?

We strongly believe that publishing is a journey, not a sprint. If you have a tight deadline of just a few months, we are not the right team for you. Quality takes time, and we believe in taking time for the professional editing, book design, and quality control measures your book deserves. This typically means a publishing timeline of six to twelve months, depending on your needs.

Here’s the hard truth: when tasks are rushed and corners are cut, readers can tell. We need time to do our best job, and doing our best job is why we’re in this business.

Why aren’t your prices listed on your website?

Fitting every author’s specific needs into a preset package with a neat price tag doesn’t work for us. Instead, we take the time to understand your manuscript and your goals before creating a publishing plan tailored to your unique situation.

The total cost of your publishing plan will depend on many factors, including the following:

• The length of your manuscript
• Your manuscript’s editorial needs
• The complexity of your book design
• Your distribution options
• Your budget

Depending on your needs, a publishing plan for a 50,000-word manuscript will typically fall between $6,500 and $11,500.

What is the onboarding process like?

First, we’ll invite you to schedule a free author consultation with our lead editor, Sarah, to chat about your book and your goals. Then, if it seems like we’re the right fit for your project, we’ll invite you to submit your full manuscript, and we’ll send you a proposal that outlines the services we recommend for your book.

After you agree to our proposal, we’ll send you a detailed contract and an invoice for your deposit, and we’ll be off and running!

How does the self-publishing process work?

With Spoonbridge Press, a typical self-publishing process will take place in three phases:

• Writing and editing, including all recommended editing services and custom back cover copy
• Book design, including custom cover design, interior layout, proofreading, and ebook conversion
• Upload and distribution with KDP (Amazon) and/or IngramSpark

Once you become a client, we’ll invite you to schedule an optional client welcome meeting to go over the entire publishing process in detail and answer any final questions you might have. From there, we’ll be in touch to gather information as needed and get your approval at each stage before moving forward.

To learn more about each phase of our publishing process, visit our Self-Publishing Services page.

Can I choose my own services?

Yes. While we take care to propose the editing and other services we think are best for your project, we respect that this is your project, and we won’t stand in the way of your publication if your budget or timeline does not accommodate the full plan we recommend. However, we strongly urge you to consider the full publishing plan as outlined in your proposal.

Does Spoonbridge Press help with book marketing?

We don’t believe there’s an out-of-the-box book marketing plan that works well for all authors. We believe authors are the best marketers for their own books: they know their audience the best, and most importantly, they know their own strengths, weaknesses, and comfort levels around connecting with readers.

The fact is, no amount of marketing will help you sell a book that hasn’t been edited properly or designed professionally. That’s why we focus on producing beautiful, professional books that don’t look self-published. Then, we help you maximize your own marketing efforts by optimizing your sales pages and metadata, positioning your book in categories it actually has a chance at ranking in, and putting you in complete control of your publishing journey.

Can I discuss my project with you before signing up?

Yes! In fact, we insist on it. To find out if self-publishing—and Spoonbridge Press—is right for you, schedule a free author consultation to speak with our lead editor about your project.

What if I need additional guidance?

If you decide not to invest in a publishing plan but believe a periodic consulting call would be useful to you in your publishing journey, we offer publishing consulting packages for independent authors.

“Sarah was awesome!

She put in many extra hours to deal with unexpected publishing issues that would have completely stumped me and she was always very available for all my basic questions as a first-time author.”

Jeff Johnson

Author of Boy Lessons: What I Learned from My Sons and executive director of Can Do Canines