Launching a debut business book
"I wanted a publisher who would respect the energy I had put into my business book and Helen at SilverWood immediately recognised that it had been a labour of love to finish it. The buzz when I sent my final manuscript to my publishing assistant was absolutely amazing. It was great to have a dedicated person to work with and, finally, we were at the stage where my book was going to be ready; people were going to read it. SilverWood are easy to work with and I’m already recommending them to other authors."
Lauren Malone | Author
Author profile
Lauren Malone was in a role supporting staff in GP surgeries, when she first trained as an NLP practitioner. She was teaching effective communication skills to people who were very busy in their jobs, applying coaching skills without realising it. Together with previous experience of managing restaurants, she knew she had lots of transferable skills, but at the same time felt that her knowledge and use of effective questioning and conversation techniques were simply part of her job.
It was through the process of learning linguistic coaching techniques (NLP, Hypnosis and TimeLine Therapy™) that Lauren went through a deep mindset transformation. It finally helped her to release her belief that she wasn’t good enough and fully recognise her strengths. She went from feeling that running her own business was an impossible dream to qualifying as a coach and launching Lemon Tree Coaching and Development with the exciting yet daunting element of being a few weeks pregnant. It gave her the idea for her first business book and she began work on The Expecting Entrepreneur.
Guided process for launching a business book
To support her with the writing, Lauren signed up with publishing consultant Jessica Killingley. Once the manuscript was ready, Jessica referred her across to SilverWood for the publishing stages: the copy edit, interior and cover design and final proofread. Lauren remembers, "When I first spoke to Helen at SilverWood, she showed an instant understanding of what I was trying to achieve with my book. I wanted a publisher who would hold my hand, because I had no idea what was involved. SilverWood sent me loads of information, but it wasn’t overwhelming, then they gave me my own publishing assistant, Enya. It was great knowing who to speak to about my book."
One challenge came up fairly soon after submitting the manuscript: having written her business book as a Word document, Lauren wasn’t wholly prepared for what it would look like when SilverWood sent over the interior proofs for approval. She says, "Authors need to be aware, the document looks different once the layouts are designed. For mine, that meant we had to go back and add extra spacing between the paragraphs. A small but significant detail, because I didn’t want the text to look like a novel. SilverWood was great at making sure that was incorporated while sticking to the original deadline."
The importance of copy-editing
Another part of the publishing process that Lauren felt added huge value was the copy edit. She says, "The copy edit and proofread that I did with SilverWood were absolutely vital. I’d say to other authors, 'Do not skip these steps!’ That was one of the great things about hybrid publishing. SilverWood connected me with an editor who was more distant from my work and able to give great feedback. I wouldn’t recommend that you rely on someone you know or trawl around trying to find your own editor, because SilverWood’s team were so professional. For a split second, I felt frustrated that I had to read through it again, but it’s such an important step. When I looked at the changes suggested, they were all brilliant and it was so worth giving the copy that professional treatment. There was only one idea that I chose to ignore: my book’s title isn’t actually grammatically correct, but I knew I wanted 'Expecting’ not 'Expectant’ because it sounds a better fit for me as a coach."
Business book launch on schedule
SilverWood kept Lauren’s book on track by keeping her informed of the dates when they needed information back from her. Lauren’s advice for other authors, "It’s never too early to start talking to a publisher. I always knew I wanted to publish before my son’s birthday, so I had a fixed publication date in mind. They worked backwards from there and helped me stick to the timings at each stage."
To get the book cover she was dreaming of, Lauren sent over her brand colours and the logo she had prepared for The Expecting Entrepreneur. She says, "When SilverWood sent me back the book cover design, I loved it straight away. We made a few tweaks for the final cover, but otherwise it was perfect. The only thing I changed was the gloss finish: I wanted the matt effect instead."
Signed copies for business book competitions
Lauren ordered a print run for her clients and the people in her Facebook groups, because she wanted to be able to give away a few signed copies. The book launch competitions - one of her own, and another collaboration with a blogger’s group - have proven very successful. She had nearly four thousand entries vying for two free copies.
She says, "You put so much work into writing a business book and then when it’s published, the hard work starts again in promoting it. I’ve set up collaborations with bloggers, like Mummy Fever, been on podcasts and I’m doing as much PR as possible to spread the word. But I’m on a mission. I want people, especially women, to know that you can follow your dreams and turn them into reality. As a mum, you might be adding new characters into your story, but you’re still the lead! Now my book is out there, I’m already recommending SilverWood Books to others because they were so easy to work with. I wouldn’t have been able to reach this goal without them."
Read more
If you enjoyed this success story, you may also like our Learning Zone article: Turn Your Knowledge into a Business-Boosting Book.
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“If you’re thinking of self-publishing, I hope you don't go at it alone. With a team like SilverWood behind you, you have the support you need to publish the best work you believe in.”
