Episode 219: Book Publishing Project Management: What Business Owners Get Wrong

In this episode, Jodi welcomes back Ashley Shepard to talk about book publishing project management and dispel one of the biggest myths in book publishing today: that self-publishing equals total DIY. Jodi and Ashley talk about how publishing is an investment, whether of time, money, energy, or a mix of all three. Time Stamps: 00:00 – Welcome back, Ashley 02:00 – The myth that self-publishing means total DIY 04:00 – Publishing as an investment: time, money, energy 06:00 – Capacity vs. bandwidth, and why we overestimate our energy 11:00 – The "if you want it fast, it's not going to be cheap" rule 14:00 – Project management for publishing: aligning your book with your business goals 18:00 – Coaching, consistency, and the value of an outside perspective 21:00 – Vetting a publishing partner: referrals, reviews, and the Olivia Benson approach 24:00 – Red flag: bulk book packages and why Ashley avoids them 26:00 – Reading your contract and asking about rights and royalties 29:00 – The non-negotiables: cover designer, formatter, editor 33:00 – The "queen bee" concept and protecting your income-producing activities Keywords: self-publishing, book publishing strategist, business owner authors, publishing as an investment, capacity vs bandwidth, book formatting, cover design, professional book editing, hiring a book editor, publishing project management, vetting a publishing partner, book contracts, rights and royalties, lead magnet book, nonfiction book for business, author coaching, profitable publishing, book launch strategy, queen bee role, income-producing activities, DIY book publishing myths, traditional vs self-publishing, publishing red flags, book as a marketing asset, hiring contractors for your book, book editing myths Resources Mentioned: Coffee + Commas signup: https://bit.ly/coffeeandcommassignup Profitable Publishing Episode 16 Profitable Publishing Episode 7Clockwork by Mike Michalowicz About Our Guest: Ashley Shepard is a self-publishing consultant and book marketing strategist based in the metro Atlanta, GA area. As the owner of Shep Publishing House, Ashley helps self-published authors get from the page to the people™with efficient and effective marketing strategies. Client wins include selling 100 books sold in a week, $10,000 made in presale revenue, speaking gigs secured, book launch parties sold out, and much more. Shep Publishing House focuses on helping authors connect with their audience to publish profitably. With a background in literacy, teacher coaching, and staff development, Ashley is able to explain complex marketing and publishing ideas in simple terms to help authors and entrepreneurs reach their goals. Unlike most book marketers and publishers, Ashley has the unique quality of being a best selling author herself. This insight helps her to make realistic suggestions and effective options to support client needs. Book Site: www.preorderprofits.com/book Main Site: Www.ProfitablePublishing.com Facebook: www.Facebook.com/ProfitablePublishing Threads: www.threads.com/@profitablepublishing YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ProfitablePublishing Instagram: www.Instagram.com/ProfitablePublishing LINK TO FULL EPISODE (RAW) TRANSCRIPT: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gQRNy4il7q1fni72sVY0QzlMbtaJVeuXblf0PX5lan0/edit?usp=sharing