The Truth About Hiring a Publishing Company — What Joel Pitney of Launch My Book Wants Every Author to Know
If you’ve spent any time in indie author spaces, you’ve probably seen both ends of the spectrum: people swearing you should never pay anyone to help you publish, and flashy companies promising to make you a bestseller for $1,700 if you act before midnight.
Neither of those is a useful guide for making one of the most important decisions in your publishing journey.
That’s exactly why Alexa sat down (again) with Joel Pitney, founder and president of Launch My Book, Inc., for one of the most candid conversations we’ve had on Alexa’s Book Marketing & Publishing Chat. Joel’s previous episode on the myths of self-publishing became one of our most downloaded of all time — and this one may top it.
Here’s what they covered.
The Self-Publishing Landscape Is the Wild West — And That’s a Problem
When you decide not to pursue a traditional publishing deal, you’re stepping into a vast and largely unregulated marketplace. There are individual freelancers, DIY platforms, software tools, hybrid presses, self-publishing assist companies, and everything in between. No one is enforcing standards. Anyone can call themselves a publisher.
That’s why Joel’s first piece of advice is to look for independent verification. The Independent Book Publishers of America (IBPA) and the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) both vet companies and can help you identify those operating with integrity. ALLi even maintains a Writer Beware resource specifically designed to flag problematic players.
Red Flags That Should Make You Run
Joel wrote a widely-read article for Jane Friedman’s website outlining seven red flags to watch for when hiring a publishing company. Here are the ones that came up in this conversation:
Hypiness. This is Joel’s number one warning sign. If a company is using language like “hire our bestseller package today” or promising results before they’ve even looked at your book — run. Legitimate companies don’t make guarantees. Even traditional publishers with far more resources and control would never promise a bestseller.
Too-good-to-be-true pricing. “Usually $4,000 — but if you sign today, $1,700.” There is no cheap way to publish well. Discount prices deliver discount results. If you’re seeing furniture-sale-style pricing on something as serious as your book, treat it accordingly.
Unsolicited outreach. As Joel puts it: if you haven’t already sold millions of copies, publishing companies aren’t coming to you. Cold outreach promising to “invest in your book” is a manipulation tactic, not a compliment.
Pressure sales tactics. If anyone tells you that you have to decide today, the deal expires tomorrow, or you’ll lose your spot — that’s not urgency, that’s a predator.
Should You Hire a Company or Build Your Own Team?
Once you’ve decided to go the indie route, your first real decision is whether to hire a single company to handle everything or assemble your own team of freelancers.Joel’s honest answer: both can work, and the right choice depends on your situation.
Build your own team if:
- You’re planning to publish multiple books over time
- You’re willing to invest in learning the process
- You’re comfortable project-managing a team of 2–7 people
- Saving 30–40% on overhead costs justifies that investment
- This is your first book, or you’re publishing one book
- You want to skip the learning curve and not become a self-publishing expert
- You value time savings and having someone own the process when things go wrong
- You want your first book to be done right, even if it costs more
As Alexa noted in the conversation: seeing your book produced professionally — even if you’re not running the process yourself — is an education money can’t easily replace. The mistakes people make when DIYing their first book often cost far more than the money they saved.
What Genre and Format Have to Do with It
- Easiest: Straight fiction novels with basic chapter headers
- More complex: Nonfiction with section breaks, exercises, pull quotes, tables, or charts
- Most complex: Children’s picture books, cookbooks, and any book heavy on images or custom layout
Ebook formatting is also more involved than most people realize. Converting a print file to EPUB requires actual coding to make fonts adjustable and chapters navigable — and the wrong file type can leave readers unable to customize their reading experience at all.
The ROI Conversation Nobody Wants to Have
- Fiction authors who write multiple books in a series, allowing earlier books to sell later ones. Joel has heard from authors on their 15th book just starting to break even.
- Nonfiction authors who use their book as a calling card for speaking, consulting, courses, or other services that generate revenue well beyond royalties.
The authors Joel won’t work with are those banking on their book to fund their retirement after one launch. The ones he loves working with are those who come in with clear eyes — treating their writing career like the business it is.
About Those “Six-Figure Author” Promises
That doesn’t mean success isn’t possible. There are indie authors making real money from their work. But they’re entrepreneurs running multi-stream businesses with deep backlists, not people who hit publish once and watched the money roll in.
What Working with a Good Company Actually Looks Like
Both outcomes are valid. The difference is knowing which one you’re aiming for before you write the check.
How to Learn More and Get in Touch with Joel
- IBPA: ibpa-online.org
- ALLi Writer Beware: allianceindependentauthors.org
- Jane Friedman’s site for Joel’s “7 Red Flags” article
Q: What is a self-publishing assist company? A: A self-publishing assist company handles the full production of your book — including editing, cover design, interior formatting, and distribution setup — for a fee. Unlike traditional publishing, you retain your rights and pay the costs upfront. Unlike DIY publishing, you have a professional team managing the process.
Q: How do I know if a publishing company is legitimate? A: Look for membership in the Independent Book Publishers of America (IBPA) or vetting by the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), which maintains a Writer Beware list. Red flags include guaranteed bestseller promises, high-pressure sales tactics, unsolicited outreach, and pricing that seems too good to be true.
Q: Should I hire a publishing company or build my own freelance team? A: If you’re publishing one book or want to skip the learning curve, a reputable company may save you time and costly mistakes. If you’re planning multiple books and want to reduce overhead over time, assembling your own vetted freelance team can be more cost-effective — but requires you to become a capable project manager.
Q: Will I make my money back from publishing a book? A: Most authors do not recoup their publishing investment from royalties alone — even 80% of traditionally published books don’t earn back their advance. Fiction authors typically need a series of books; nonfiction authors need additional revenue streams like speaking, consulting, or courses to achieve financial sustainability.
Q: What are the red flags of a predatory publishing company? A: Key red flags include hype-heavy language (“guaranteed bestseller”), discount pricing that seems unrealistically low, unsolicited outreach from companies who haven’t seen your book, and pressure tactics like “sign today” deadlines. If a company hasn’t read your manuscript and is already promising results, walk away.
Alexa Bigwarfe
Founder & CEO of WritePublishSell & the Women in Publishing Summit
Alexa Bigwarfe is a publishing strategist and creator of Book Launch in a Box, where she helps authors simplify their marketing and build launches that actually work. She specializes in turning books into platforms for visibility, partnerships, and revenue through proven, scalable strategies.
