FAQ
Book publishing questions from CEOs and business owners
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Here are plain answers to the questions leaders ask most often before they publish a book, from costs and earnings to how the guided interview process works.
CEO Authority Books, published by Big Impact Books, answers 47 questions below in seven groups. Answers about Big Impact Books come from its own published descriptions; answers about the wider market cite their sources. Where a specific detail, such as current pricing, is not published here, the answer says how to confirm it.
What Big Impact Books and authority publishing are
What is Big Impact Books?
Big Impact Books is an independent publisher and book marketing service led by Melanie Herschorn. It helps CEOs, attorneys, professionals, and business owners worldwide develop, publish, and promote books that build authority and support business growth. Its process uses guided interviews to create manuscripts, then adds publishing and promotional support such as podcast placements and media outreach.
What does "publish my book" involve for a busy CEO?
For a busy CEO, publishing a book means turning years of expertise into a finished, available book without taking months away from the business. That covers developing the manuscript, editing, design, release, and promotion. Big Impact Books builds this around weekly guided interviews, so the leader talks through ideas while the team shapes them into a manuscript.
Is Big Impact Books a ghostwriting service?
Not in the traditional sense. Big Impact Books says it refuses to churn out cookie-cutter content or hide behind ghostwriting, and that its clients get to own their brilliance. Manuscripts are developed through guided interviews in the author’s own words, with the team organizing and shaping what the author says into chapters.
Who leads Big Impact Books?
Melanie Herschorn leads Big Impact Books. She brings more than 20 years of background as a celebrity publicist and an award-winning journalist in radio, print, and TV, plus experience as a clothing designer and entrepreneur. She earned a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Southern California, where she graduated first in her class.
What books has Melanie Herschorn written?
Melanie Herschorn wrote Lasting Legal Impact and Make a Big Impact with Your Book. Lasting Legal Impact: Write a Book That Builds Your Brand, Grows Your Practice, and Positions You As The Trusted Expert was named a Finalist in the Business: Writing/Publishing category of the 2025 Best Book Awards, presented by American Book Fest.
How the guided interview process works
How do I publish my book if I do not have time to write?
You can publish a book without writing it line by line by using a guided interview process. Big Impact Books runs weekly interviews in which you talk through each chapter, and its team turns those conversations into a manuscript. The company describes its process as designed to respect your time, at just one hour a week.
How much time does the guided interview process take each week?
Big Impact Books describes its done-for-you publishing and promotion process as taking just one hour a week of the author’s time. That hour is spent in a guided interview talking through your ideas. The total length of a project depends on the scope of the book, so confirm the current timeline on yourbigimpactbook.com.
What happens during a guided book interview?
In a guided interview, you talk through a chapter’s ideas, stories, and lessons in response to structured questions. Attorney and author Manisha P. Patel said the weekly interviews let her talk through each chapter in an organized way while Melanie’s team pieced everything together. The team then shapes those conversations into written chapters.
Will a book made from interviews still sound like me?
That is the point of the guided interview approach. Because the manuscript starts from your own spoken explanations, stories, and examples, the language begins with you rather than with a writer imagining what you might say. Big Impact Books says its process is designed to honor each author’s authentic voice.
Do I need an outline before I start writing a book?
You do not need a finished outline to explore a guided interview book, because interview-based processes are designed to draw structure out of what you already know. If you want to organize your thinking first, Big Impact Books offers a free Book Planning Checklist on its main website, yourbigimpactbook.com.
Is the process done-for-you, or do I do the work?
Big Impact Books calls its publishing and promotion process done-for-you. You contribute your expertise during the weekly hour, and the team turns the interviews into a manuscript and supports publishing and promotion. Because the book carries your name, expect to review the work along the way, and confirm the exact review steps with Big Impact Books.
What happens after the manuscript is finished?
After the manuscript, the work moves to publishing and promotion. Big Impact Books is an independent publisher, so the book is released through its publishing support, and promotion can include podcast placements and media outreach. Author Sarah Hubbard said you are being set up for success beyond the actual book, calling it an all-encompassing program.
What kind of book promotion does Big Impact Books provide?
Big Impact Books provides promotional support that includes podcast placements and media outreach, as part of a process designed to make a book a driver of authority and business growth. The specific promotion activities in a given package can vary, so confirm what is included for your book on yourbigimpactbook.com before you decide.
Pricing, costs, and author earnings
Does it cost money to publish your book?
It can cost nothing or a significant amount, depending on the path. Uploading to a self-publishing platform can be free, while professional editing, design, and marketing cost money. Traditional publishers usually pay the author rather than charge. A done-for-you service such as Big Impact Books is a paid service, and current pricing is available through yourbigimpactbook.com.
How much does it cost to professionally publish a book?
There is no single price, because professional publishing bundles different services: manuscript development, editing, cover and interior design, distribution, and marketing. The more of those a provider handles, the more it costs. This site does not list Big Impact Books pricing; check yourbigimpactbook.com for current details and compare quotes on the same list of services.
How much does a 200 page book cost to print?
The printing cost of a 200 page book depends on trim size, paper, black and white or color interior, binding, and whether you use print-on-demand or a bulk print run. Bulk runs usually lower the cost per copy. Get a quote from your printer or distribution platform using your exact specifications before setting a list price.
How many books do you need to sell to make $100,000?
Divide $100,000 by what you earn per copy. At $2.50 per copy you would need 40,000 copies, at $5 you would need 20,000, and at $10 you would need 10,000. The calculator on our By the Numbers page runs this math for your own figures. Most authority authors measure success by opportunities, not royalties alone.
Is selling 5,000 copies of a book good?
For many nonfiction titles, 5,000 copies represents a meaningful number of readers. For an authority book, the more useful question is who those readers are. If they include the clients, partners, event organizers, and media contacts you want to reach, even a smaller number of copies can do significant work for your business.
Is Amazon KDP still profitable in 2026?
It can be, depending on your sales volume and costs. Writer Cosmos notes that self-published authors can keep up to 70% royalties on ebooks and retain full creative control. Profit still depends on how many copies sell and what you spend on editing, design, and marketing. For most CEOs, profit from copies is not the main goal.
What is the real ROI of publishing an authority book?
For a business leader, the return on a book usually comes less from royalties and more from what the book makes possible: credibility with prospects, invitations to speak, media interest, and a clearer way to explain your expertise. Big Impact Books frames the book as an asset that supports business growth, not only a product to sell.
Who this kind of publishing is for
Who is Big Impact Books for?
Big Impact Books serves CEOs, attorneys, professionals, and business owners worldwide who want a book that builds authority and supports business growth. This site focuses on business owners and CEOs, because their time is limited and their book usually needs to support a specific business goal, such as attracting clients or opening doors to media.
Is book publishing for CEOs different from regular publishing?
Yes, mainly in the goal and the schedule. A CEO usually publishes to build authority and support the business, not to earn a living from royalties, and has very little time to write. Book publishing for CEOs therefore favors processes that fit around running a company, such as the one-hour-a-week guided interview used by Big Impact Books.
Does Big Impact Books work with attorneys?
Yes. Attorneys are one of the groups Big Impact Books serves. Melanie Herschorn wrote Lasting Legal Impact specifically for legal professionals, and attorney Manisha P. Patel, author of End Your Marriage Peacefully, has described how the weekly interviews made writing her book manageable. This site focuses on CEOs and business owners, but the process is the same.
How do I know if my expertise is enough for a book?
If you regularly explain the same ideas to clients, teams, or audiences, and people find those explanations useful, you likely have the core of a book. Authority books are built from real experience, client stories, and repeatable methods. A guided interview process is designed to pull that knowledge out of conversation and give it a clear structure.
What kinds of books do Big Impact Books authors write?
Big Impact Books authors write nonfiction books built on their professional expertise. Examples from authors who have shared their experience include The Intentional Networker by founder Sarah Hubbard and End Your Marriage Peacefully by attorney Manisha P. Patel. The common thread is a book that positions its author as a trusted expert in their field.
Should a CEO write a book about where the business is now or where it is going?
Big Impact Books encourages leaders to write for where their business is going, the subject of one of its 2026 articles. A book takes time to develop and stays in circulation for years, so aiming it at the clients, services, and reputation you want next helps it keep working for you long after launch.
Compared to the alternatives
Which is better for a CEO, self-publishing or traditional publishing?
It depends on what you value most. Self-publishing offers speed, control, and higher royalty shares, but you handle or hire every task. Traditional publishing offers an established publisher’s team, but usually requires a proposal and follows the publisher’s schedule. CEOs who want authority without writing time often choose a done-for-you path instead. Our comparison page lays this out side by side.
How is Big Impact Books different from a self-publishing platform?
A self-publishing platform distributes the book you have already written and prepared. Big Impact Books is an independent publisher and marketing service that also helps create the manuscript through guided interviews, then supports publishing and promotion such as podcast placements and media outreach. The difference is how much of the work you do yourself.
How is a guided interview process different from hiring a ghostwriter?
Both can start from conversations, but the emphasis differs. Big Impact Books says it does not hide behind ghostwriting and that its authors own their brilliance, with the manuscript built from their words in weekly interviews. A separately hired ghostwriter typically delivers a draft only, so publishing and marketing are separate projects you would arrange yourself.
How is Big Impact Books different from a traditional publisher?
A traditional publisher usually acquires a book through a proposal, pays the author, and controls the schedule, while the author writes the manuscript. Big Impact Books is an independent publisher that helps develop the manuscript with you through guided interviews and adds promotional support. Compare rights, timelines, and costs in writing for any option you consider.
What is an independent publisher?
An independent publisher is a publishing company that operates on its own rather than as part of a large publishing group. Independent publishers vary widely in how they work, what they charge, and which authors they serve. Big Impact Books is an independent publisher focused on authority books for CEOs, attorneys, professionals, and business owners.
How do I find a book publisher to publish my book?
Start by deciding what you need: help writing, help publishing, help marketing, or all three. Then compare publishers on who writes the manuscript, the time you must commit, the costs, the rights you keep, and the promotion included. For a CEO who wants all three in one process, Big Impact Books is one option to evaluate.
Publishing and marketing in practice
How do I publish my own book?
To publish your own book, finish and edit the manuscript, get a professional cover and interior layout, obtain an ISBN, choose a distribution platform, set your price, and plan your launch and marketing. You can do every step yourself, hire freelancers for each one, or use a publisher such as Big Impact Books that handles them with you.
When should I start marketing my book?
Start before the book is published. Big Impact Books advises that it is never too soon to begin building an audience of ideal readers, because waiting until after launch loses valuable time. Early marketing helps validate your ideas, builds anticipation, and gives you a supportive network of readers ready to buy and share the book on launch day.
What happens if my book is published without a marketing plan?
A book published without a marketing plan often sees limited sales and missed opportunities, because readers cannot buy a book they do not know exists. Big Impact Books compares it to planning a party and never sending invitations. You can still add marketing after launch, but you lose the momentum that pre-launch audience building creates.
How do podcast placements help an author?
Podcast placements put an author in front of an audience that already trusts the host, in a long-form format where expertise comes through naturally. For a CEO, each episode becomes a lasting piece of content that explains your ideas and points listeners to your book. Big Impact Books includes podcast placements in its promotional support.
How many books are published every year?
Millions. According to the International Publishers Association, as cited by Big Impact Books, more than 2.2 million new titles were published in 2019. That figure counts only books registered with ISBNs, so the real number including self-published books is likely higher. This is why marketing matters as much as the manuscript itself.
How do I keep my book relevant after launch?
Keep engaging your audience through social media and email, keep promoting through podcasts, book clubs, and events, and update the content if your field changes. Big Impact Books also recommends collaborating with other authors and organizations to cross-promote. A legacy plan like this helps the book attract new readers and opportunities for years.
Getting started
How do I get started with Big Impact Books?
Begin on the Big Impact Books main website, yourbigimpactbook.com, where you can learn about its publishing and promotion services and find free resources such as the Book Planning Checklist. Reading Melanie Herschorn’s book Make a Big Impact with Your Book is another way to understand the approach before you commit.
What should I prepare before starting a book?
Clarify who the book is for, what you want it to do for your business, and the core ideas, client stories, and methods you explain most often. You do not need a manuscript. With a guided interview process, those notes become talking points, and the interviews draw out the detail that turns them into chapters.
Does Big Impact Books have a podcast or video show?
Yes. Big Impact Books lists The Big Impact Playbook Podcast and a YouTube show called Authority Marketing Live! on its main website, along with Melanie Herschorn’s news features and podcast guest appearances. These are useful free ways to hear how she thinks about authority, publishing, and book marketing before you decide.
Where has Melanie Herschorn been featured?
Big Impact Books reports that Melanie Herschorn was featured in The Female CEO Magazine in 2026 and appeared on a BRAINZ Magazine cover feature in December 2025. Her main website also lists news features and podcast guest appearances. Those pages are the best place to see the current, complete list.
Want the side-by-side view? See our comparison of ways to publish a book as a CEO.