We Help Authors
It's a new age in writing and book publishing.
From desktop publishing to digitization to printing on demand to e-books to social media, publishing is now a way for anyone who writes to turn their ideas into works of art, products, and careers.
Three Ways to Publish
Some writers hire a printer/publisher to produce books from their fiction or nonfiction manuscripts. Some submit their manuscripts to corporate publishers and are selected, or not, for publication. And some partner with independent, hybrid publishers such as Touchwood Press to get the help they need, whatever that may be.
1. Hire a Publisher
The challenge for most writers is that they aren't experienced in the mechanics of book production and marketing and aren't connected to the reader audience for their books.
Some contract with companies that specialize in producing shiny new books but leave the marketing—finding and serving the book's market—to the author. Producers like these are often called "vanity presses" because they—well, you get it. This approach is centuries old and does not seem to be willing to die even now. For many writers, this has become a sad tale of paying thousands to work with a "publisher" and expecting big sales only to find their books gathering dust—real or virtual—in the garage or on a lonely product page on Amazon. There is no need for this to happen to you or anyone you know now that end-to-end self-publishing is accessible for anyone with an internet connection and a willingness to learn.
2. Get Accepted by a Major Publisher
You may be aware of how hard it is to get the attention of and then be selected for publication by an established publishing house. Or, maybe not. Nearly any best-selling author you can name experienced rejections by one or usually many major publishers.
Then, either a courageous editor or a happy accident has resulted in that initial contract and the rest is history. Read up on J.K. Rowling.
3. Publish It Yourself
In the early stages of Touchwood Press, friends told us about getting published by an established house only to experience ultimate rejection when their book failed to survive the publisher's first selling season.
At Touchwood, we had access to technology and experience that could help first-time authors self-publish and find the right markets for their works. We specialize in helping writers become authors and taking those first steps to wide acceptance.
Our first self-published book was a software/book bundle developed in the early 1990s. This project was self-published in that we did our own project management, marketing, and distribution—the business side of publishing—but we still relied on partnerships for editing, design, and production.
We contracted with a freelance editor, a graphic designer, and a local printer who happened to have bookbinding equipment in his shop. We produced a 400-page paperback with software on two floppy disks encased in a vinyl envelope at the back of the book. We sold more than 50,000 copies of our book-software bundle for $99 to computer science students at 350+ universities in eight countries. We re-packaged existing software and a user manual to produce a new product for a new market and a new revenue stream.
Today, Touchwood Press coaches and assists writers in becoming published authors. Making a book is almost always a team sport, involving dozens of steps and specialized knowledge. The good news is that a motivated writer can do everything that needs doing on their own. The bad news is this is hard work, has a steep learning curve, and is a major distraction from writing.
Touchwood Press will create the process and product resulting in a quality book presented before people who are reading e-books, paperbacks, hardcovers, and audiobooks. We can help create an author website or blog, advertising, promotions, events, and administration. Touchwood can do all of this or any portion that suits your situation. We can create a set of commercial terms aligned with your budget and aspirations.
We help authors publish books. Can we help you?