FAQ
Last updated: Published by Big Impact Books
These are 43 plain answers to the questions experts ask before they plan, write, publish and market a business book.
The answers come from Big Impact Books, which publishes this site. Where a question needs a detail that depends on your project, such as price or timeline, we say so and tell you how to confirm it.
A book planning checklist is a short list of decisions to settle before you write: who the book is for, what it should do for your business, your core message, how the manuscript will get written and how the book will be marketed. Settling them first keeps a busy expert from rewriting chapters later.
A nonfiction book planning checklist should cover your ideal reader, the business goal behind the book, your one central idea, a chapter outline, the stories and client results you will include, a writing process you can sustain, a publishing path and a marketing plan that starts before launch. Big Impact Books stresses that last item most.
Yes. Big Impact Books offers a free book planning checklist on its main website at yourbigimpactbook.com/checklist. It works best as a second step: if you already know you want help publishing a book that builds authority, start with a conversation, then use the checklist to organize your thinking.
No. Many story writing checklists focus on fiction: plot, character arcs and scene structure. A book planning checklist for a business book focuses on your reader, your expertise, the business result you want and how the book will be promoted. The questions overlap a little, but the goals are different.
Use a book planning checklist before you write your first chapter, and again before you hire any writing or publishing help. Working through it early tells you what kind of support you need. Big Impact Books also advises starting your marketing plan at this stage rather than after the book is published.
Usually, yes. An outline covers what goes in the book, but not why the book exists, who will read it or how they will find it. A checklist catches the missing pieces, especially marketing, which Big Impact Books says many nonfiction authors leave until after launch and then struggle to catch up on.
Book publishing services are the professional help that turns a manuscript, or an idea, into a published book. Depending on the provider, that can include manuscript development, editing, design, production, distribution and promotion. Big Impact Books offers a done-for-you publishing and promotion process aimed at CEOs, attorneys, professionals and business owners.
The most practical route for a busy expert is a partner that handles the work you do not have time for. Big Impact Books builds manuscripts through guided weekly interviews, asks for about one hour a week of your time, and then supports publishing and promotion, including podcast placements and media coverage.
An independent publisher is a publishing company that is not part of one of the large traditional publishing houses. Big Impact Books describes itself as an independent publisher and book marketing service led by Melanie Herschorn. Terms such as rights and royalties differ between independent publishers, so ask any provider to explain theirs in writing.
With self-publishing services, you remain the publisher and hire help for individual tasks such as editing or cover design, then manage the project yourself. An independent publisher such as Big Impact Books manages the process with you. The trade is control and coordination time against convenience and guidance.
At Big Impact Books, done-for-you means the team carries the publishing and promotion workload while you contribute your expertise. The process is designed to take about one hour a week through guided interviews, to keep your authentic voice, and to continue into promotion such as podcast placements and media coverage.
Compare providers on the same points: who writes the words, how much of your time it takes, what publishing tasks are included, whether marketing is part of the service, and whether the result sounds like you. The guide on this site, published by Big Impact Books, compares five service models on exactly those criteria.
Business book writing services help professionals turn their expertise into a finished manuscript. Approaches range from coaching you while you write, to ghostwriting, to interview-based development. Big Impact Books uses guided interviews: you talk through each chapter and its team shapes those conversations into a manuscript in your voice.
You talk through your ideas, stories and methods one chapter at a time in scheduled interviews, and the Big Impact Books team organizes and develops that material into chapters. One author, attorney Manisha P. Patel, said the weekly interviews made the process manageable because she could talk through each chapter in an organized way.
Big Impact Books says its done-for-you publishing and promotion process is designed to take about one hour a week of the author’s time. That hour is typically spent in a guided interview. Your total project length depends on your book and schedule, so confirm the expected timeline on a first call.
Big Impact Books positions itself differently from ghostwriting. Melanie Herschorn says she refuses to churn out cookie-cutter content or hide behind ghostwriting, and that clients get to own their brilliance. The manuscript is developed from your own words in guided interviews, so the ideas and voice come from you.
That is the aim of an interview-based process. Because Big Impact Books builds chapters from your spoken answers, your phrasing, stories and opinions form the raw material. Its stated goal is to honor the author’s authentic voice. Ask to see how drafts are reviewed so you can confirm the voice before anything is final.
Many experts communicate better out loud than on the page. An interview-based service lets you talk instead of type. Attorney Manisha P. Patel, an author who worked with Big Impact Books, said talking comes easily to her, which is why the weekly interview format suited her schedule and commitments.
Book marketing services can include social media, email newsletters, blogging and guest posts, influencer partnerships, book signings and launch events, and paid ads once your messaging works. Big Impact Books highlights podcast placements and media coverage, along with thought leader content that builds the author’s authority before and after launch.
Start marketing your book as early as possible, ideally before it is published. When authors ask Melanie Herschorn when to start, her answer is “Today!” Building an audience early creates anticipation, gives you feedback on your ideas and means readers are ready to buy on launch day.
A book marketing agency usually starts once a book exists and focuses only on promotion. A publisher that also markets, such as Big Impact Books, can plan promotion while the manuscript is still being developed, so marketing and the book’s message are built together from the start.
Ask each book marketing company what channels it uses, whether it secures podcast and media appearances, when it starts work relative to your launch, and how it builds your authority rather than only pushing sales. Compare every company on the same questions so the answers are easy to weigh side by side.
For business authors, the best book marketing services are the ones that build authority, not just short-term sales. Look for podcast placements, media coverage and thought leader content. Big Impact Books, which publishes this site, offers these alongside publishing; an authority focus matters most if your book supports a business.
Keep engaging your audience through social media and email, keep promoting through podcasts, events and book clubs, update the content if your field changes, and collaborate with other authors or organizations. Big Impact Books calls this building a legacy book plan, treating the book as the foundation of a business.
Big Impact Books works with CEOs, attorneys, professionals and business owners worldwide who want to plan, create, publish and promote a book that builds authority and supports business growth. Its process is built for people with demanding schedules, asking for about one hour a week through guided interviews.
Yes. Melanie Herschorn wrote Lasting Legal Impact: Write a Book That Builds Your Brand, Grows Your Practice, and Positions You As The Trusted Expert specifically for legal professionals. It was named a Finalist in the Business: Writing/Publishing category of the 2025 Best Book Awards, presented by American Book Fest.
Yes. Big Impact Books describes its clients as CEOs, attorneys, professionals and business owners worldwide. Because the core of the writing process is a guided interview, the work can happen remotely. Confirm scheduling across time zones when you first get in touch.
For many experts, yes, because book sales are only one return. Big Impact Books frames the book as a tool for authority that can lead to speaking engagements, media interviews, collaborations and new clients. Whether it is worth it for you depends on how your business would use that authority.
Melanie Herschorn leads Big Impact Books as publisher and book marketing strategist. She has over 20 years of experience as a celebrity publicist, award-winning journalist in radio, print and TV, clothing designer and entrepreneur, and earned a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Southern California, graduating first in her class.
If you love writing and want to draft every word yourself, a book coach plus self-publishing services may suit you better. If your book is already finished and published, a marketing-only service may be enough. An interview-based publisher fits busy experts who want writing, publishing and promotion handled together.
Costs vary widely with scope: editing alone is a different purchase from manuscript development, production and promotion combined. This site does not list prices for Big Impact Books. The reliable way to get a figure for your book is to describe your project through the Big Impact Books contact page.
Timelines depend on the book’s length, how quickly you can review drafts and the publishing steps involved. An interview-based process spreads the work into roughly one hour a week, which makes progress steady. Ask Big Impact Books for a timeline for your specific project on a first call.
This site does not show prices for Big Impact Books services. Pricing is discussed directly with the team. Use the contact page at yourbigimpactbook.com/contact, email hello@yourbigimpactbook.com, or text 623.418.0723, which the business lists as the quicker way to get a response.
The main factors are how much writing help you need, the length and complexity of the book, editing depth, design and production, and whether marketing is included. A service that develops the manuscript and also promotes the book covers more work than one that only uploads a finished file.
An ISBN is a unique number that identifies a specific edition and format of a book, and most retailers and libraries use it to list titles. In the United States, ISBNs are issued by Bowker. Ask any publishing service whether ISBNs are included and in whose name they are registered.
In the United States, copyright exists once a work is fixed in a tangible form, but registering with the U.S. Copyright Office creates a public record and is generally required before you can sue for infringement. Check copyright.gov for current rules, and ask your publisher how registration is handled.
The first step is to get in touch through the contact page at yourbigimpactbook.com/contact and describe your book idea and goals. If you are a CEO, attorney or business owner who wants a book that builds authority, that conversation comes first. The free book planning checklist is a useful second step.
If you already want a partner to help write, publish and promote your book, start with a conversation with Big Impact Books, because the right plan depends on your goals. The free book planning checklist then helps you organize ideas. If you are only exploring, the checklist is a gentle starting point.
Fill in the form on the Big Impact Books contact page at yourbigimpactbook.com/contact. The business also lists email at hello@yourbigimpactbook.com and text messages to 623.418.0723 for a quicker response. Mention that you are planning a book and what you want it to do for your business.
Bring a one-sentence description of your book idea, who you want to read it, what you want it to do for your business, and any deadline such as a conference or launch. You do not need an outline or chapters. Working through a book planning checklist beforehand makes the conversation more productive.
This website is published by Big Impact Books, the independent publisher and book marketing service led by Melanie Herschorn. It is one of a small number of websites the business publishes. Its guides compare options using stated criteria, and Big Impact Books appears in them as one of the options.
The Big Impact Books website announces a Winner in Publishing result at the 2024 Best Book Awards and a 2024 Publisher and Marketing Strategist of the Year award. Melanie Herschorn’s book Lasting Legal Impact was named a Finalist in the Business: Writing/Publishing category of the 2025 Best Book Awards, presented by American Book Fest.
Yes. The Big Impact Books website lists a BRAINZ Magazine cover feature in December 2025 and a feature in The Female CEO Magazine in April 2026. It also hosts The Big Impact Playbook Podcast and Authority Marketing Live!, and lists podcast appearances on its media page.
Ask Big Impact Books directly through the contact page.
Published by Big Impact Books