Start your bookNew from Ballast Books
Publishing is hard to navigate and even harder to execute well. Ballast Guided Publishing pairs a structured, tech-enabled workflow with real editors, designers, and publishing experts — giving your manuscript a clear path to market without the cost of a fully bespoke program.
Not DIY. Not fully bespoke. Professionally guided.
Your complete publishing workflow
Your manuscript is run through our evaluation process to deliver detailed feedback on what works in your storyline, flow, continuity, and character development. The result is a clear blueprint for making your manuscript the best it can be — so that when editing begins, everyone knows exactly what to do.
The right level of editing for your particular manuscript — whether that's line editing, copy editing, proofreading, or a deeper developmental edit. Every manuscript is edited for correctness, clarity, and consistency, and brought into line with Chicago Manual of Style standards. You review the work and receive revisions so the finished manuscript is free of mistakes.
An original, market-ready cover created through our guided process. You choose the direction you like, review the design, and a Ballast designer refines and tweaks it until the cover looks right.
A clean, professional interior typeset to print and ebook specifications. You review the layout, request revisions, and approve the final files before publication.
Categories, keywords, ISBN, and barcode handled for you — set up so your book can be found and ordered through major retailers and bookstores.
Your book is published on major print-on-demand platforms such as Amazon KDP and IngramSpark, making it available everywhere books are sold online and through bookstores.
You keep 100% of your royalties on every book sold. While you are always your best marketer to your own network, additional marketing services and activities are also available to help you reach more readers.
Your finished book is made available everywhere books are sold.
Publishing a book can feel overwhelming, but it does not have to be. Our experienced editors, designers, and publishing professionals handle the heavy lifting, supported by smart tech and a streamlined process that keeps everything moving. You do not need to learn the publishing world — just bring your manuscript, review the work at each step, and let us take care of the rest.
By pairing a tight-knit team of publishing pros with custom technology built for this path, we move from your rough draft to a published book faster than you might expect. No endless back-and-forth, no guessing games — just a clear, efficient process that gets your book out into the world and into readers' hands.
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Ballast Books is a bespoke, high-end hybrid publisher. Guided Publishing brings that same professional team and standard of craft to a lower price point — so a high-quality, professionally published book is available to everyone, not just authors with a bespoke budget.
Editors, designers, and production experts from Ballast Books — not freelancers you have to vet and manage.
Technology keeps the process efficient and predictable, so a lower price never means a lower standard.
Every editorial, design, and publishing deliverable is reviewed by a Ballast professional before it moves forward.
One transparent price of $4,900, three milestone payments, and a professional team beside you from evaluation to publication. *Up to 75,000 words.