I have used Atticus to format books for clients and for my own projects for a few years.
Atticus does a great job formatting all of the standard trim sizes for Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) and IngramSpark, as well as an eBook format for Kindle and other readers.
The Atticus platform is also great for writing. It is chapter-oriented, and reorganizing chapters is as simple as dragging up or down in the side panel.
Using Grammarly or other writing assistants provides a powerful writing and editing environment.
There is no extra step between the writing and formatting stages. All done with grace in Atticus.
Collaboration
Atticus creator Dave Chesson said he was working on the ability to collaborate on book projects. It has been on my wish list for a long time and would simplify the editing and review process.
A few weeks ago, Atticus sent a notice about a major update to the software. Dave Chasson didn’t say what the update was but said we could probably guess.
Sure enough, that was it was the collaboration feature that was new.
While it is too late for this year, here is how the collaboration feature would have saved A LOT of time and trouble with Tales From The Turkey Table by Bill Allman.
Bill called me in late November last year to say he was ready to go with Tales from the Turkey Table.
Given that we often were able to take a finished manuscript to formatted and submitted for printing in a few days ago, I said we could do a quick edit pass and format for printing.
Given that Bill is a good writer and editor himself, we assumed it was ready to go. And for what we were doing, it was.
The writing style and punctuation was quirky, but very readable. I certainly was not going to be heavy-handed with editing.
Although the formatting was tricky, I created PDF that I sent out for review.
Some of the most minor things like the table of contents not fitting on a single page became a sticking point.
Then various friends started complaining about minor things. Editing by committee is usually a bad idea because people have opinions that are often wrong and not helpful.
Assuming that the author had done a thorough read of the review copy and considering the time crunch, we submitted, printed, and sold copies.
After Christmas, the author decided to do a close review and edit to make it better.
Nearly a year later, he said he was done with the edit comments in a PDF with comment tracking enabled.
I spent a good week applying some 550 minor changes.
Now we have time to print for Christmas and get into retail shops.
Now that the collaboration feature is available, here is what we could have done last year and this year that would have saved much time and trouble:
I would have set up the author and editors as collaborators and reviewed the text and formatting within Atticus.
Atticus would track and report changes and comments.
The author could have made most of the changes himself, which is far easier than explaining the changes.
All collaborators and editors can review the formatting within Atticus and export PDFs for closer review.
Once approved, the formatted book will be ready for submission and printing.
Working With Book Clients Moving Forward
The writing and formatting features of Atticus are all I need for my books.
The collaboration feature makes working with new book clients easier regardless of stage. I can help with book development, writing, editing, and formatting.
So I will encourage, if not insist, to get the book project into Atticus as soon as possible and collaborate there. That means that the author and editors would need their own Atticus accounts.
Do you have a book taking up real estate in your head?
It’s time to get it out of your head and out to the world as a book.
It is not hard. If you have a good idea of what you want to share, the writing and publishing can be done comfortably in a month for most books.
Here are the basic steps:
Choose a topic and a working title.
Create a chapter outline
Write the chapters
Do a few rounds of editing
Format the document for submission
Create a cover
Submit for publishing
The next actions expand on the steps.
You can do it all yourself or have Greg Dixon help you work through the steps.
1. Choose a Topic and a Working Title
In this step, you determine the topic of your book and choose a working title that represents it.
Don’t worry too much about the title. After writing the chapters, you can refine the title, subtitle, and book description to represent your writing.
2. Create a Chapter Outline
The outline creates the overall structure and content organization for your book.
You can write your outline or chapter headlines in Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Atticus, or a writing tool of your choice.
Once you have the outline, the rest is filling in the space with content.
3. Write the Chapters
You can write the chapters with content to support the title of the chapter.
The content can be as simple or complex as you want to communicate the subject.
4. Do a Few Rounds of Editing
Read through and edit your manuscript a few times on your own until you are happy with it.
You then have others or a professional editor look through to make suggestions and adjustments for improvement.
I recommend a few rounds of reading and editing.
5. Formatting the Document for Publishing
Amazon and other publishers have specific formatting requirements for submitting your book.
The formatting will change according the trim size, such as 6 x 9 or 5 x 8. 6 x 9 inches is a good size for most books. You can find the details on the Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing pages.
This is where I typically jump in the process for our book clients. I use Atticus to format the book for print and eBook.
6. Create a Cover
Creating a cover that meets the print publishing specifications is the trickiest part.
Amazon will generate a cover template based on trim size, page count, and paper type for use designing a cover.
Amazon also has a decent book design feature when you are uploading the book.
This is another area where I can help with the cover design or tweaking an existing cover to meet the specifications.
7. Submitting the Book
We generally submit to Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing and to IngramSpark for people who want to get their books into bookstores and libraries.
The process is mostly completing forms and uploading files.
Amazon will then provided an online preview and conduct a quality review when you submit.
We usually do this for our clients using their Amazon and IngramSpark accounts.
Your Fun Publishing Journey Retainer
For a modest monthly retainer, I can help you with all parts of your publishing journey, from writing to publishing to marketing.
The main service I provide for our book publishing is formatting the manuscript for print book and eBook publishing with Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing and IngramSpark.
The tool I use for that is Attiticus at atticus.io.
Atticus supports all popular book trim sizes like 6 x 9 inches.
It includes many book themes that can be customized in many ways.
The platform provides good previews of the formatting of the eBook on various devices and the print format.
Writing
Usually, the manuscripts from our clients come in Microsoft Word format that is imported into Atticus for formatting.
Atticus provides a great writing platform for writing and editing books.
Each book section and chapter is treated as a separate block, which makes restructuring your book a matter of dragging the section up or down on the list on the left panel.
The formatting within each section or chapter is highly style-driven in the sense that all headings and all paragraph styles will be the same across the entire book.
This is a good practice that will frustrate style hackers who want to vary fonts, styles, and colors paragraph by paragraph.
I use Grammarly for writing style and correctness. Other writing tools could work for you within Atticus.
Proofing
Atticus outputs a PDF file optimized for uploading for printing. This file represents the book formatting with high accuracy.
We have been sending the PDF to authors and editors for feedback. Adobe does support review comments, though it is awkward.
My current practice is to use the PDF to create a flipbook with Heyzine at https://heyzine.com/.
The flipbook provides a great presentation of the formatting and can be the preferred way to share books where your intention is to share rather than make sales of the book. Like a lead magnet:-)
There are dozens of flipbook creators. Heyzine is easy to use, offers a lot with the free plan, and the paid plans are inexpensive. Heyzine can also publish multimedia magazines.
A great path for you could be their Publishing Sales Machine where they combine creating a book, a continuity program, and sales during the development process.
The main idea is that the content that would go into a book can also go into an online course or program as well as be used for marketing to boost your authority and attract clients and sales.
Betty and Greg offer a low-cost workshop program as well as a personal retainer.
Where are you in your book writing and publishing journey?
Still pondering ideas and titles?
Have notes and perhaps an outline?
Do you have a fairly complete outline completed?
You have a draft ready for editing and moving to the next step?
Do you have more than one book in mind and are pondering which book to complete first?
We Have You Covered!
Our Complete Book Journey Publishing Retainer can take your books from ideas to books in the hands of readers.
We meet with you weekly to discuss where you are at and the next steps.
We encourage you, offer writing support, provide editing and formatting, and help design a cover and get the book published.
Your Book Journey with Betty Withrow and Greg Dixon
Here is what the journey looks like working with us.
Meet with you to explore where you are at with your writing, where you want to go, and what you want to get out of writing one or more books.
Create a set of shared folders on Google Drive for collaborating on brainstorming, idea collection, writing, editing, and formatting.
Meet weekly to discuss where we can help and the next steps.
Collaborate on more than one outline that will grow into the book. We will provide a template with all of the usual sections that go into a book.
We provide writing support and editing as we build out the manuscript.
At some point, we will move from writing to an editing and review phase.
We format and provide review copies in PDF and ePub formats to get feedback from other people.
When ready, we help you submit to Amazon Direct Publishing or a platform of your choice such as Ingram Sparks and Book Baby.
Greg Dixon will provide a Digital Experience Edition ~ A multimedia portal containing one or more books in various formats, plus related images, articles, audio, and video.
We can help you approach book agents and publishers if you want a traditional publisher instead of self-publishing.
All along, we encourage and support you to premarket your book through various marketing strategies including building a list of people to send excerpts and invite to the book launch.
How Long Does The Process Take?
The time frame depends on where you are at in book development, how complex the book is, and how much time you have for the project.
Betty Withrow’s ghostwriting and coaching projects often take from eight to ten months.
A book project starting with a solid outline could be done in three months or less.
We are very flexible and can work at your pace. If you need to take a break from the project, we can pause the retainer and resume later. tack Or we can move fast to get it done.
Your Complete Book Journey ~ Light Retainer
This is our most affordable offer and perfect if you are comfortable writing and plan to do most of the writing yourself.
Here is what you get:
A writing and publishing roadmap customized for your publishing goals.
Folders and templates on Google Drive for writing, review, collaboration, editing, and basic formatting.
Weekly meetings to review progress and discuss next steps.
Light writing coaching and support. We will write some bridge content where appropriate, though you will do the majority of the writing. Betty Withrow offers full ghostwriting services if needed.
Editing rounds when the writing is complete.
Manuscript formatting with review copies.
Manuscript submission.
Prelaunch, launch, and ongoing marketing support.
Digital Experience Edition ~ A multimedia portal containing one or more books in various formats, plus related images, articles, audio, and video.
$540 per month for as long as you want our support for one or more books.
We provide a complete range of book development, publishing, and launch marketing packages to get your book launched in the world.
You can jump in at the beginning or at any point in your book journey.
Your Complete Book Journey Publishing Retainer
We offer a number of packages to handle each of the main phases of your book production journey. Continue to read down this page to learn about those packages.
Our best offer is a monthly retainer designed to take you from wherever you are in your book journey through to the publishing, launch, and marketing of your books for as long as you want to write and publish books.
The retainer includes all of the services listed in the packages delivered over a time frame that works for you.
We meet with you do plan your book development and create a space for you to work and collaborate with us in Google Drive.
The package includes:
Planning
Roadmap
Book Outline (that will develop into the finished book. You can copy to make versions)
Place for notes
$400
Writing Development Package
Betty Withrow will work with you as a writing coach and we will help get the writing of your book done.
The package includes support for two months to gain momentum, keep you on track, and develop your book.
Clarity | Focus | Momentum
Your book could take more time to complete.
$800 – $1800
Manuscript Preparation Package
We work with you to make sure all of the components that go into a published book are prepared and edited.
This includes three rounds of editing and review to ensure the book is ready for the next step.
$800 – $1800
Formatting and Launch Package
Now that the writing is done, we get the book formatted and launched.
Includes:
Book formatting for print and eBook.
Cover design
Uploading and publishing
This package assumes publishing with Amazon Direct Publishing using your Amazon account, with you reviewing the settings and pushing the submit button.
Alternatives include submitting to platforms like Ingram Sparks and Book Baby.
Note: Submitting to a traditional publishing house is something we can discuss if that is the best publishing path for your book.
$800 – $1800
Book Launch Marketing Roadmap
We often say the time to start marketing your book is the day you start writing it.
We can outline a strategy and roadmap for that.
$400
Book Launch Marketing Package
We can help you implement a comprehensive marketing campaign, including:
Content for blog posts, social media, and video to create buzz for your book.
Landing pages with optin to get launch notices.
Book sales page
Help with the launch party.
Post-launch strategies to keep the momentum going.
Betty Withrow and Greg Dixon can help you take your book from notion to launch.
They can help you every step of the way through the process. If needed, they can recommend specialists to help in specific areas.
This article takes you through the journey that most books take.
Your book may be at the very beginning step.
Or it may be a few steps away from publishing.
Betty Withrow and Greg Dixon can help take you from where you are today to where you want to go.
What Do You Want To Get Out of It?
One of the first questions we ask when discussing your book, is what you want to get out of writing a book.
Some of the following may apply to you:
You Want To Write A Book To Simply Write A Book. You simply want to create something and go through the creative process of writing a book. Often that is the best only reason you will ever need. Simply enjoying the process and finishing is a success.
You Have Stories To Tell.
You Have Wisdom and Skills to Teach.
You Want to Enlighten The World.
You Want to Change The World.
You Want Influence and Authority.
You Want A Lead Magnet
Another Calling …
You may not know why you are feeling compelled to write a book and that is okay.
Writing and creating is a human gift and simply taking the writing journey is reason enough.
The true reason may not be clear until you have finished.
Or the reason is clear to you now, which will help clarify the choices you plan on your writing and publishing journey.
Your Book Ideas
Do you know what you want your book to be about?
What titles do you have in mind?
Do you have many ideas and possible titles in mind?
Write them all down.
Brainstorming
Brainstorm you ideas, capture them for building a process.
You can carry index cards with you, speak into your phone, jot them down in a notebook, or whatever system that appeals to you.
Set a time each day to sit with your idea and gather more ideas.
When you begin to build the creative habit, it becomes easier to get the flow going.
Capturing
Put your notes together and see what common threads appear. Find themes that you want to develop.
Outlining
Outlining is a fabulous tool to plan and expand your book (or plans for almost anything).
Think of the arc of meaning that you want your book to encompass.
Find a beginning, middle, and end to the topic and put together a series of chapter headings that outline your topics.
This will be used to give your book a coherent structure and make a creative flow appear naturally as you get clear about exactly what you want to present.
The outline is like the skeleton of the human body, holding up the muscles of the meaning and the flow of energetic feeling that makes the book have a life of its own.
Google Drive Folders
With Google Drive, it is simple to share information among people on the team and collaborate effectively in real-time.
Topics, media, chapter materials, each can have its own place in a system built to serve your exact needs.
Author Coaching
Many people find that having a writing coach is good for developing the content of the book, gaining more depth in what is being presented through guidance and focused questions that build the creative momentum.
Betty is experienced in this and finds that when people get focused clarity, the momentum of writing is greatly enhanced.
Often people do not realize how much knowledge they have to offer the world.
Gain a perspective that can broaden the appeal of your book and make it more useful for your business application, so you can make the most of your book project.
For fiction, Betty can support character and plot definition, clarify questions about the voice and tone of the book, and give support to make the plot line flow smoothly.
Ghostwriting
For those who don’t have the time to write a book, Betty will work with you to make your book appear with your own voice and showing your expertise to the world.
Through recorded interviews and collaboration on outlining, themes, and more, Betty’s process will make it simple and easy for you to accomplish your goal of having a book that establishes your authority and brings you the benefits of having your knowledge and experience highlighted for the world to see.
Developmental Editing
An effective editing process is crucial to the success of a book, making it readable and engaging. Ideas that need to be expressed fully will be brought to your attention and Betty will ask you specific and detailed questions so that you can add depth to your presentation.
Syntax, flow of ideas, fundamentals of grammar structure, all of these contribute to making your book enjoyable to your reader.
The goal is to have every idea flow seamlessly into the next, fostering thoughtful reflection and engagement so that your information is simple and easy for your audience to understand and absorb.
Manuscript Preparation
We conduct a careful review of the words and spelling in your book along with a review of the flow of information and copy correction makes your book manuscript reflect your professional approach to your work.
Book Formatting
Greg will format your book using modern software that gives a polished appearance to every page.
Table of contents, footnotes, other additions to the book, all are put into pages that are pleasing in layout and draw in the reader.
You will have different formatting options for different types of platforms.
Cover Design
What kind of cover do you want to have?
We offer several options at different pricing levels to suit your book’s purpose and your budget.
Publishing
Uploads to online platforms like Amazon, IngramSpark, Lulu, BookBaby, ….
We will also discuss the route to getting a traditional book publisher if that is your goal.
Launching
Unless you are writing the book for the sheer joy of writing it, you will want to run a book launch with marketing buzz, press releases, and other actions to launch your book.
We can help with that.
Marketing
Betty Withrow Greg Dixon offer a full range of marketing services that could be applied to your book launch and promotion.
Repurposing
The content of your book can be repurposed as online courses, podcasts, blog posts, social media posts, and more.
Our Service Packages
Here are our book publishing services and packages.
Book Writing
We work with you to go from idea to completing the book.
Book Publishing
We provided editing, formatting, and publishing services to get your book launched.
Book Marketing
We help you get your book in front of readers.
Book Repurposing
We help leverage your book for a wide range of media outlets.
