Dear Writer,
A new publishing season is upon us and we’re looking for authors with insight and a story to tell who we will take global.
Traditional publishing is extraordinarily competitive and we typically offer publishing contracts to less than 0.1% of the authors who submit manuscripts to us. Far too many talented and passionate writers with an important message remain shut out from mainstream publishing. "Journey to Publication" aims to change that.
We've carefully created a program designed to help you take the uncertainty out of getting published. If selected, you will undertake a structured yet highly personalized program with unprecedented access to publishing experts and insiders that will allow you to develop your book and author's brand to a commercial publishing level.
Succeeding as an author is not about luck, it’s about understanding how the world of books and publishing actually works. We like to work with passionate people, so we’ve carefully designed this process to give you and us a fair chance of making your book a success.
Here’s How it Works
Apply (free of charge) with the short form below. Tell us a little about yourself, your book, past books (if any) and your goals. A member of our editorial team will check over what you have sent. If your application passes review and we believe that we can have a successful author/publisher partnership, you will be invited to move forward to step two.
Congratulations, you’ve been selected to work with Exisle and EK Books! It’s time to get your manuscript and book up to a commercial publishing standard. You will be invited to join a small group of fellow authors for our 10-week “Become a Successful Published Author” program.
Under the mentorship of a successful publisher specialized in your genre, you will go through a 10-week training program. Part-time and customized to your schedule, availability, and time zone, you’ll learn what it takes to become a successful, published author.
The 10 Week Program Begins on Monday, February 23, 2023. Apply at least 10 days before this to be sure of a spot...
As you go through the program, you will be provided with ample feedback and suggestions on moving your manuscript forward toward a commercial publishing standard. By the end of the ten-week program, this work should be complete and you will be ready to receive your publishing offer.
Our contract will be based upon Exisle’s standard contract representing and selling your book across the world’s markets and forms. The financial terms of the contract will be based on your goals as well as how commercial your book has become by the end of the 10-week process. Exisle and its children’s list, EK Books, are traditional full risk-taking publishing houses paying regular Royalties.
This program is designed to create these traditional opportunities and also to make it possible for authors who for some reason or another have manuscripts that are not fully commercial (for example highly detailed subject matter) to have their work published in a proper sense by contributing something towards the costs and have a chance to earn their money back. We also are happy to work with those who are determined to self-publish and ensure that they are well-informed about the many publishing decisions they will need to make.
It all depends on the book and your goals: You are free to accept or reject our offer. While we hope to have the opportunity to bring your book to market you are welcome to take your new and improved manuscript and know-how and shop it around to other publishers or of course self-publish and we will support you in whatever you choose.
Your Exisle Academy mentorship is designed to help you master every stage of the writing and publishing journey, and includes both one-on-one mentorship, as well as lectures and training materials. Because of the amount of personal attention provided to each student, limited spaces are available.
Once all spots are taken, registration will be closed. As a reminder, we begin on February 23, 2023, and will accommodate your time zone as well as your schedule: Many authors we work with are juggling writing ambitions with full-time jobs and/or personal commitments, we will work around you.
Your mentorship and training is structured around three key learning objectives:
You will be guided through what publishers look for and, department by department, how they actually work. We will tell you what questions to ask. The Exisle Academy team has experience with over 20 publishing houses across the world and will give you our insider knowledge. If you are going through a traditional publisher, using a third-party service or self-publishing you will find our guide to win the hidden competition for expertise and attention can make a big difference to your success.
Of course, your needs are specific so we have created three separate cohorts and you will be joining a group of no more than eleven others. This enables ample one-to-one interaction with at least two of our experts as well as the opportunity to meet other professionally minded writers like yourself.
We know you want to have a clear idea on what you can expect as an Exisle Academy student, so here are some recent emails from students in our earlier cohorts. All words are their own, emails may have been lightly trimmed to remove sensitive or extraneous information and protect privacy. As you will see, Academy students include intelligent and driven authors, from all works of life, at various different stages of progress.
Our Students, In Their Own Words:
Just a quick note to say video one has been a good insight and reinforced some of what I know, but also gave me a much better insight of the acquisition process and the ‘battle’ that is sometimes waged between editorial and marketing. It’s the same in journalism with the push-pull between reporters and sales executives! It makes me feel more positive about a couple of my PB manuscripts that have made it to meetings, but ultimately were knocked back. I shall keep persevering, as one of my goals is to have my work published by Exisle/EK Books...
Catherine
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Last, but not the least, I wanted to express my great appreciation and respect to Exisle for being respectful, structured, and open to offer options and ways for new writers and illustrators to get insights and guidance on how to enter the world of publishing.
That is truly advanced of you, guys, and deserves admiration.
Maria
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Thank you for your constructive and helpful comments on my picture books and for the two articles.
I took your much appreciated advice and revised [TITLE] into an international version, eliminating the mention of [SUBJECT], but keeping my theme, even though we have differences we are all a part of the human family.
E. L.
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Thanks for the feedback. Your comments are helpful and reassuring, and increasingly echo how I am feeling about the book...
Writing is often such a long and lonely process. Having two for company with this book is a blessing, an absolutely fabulous one.
Your interest, consideration and the fact that you are often looking at my work late in the evening, is noted...
Christine
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Just a quick update: After watching Nathan’s video presentation [Video Lesson #3] I realised two things. (1) I still didn’t have a clear idea of who I think I can be of most service to in my writing and (2) Social media has been something I have ignored.
So that’s where my focus has been and I’ve had some positive progress...
...Based on Nathan’s advice, I have invested in some help with LinkedIn – which in just over a fortnight my LinkedIn Profile Rating has gone from level 3 (Advanced) to the top level (All-Star)...
.. Gareth, I want to say again how much I’ve enjoyed working with you as my authorship mentor, and could you thank all involved for the value I have personally gained from investing in and completing the program.
David P.
Highly Customized to Your Goals:
You're about to embark on a supportive journey towards becoming a successful, published author.
With guidance from a relevant expert on-hand at all times, your 10-week program is designed to help you master each stage of the writing and publishing process, concluding with you having a manuscript and author brand ready to receive a commercial publishing contract.
Here's how it breaks down, week by week:
As well as these formal contacts, it is Exisle Academy’s practice to have an additional informal set of communications with our clients including emails and sometimes the additional phone call. You will be part of our family, at least for a while, and we will make your success our #1 priority.
Application is free of charge. If accepted, you will be invited to participate in our 10-week "Become a Successful Published Author" program beginning February 23, 2023, and you will receive your publishing contract in late April or early May 2023. If you are accepted and choose to learn with us, your investment in the development program, including direct access to senior publishers from Exisle Publishing and EK Books, 10 weeks of mentorship, access to training materials, on-demand feedback, facilitation of a publishing offer, and more, will be $1990 USD. Payment plans will be available, but please consider the investment before applying and do not apply if this is not something that you are willing or able to move forward with. Please note: A successful application does not oblige you to sign up for the program, we are here to facilitate the best outcome for you at each and every stage.
If you have any questions about this program or your application, please write to [email protected]