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:

• Your Book - Deliver Your Message and Know How to Get Your Book Ready for Professional Publication
• Your Pitch - Create a Captivating Pitch and Make Your Book Irresistible to Major Publishing Houses
• Your Business - Master the Game of Sales and Publicity and Make Your Name as an Author

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:

• Week One: Tell us Your Story! You will receive a comprehensive survey where you can tell us about any books you may have in the works (or in manuscript form), as well as your author goals. Based on the results of this survey, you will be assigned a mentor from the Exisle Publishing / EK Books team whose experience best aligns with your goals and genre. If you have a manuscript or even an outline for your book ready, you can send this to your mentor who will start to read it and begin to develop a plan for helping you to become a successful author.
  
  
• Week Two: Meet Your Mentor! You will connect with your assigned mentor for a 30-minute Zoom or Skype call. We are happy to work with authors in all time zones, so you and your mentor will have the freedom to arrange a call at a mutually convenient time. There, you can discuss your book/books so far, as well as your aspirations and what you are looking to accomplish.
  
  
• Week Three: Video Lesson #1: Hearing Yes! You will receive a private video lesson created by a senior instructor from Exisle Publishing. The theme of this lesson will be: Getting Accepted: Your Publishing Options and What Needs to Happen.
  
  
• Week Four: Your Book, Reviewed. Your mentor has been busy immersing his/herself in your book, and will now provide you with a comprehensive 400-word feedback document including suggested actions on what to do next in order to take your book to where it needs to be. You will begin work on any revisions on your book suggested by your mentor.
  
  
• Week Five: Video Lesson #2: How Books are Sold. Receive your second exclusive video lesson created by Academy professionals. This week's lesson covers The Sales Department: How they work, and how to become the author they champion.

• Week Six: Group Zoom Meeting! Connect with your mentor alongside a small handful of other writers (normally just 4 or 5, we keep places on this course very limited because of the amount of personal attention we give our students) for a free-flowing Q&A session where you can follow-up on anything covered so far and compare experiences with your classmates. A special guest from Exisle Publishing or EK Books will be present.
  
  
• Week Seven: Video Lesson #3: Producing a Beautiful Book. Receive your third exclusive video lesson. This week's lesson covers Book Production: Who does what, and how to give your book the high-quality treatment it deserves.
  
  
• Week Eight: Review Progress on Your Book. Your mentor will check in with you to see how things are going with your book. Remember, over the previous four weeks you will have been working on revisions based on feedback from your mentor. At this point, you can send in any changes you have made for a further round of feedback and suggestions. If there are any points of confusion, you can raise this with your mentor who will do their best to help.
  
  
• Week Nine: Video Lesson #4: Finding Your Audience. Receive your fourth and final video lesson. The Global Sales and Marketing Process: learn directly from leading publicists and marketing executives on how exactly to get media attention and build a fan-base and following for your book.
  
  
• Week Ten: Your Final Review and Suggested Next Steps. Congratulations on dedicating 10 weeks towards achieving your writing and publishing goals! At this final point, you will receive an updated feedback document from your mentor, summarizing what you have achieved, what your key strengths are, and your best options for moving forward and bringing your aspirations to life.

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.