Track 1
Weeks 1 to 6
Production
From manuscript to platform-ready files.
- Readiness audit against genre comps
- Title, categories, keywords, pricing
- Cover and interior
- Proofing and upload
Publishing and media for authors
One place for your book, your team, your launch and every chapter after.
Real people and real press behind your book, plus a protected workspace and interactive dashboard where you build your workflow and track every step from manuscript to readers. You keep 100% of your royalties.
Now recruiting founding authors. All genres welcome.
Author’s PadWhat you get
- PeopleEditors and publishing pros who keep the standard and answer to you
- PressDistribution to 1,200+ media endpoints, built into every launch
- Your padA protected workspace and interactive dashboard to build your workflow and track every step
- 100%of your royalties, your files and your accounts stay yours
The problem
Publishing a book is easy now. Getting it noticed is the hard part.
Self-serve platforms print and distribute, then stop at upload. No publicity, no media, no plan for after launch week. Authors who want a professional result end up piecing together freelancers and a publicist, or handing a share of their royalties to a publisher.
Author's Pad closes that gap: real people, owned press distribution and ongoing media, with the author keeping their royalties.
3.5M+self-published titles registered in the U.S. in 2025, up 38.7% in one year
$3.6BU.S. self-publishing market in 2025, projected to reach $5.7B by 2033
1,200+media endpoints in our press distribution network
Sources: Bowker via Publishers Weekly; Grand View Research; Content Syndicate.
How it works
We meet your book where it is.
You never pay for a stage your book has already passed. Tell us where it is today and we start there, one clear checkpoint at a time.
You enter atGate 1
Weeks to liveAbout 10
First stepReadiness audit
Track 2
Weeks 7 to 10
Launch
From uploaded to live, with a plan.
- Launch goals and review team
- Book landing page and tracking
- Press release drafted and approved
- Launch week distribution
Track 3
Days 1 to 90
Growth
Visibility that lasts past launch week.
- Retail page conversion review
- Two press cycles to 1,200+ endpoints
- Traffic, rank and review analytics
- A 90-day report
Gate 4
Monthly
Scale, sustain or hold
One report, one decision, one action each month.
- Scale what shows sales lift
- Sustain steady titles
- Fix before spending more
Your pad
A protected place for your book and your next one.
Real people behind the tools.
Your pad is your own dashboard: a safe space to bring your ideas, your vision and your finished work. It's protected, it moves your book forward faster, and it gives you the rails to run your launch like a business.
Content and editorial calendar. Press releases, newsletters and blog posts anchor the calendar, and the social posts that support them move with them. Every item is tied to where your book is.
Pipeline. See every piece move from idea to drafting, review, scheduled and published, so nothing goes out without your sign-off.
Library. Your manuscript, covers, metadata, press kit and media coverage in one shared place.
Results you can act on. Tracked links on every post, press pickup, ad performance, rank and reviews, in plain language.
Idea parking lot. Keep notes for your next books in the same protected space.
Confidential compute. Your manuscript is handled in a protected environment and is never used to train AI.
No strings
What's yours stays yours.
100%
of your royalties
Many hybrid publishers take a percentage of your royalties. We don't take any.
You
own your files and accounts
Your manuscript, your cover files, your retailer accounts. Everything stays in your name.
You
approve everything
Nothing goes out under your name until you sign off.
Why Author's Pad
One team, start to finish.
People keep the standard
Experienced publishing professionals review the work and answer to you. That's the core of what we do.
AI makes the process efficient
That's its job. It speeds up the work. It doesn't write your book or replace your voice.
Media is built in
Content Syndicate press distribution is part of every launch, not a separate hire.
Your work is protected
Confidential compute keeps your manuscript in a protected environment, and it's never used to train AI.
Data you can act on
Traffic by source, rank, reviews and press pickup, reported in your pad.
Quality protects every launch
Our readiness audit can say "not yet." That protects your book and every book we put our name on.
Your options today
Other publishers make you give something up.
| Option | Your own dashboard | Publicity and media | Ongoing promotion | You keep all royalties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Self-serve platforms | Sales reports only | Ad tools only | Paid ads only | Yes |
| Hiring freelancers | No, separate tools per vendor | Publicist hired separately | No | Yes |
| AI publishing platforms | Varies | Varies | Varies | Often a revenue share |
| Hybrid and media-bundled publishers | Varies | Often sold separately | Often sold separately | Often a royalty share |
| Author's Pad | Content and editorial calendar, shared documents, launch analytics | Built in: owned distribution and pitching | Monthly press, content and pitching | Yes, 100% |
Who it's for
Every genre. Two places we lead.
Genre fiction
Thriller, suspense and romance. The largest category in self-publishing and our core expertise. Covers that sell, reader funnels, advance-reader copies and reviews.
Business and expert authors
Coaches, consultants, speakers and founders who use a book to build authority.
- Press releases and media pitching
- Podcast appearances that put your expertise in front of the right audience
- Content that keeps your book working for your business
For authors who want to be seen, not just printed.
The Author's Pad podcast
Coming soon
Turn the page with us.
Author stories, launch lessons and short, useful episodes you can finish on a coffee break. Founding authors get a seat at the mic.
- Prologue
- Chapter one
- Behind the story
- Turn the page
Founding author program
Join the first 10.
We're opening Author's Pad to a founding cohort of 10 authors across genres. Founding authors get a founding-author rate in exchange for sharing results data and their honest experience.
- Founding-author rate
- Direct access to the publishing and press team
- Input on how Author's Pad is built
- Your launch announced on our own wire
- A guest spot on the Author's Pad podcast
FAQ
Straight answers.
Is my manuscript safe?
Yes. We handle your manuscript in a confidential compute environment provided by Alpha Compute. Your manuscript is never used to train AI models, and your ideas, your work and your IP stay yours. There's no extra charge for this protection. It's core to how Author's Pad works.
What is confidential compute?
Confidential compute keeps your data encrypted and isolated while it's being worked on, not only while it's stored. Your files are processed inside a protected environment that outside parties can't see into, which adds a layer of security on top of standard encryption.
Do you take any of my royalties?
No. You keep 100% of your royalties, your files and your retailer accounts.
Will AI rewrite my book?
No. AI makes the process efficient. People keep the standard, and nothing is published under your name without your approval.
My book is already published. Can I still join?
Yes. Authors with a live book start at the Growth track with a retail page review and baseline snapshot. You never pay for production you don't need.
Do you guarantee bestseller status or sales?
No one honest can. We guarantee the work: a clear plan, press distribution and reporting that shows what moved and what didn't.
Who is behind Author's Pad?
Author's Pad is built in partnership with Content Syndicate, which runs press distribution to 1,200+ media endpoints, with publishing operations from Fifth Story Press.
What does it cost?
Pricing follows where your book enters the path. Founding authors receive a founding-author rate. Apply and we'll share the details for your book.