Eight Septembers: Publication Update

Over the past year—with the intention of bringing Eight Septembers: Woman on Wall Street into the public sphere—I have completed a number of manuscript assessments and professional edits designed to elevate my memoir to publishing standards. In the process, I have learned that the business of book publishing is much different than the craft of book writing. Here is some of what I discovered.

Traditional Publishing

Traditional publishers generally won’t sign an unknown writer of memoir, especially if they do not have a social media following of more than 100,000 people. Traditional publishers offer prestige and pay all of the upfront costs of editing, design, and distribution, but the bulk of the effort of marketing and promotion still falls to the author. In addition, the publisher is the primary decision maker throughout the process, although the writer does have input into some aspects of the final product (contract terms vary widely). The author shares any royalties with the publisher, and publication can take up to a year or two after signing a contract.

Self Publishing

Publishing a book is more accessible today than ever—which doesn’t necessarily make it easy, as there are many steps in the process. Fortunately, there are people out there who know how to do it and can assist so that the author does not have to reinvent the wheel to figure it out.  The price range for that kind of assistance varies widely. The author retains 100% creative and administrative control over the final product and keeps all of the royalties net of expenses, but has to build their own team of service providers for each step in the process and pay each one out of pocket. Even so, time to publication is very rapid when the author is ready.

Hybrid Publishing

Then there is hybrid publishing, where you hire not just the expertise for the administrative tasks required to publish, but also the expertise of an editor and proofreader, a book cover and interior designer, a marketing professional, and the collection of pre-publication reviews in one package. This is generally more expensive than self-publishing (prices and terms vary widely) but has the advantage of being a coordinated, well-constructed project plan that elevates the author’s book to professional standards to compete with traditionally published books.

I am very pleased to say that I have signed a hybrid publishing contract that allows me to keep 100% creative control and all of my royalties, as well as be guided by a team of seasoned professionals that are excited about, and have a vision for, my book.

You’ll be hearing more from me as the process continues…heading towards a Spring 2026 release date!