You’ve made the decision to publish your book — congratulations! That’s a huge (and brave) step. But now you’re facing a critical question: who should help you publish your book? Should you work with a book coach or an editor? A VA or a full publishing team? Should you try to manage it all yourself?
If your brain is already spinning, you’re not alone. Most serious authors quickly realize they can’t—and shouldn’t—do it all themselves. But figuring out who should help you publish your book (and when) can be just as overwhelming as writing the book in the first place.
This guide will help you understand the different types of publishing support available and how to choose the right team based on your goals, timeline, and experience.
Understanding the Roles: Who Does What in the Publishing Process?
If you’re exploring how to publish a book professionally, you’ve probably come across a few familiar titles. Here’s a breakdown of the most common publishing support roles and when to use them—plus a little real talk on whether one person can truly “do it all.”
Book Coach
A book or writing coach helps you develop your idea, build your structure, and stay on track while you write. Think of them as your strategic sounding board and accountability partner. A book coach is especially valuable if you’re just getting started, stuck in a messy middle, or tackling a significant overhaul and rewrite. Some book coaches go beyond the writing process to help coordinate the publishing effort, sometimes even guiding the marketing strategy as well. (See Publishing Consultant, below)
When to hire: Early stage—when you’re brainstorming, outlining, or drafting.
What it costs: A book coach typically charges between $150 to $300 per hour, or $2,500 to $10,000+ for a full coaching package that spans weeks or months of work. The total cost depends on how hands-on the coach is, the depth of support offered, and the length of your project. Some coaches specialize in memoir, business books, or proposals, which can also affect price.
Freelance Editor
Every serious author needs an editor. Even the biggest names and bestsellers have worked with at least one and typically several as they progress through the process–one could argue their editors have a significant hand in their success, judging by the profuse thanks many give to their editors in the acknowledgements. Whether you’re still refining your message and plot or polishing structure, voice, and grammar, a good editor ensures your manuscript is engaging, professional, and publish-ready.
Still not sure who does what in the book coach vs editor debate? Think of it this way: A coach helps you write the book; the editor helps you refine it once it’s written.
When to hire: After you have a complete (or mostly complete) draft.
What it costs: Expect to pay between $0.02 to $0.09 per word, depending on the type of editing (developmental, line editing, copyediting, or proofreading). For a 60,000-word manuscript, this typically ranges from $1,200 to $5,400, though highly experienced editors or those with niche expertise may charge more.
Author Assistant or VA
A VA (virtual assistant) can help you manage self-publishing help tasks like file uploads, ISBN setup, and freelance coordination, but unless they are specially trained as author assistants, they will need direction from someone on what to do. These professionals work best if you already know what needs to be done and simply need someone to handle the basic doing.
When to hire: During the final prep stages (but only if you’re confident managing the project yourself).
What it costs: Rates can vary widely, but most VAs charge between $25 and $60 per hour. Author assistants with niche publishing or launch experience may charge $40 to $75/hour, especially if they offer strategic or technical skills (like uploading to IngramSpark or formatting for KDP).
Hybrid Publisher
Hybrid publishers offer bundled services like editing, design, and distribution, essentially acting like any traditional publisher would, but asking you to share some of the production costs. Some hybrid publishers offer a great alternative to traditional publishing or going it alone. Others are expensive and vague, charging you a lot and offering very little that you couldn’t do on your own, and better. Always check the fine print: Who owns the rights? What are you paying for? What’s included, and what’s not? How much flexibility and control will you have? (Check out the IBPA’s Hybrid Publisher Criteria for more information about what you should expect from a good hybrid publisher.)
When to hire: After you’ve finalized the content of your draft, ideally with the help of your freelance developmental editor–most hybrid publishers don’t handle the crucial development stage and only polish or copyedit the draft lightly before publishing it.
What it costs: Most hybrid publishers charge $5,000 to $25,000+, depending on the services included. Some offer tiered packages (basic copyediting and layout vs. full-scale strategy and marketing support).
Supported Indie Publishing Team
This is what The Writer’s Ally specializes in: an approach that gives you expert help across every phase—strategy, editing, design, publishing, and marketing—while you retain control, ownership, and all the income you can earn. It’s ideal for authors who want high-quality outcomes and a collaborative, values-aligned partner–in my very biased opinion, it’s the best of both worlds, giving you a traditional publisher experience with the control and flexibility of DIY. If you’re wondering who should help you publish your book and want a balance of guidance and autonomy, this is for you.
When to hire: Once you have a first draft (or are nearly there) and want expert help to bring your book into the world professionally and confidently.
What it costs: This varies based on the scope of work, but authors should expect to invest between $10,000 and $20,000+ for professional, end-to-end support across editing, design, production, and launch strategy. Our model allows flexibility in pricing depending on the level of involvement and which services you need.
Publishing Consultant
Book Sherpa, Book Midwife, Book Guide, Book Coach…This brand of book support goes by many names, but the idea is the same: this is an expert who guides your publishing decisions and manages your project. More than a project manager, though, a consultant can be expected to connect you with the other types of vendors you may need, such as editors and designers. They may either have a team they work with regularly or assemble different teams for different authors. They may do some administrative work for you or focus exclusively on their advisory role as connectors and coordinators.
When to hire: A consultant can step into the picture at any stage, but the earlier the better if you have ambitious plans for your book’s release. A consultant who specializes in business books, for example, can help you nail your concept down with an eye toward marketability and business growth, coach you to write a draft that converts readers into your ideal clients, and help you launch in a way that drives clients to you for years.
What it costs: Consultants typically charge $100 to $250 per hour, or $1,500 to $10,000+ for project-based or retainer packages. Pricing depends on how comprehensive their support is—some offer strategy only, while others include vendor coordination, administrative support, and project management.
Do You Need All of These People?
Many of these professionals work in sequence: a book coach supports you through the draft, an editor sharpens the manuscript, and a publishing team transforms it into a market-ready book.
But do you need all of these people? In a word: no. Just know that doesn’t mean one person can or should handle every piece of the process. No one person can provide strategic planning, deep editing, professional design, and distribution and marketing guidance at the same level of excellence. You want the right mix of specialists for your needs, budget, and stage.
That’s why many authors choose a dedicated publishing team—a group of specialists who work together under one aligned strategy. Unlike hybrid publishers, which often bundle services into rigid packages, our Supported Indie model gives you expert collaboration without sacrificing flexibility or control.
Some authors piece things together out of necessity or an entrepreneurial spirit, hiring professionals for the tasks they can’t or don’t want to manage themselves, like cover design and final proofreading, while doing other elements on their own.
But for many serious authors, the thought of finding, vetting, and managing multiple contractors is overwhelming and not the best use of their time or creative energy. That’s where a group like ours comes in. Our clients don’t want to spend their energy managing a team—they want to plug into one that’s already in sync. With us, they get a proven process, deep expertise, and a unified team that knows how to deliver exceptional results while they focus on writing an excellent book and building the foundation that will turn that book into a power tool.
How to Choose the Right Publishing Help for Your Book
Before you hire anyone, ask yourself the following questions.
What’s your goal for this book? Are you trying to grow your business? Build authority? Launch your fiction career? Grow an audience for long-term success? Different goals require different strategies—and different types of publishing support. If you’re unsure, a consultant or coach can help you map it out, even if you intend to execute on your own.
How much time do you have? If you don’t have time to manage all the moving parts, you need more than task help—you need someone who can lead and guide the process to make sure nothing falls through the cracks, or a pre-built team that can do the same. The more you plan to DIY, the more time you’ll need to learn all the things. The silent killer of every failed indie project is the stuff you don’t know because you don’t know. Speaking of which…
How much do you know about publishing? If this is your first time, don’t assume you can Google your way through it or just ask Chat GPT. There’s a ton of bad advice out there, and both of those tools are experts at delivering it to you. The opportunities and options are many, and the best publishing strategies are not one-size-fits-all. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you’ll “just get it out there” and update it later: Once a book is published, it’s very difficult to unpublish, and you can never truly make it disappear. The right support can help you avoid costly mistakes and missed opportunities.
Have you previously had a bad experience with vendors? Many of our clients come to us after a disappointing attempt with a different provider, whether it was an underqualified editor, a disconnected VA, or an expensive hybrid publisher that didn’t deliver. If that’s you, you’re not alone. The right support makes all the difference. Don’t give up on getting good help. You and your book deserve it.
Ready to Find the Right Publishing Team?
Knowing who should help you publish your book is one of the most important decisions you’ll make as an author. Whether you need help shaping your idea, refining your manuscript, or managing the full production process, there’s a support model that fits your needs and values.
👉 Get a free Book Strategy Call
If you’re ready to talk through your options and get expert guidance tailored to your goals, we’d love to help.
Who We Work Best With
Our Supported Indie Publishing model is designed for authors who want to do it right the first time. Our clients are:
- Serious about producing a high-quality book
- Looking for professional results without giving up creative control
- Focused on long-term impact, not just getting published fast
We provide done-for-you and done-with-you services tailored to your goals—whether that’s growing a business, building a readership, or simply creating a book you can be proud of.
Still asking yourself who should help you publish your book? We’re happy to walk you through the options and share what makes our approach different and effective.
Want to learn more about the different publishing paths? Check out our guide to publishing models to explore your options.