How We Work Together
Plain-language guide to figuring out what kind of help you need.
Most Authors Are Confused by Publishing
Publishing is full of jargon. Ghostwriter, co-author, developmental editor, hybrid publisher, traditional publisher, vanity press, indie author. If you are new to all this, the language alone is enough to make you give up before you start.
So here is what you actually need to know — in plain language — to figure out which path through Surrendered Heart Publishing is right for you.
Question 1
Do You Have a Manuscript?
If you have a finished manuscript
You need Publishing Services. Cover, editing if needed, layout, ISBN, print.
If you have part of a manuscript
You need Co-Writing or Manuscript Development. We pick up where you left off.
If you have a story but no manuscript
You need Ghostwriting (or for memoirs and Family Memory Books, recorded interview-based writing). You sit for sessions and we shape it into a book in your voice.
Question 2
Do You Want Your Name Alone on the Cover?
Yes — your name alone
You want either Ghostwriting (we are invisible) or Manuscript Development & Editing (you write, we polish).
Open to sharing the cover
You may want Co-Writing. Both names on the cover, and the price is typically lower because the work is shared.
Question 3
What Genre Is Your Book?
Memoir, life story, legacy book
Goes through our Memoirs & Legacy Books service.
Devotional, Bible study, Christian non-fiction
Goes through our Devotionals & Christian Non-Fiction service.
Family memory book
Goes through our Family Memory Books service — the Year Book or the Birth-to-Graduation Book.
Something else
Reach out and we will talk. We may make exceptions for the right project.
Honest Budget Ranges
- Publishing Services only (you have a manuscript)$2,500 – $12,000
- Manuscript Development & Editing$3,500 – $9,000
- Co-Writing$8,000 – $18,000
- Family Memory Books$750 – $1,800
- Memoirs and Legacy Books$8,500 – $24,000+
- Full Ghostwriting$15,000 – $35,000+
Still Not Sure?
That is fine. Most authors are not sure when they first inquire. The free Listening Conversation is exactly for figuring this out. Thirty minutes on the phone. No pressure, no pitch. By the end of the call, you will know which path is right for you — even if the answer turns out to be "none of them right now," which is also a valid outcome.
If you have a book in you —
let’s talk about how to get it out.
The first conversation is always free. Thirty minutes. No pressure. Just two people sitting down to see if there is a book here — and if Surrendered Heart Publishing is the right home for it.