When I was getting ready to publish my very first book, Living, Healing and Tae Kwon Do, I found a publisher that looked like the perfect fit. They were connected to one of the big names in the industry, and I remember thinking, oh my gosh, this is it. I signed the contract, trusted the people, and let them walk me through the process.
It was a big company, and that was part of the problem. My point of contact changed so many times that I stopped keeping track. Nobody really championed my book. Nobody seemed to know or care about my story the way I needed them to. There was no launch strategy, and no plan to actually get the book in front of readers. We finally got it out there, but it wasn’t a bestseller. The whole experience wasn’t even close to what I’d imagined. I was holding a book I’d poured my heart into, with a cover I didn’t love, and I didn’t know enough at the time to realize I could have pushed back.
I eventually took my contract back and republished that same book under my own company. I collaborated with a beautiful artist I loved, crafted a cover that actually represented me, built a launch team, and took it to the Amazon bestseller list. Same words. Completely different experience.
You’d think that first lesson would have been enough. But a few years later, when I finished writing How to Have Fun With Your Fear, I decided to try the traditional publishing route. I landed an agent through a program I was in. She was great. She shopped the book to publishers for a full year, and we got a couple of bites. None of them panned out. And there I was, sitting on this material I felt so passionate about, material I knew could change lives, and it just wasn’t getting out into the world. I remember thinking, I gotta get this book out. Why am I waiting around for someone else to believe in my work when I know I’ve got something world-changing to share?
So I published it myself. Built the launch team, ran the strategy, and hit bestseller status again. And I realized: a lot of authors are stuck in the same cycle I was. Waiting for permission. Waiting for a system that wasn’t built for them.
If that sounds familiar, I want to save you some of the pain I went through. Here’s how to get published in a way that actually fits your life and your mission.
Three Ways to Get Your Book Published
When you search “how to get a book published for the first time,” almost every result walks you through the same process: write a manuscript, find an agent, submit query letters, wait. And wait. And wait some more.
That’s the traditional publishing path, and it works for some people. But here’s the thing: traditional publishers are a business. They have to make money, and that means they’re looking for authors with a platform big enough to guarantee book sales. We’re talking influencer-level, celebrity-level kinds of platforms. Ten thousand followers minimum, and often much more. Sure, they’ll take on unknown authors, but If you don’t have a big following yet, you could spend years in the query-letter cycle.
Then there’s self-publishing. I was happy to go this route for a few of my early books because I wanted to get my work out and wasn’t willing to wait. The thing about self-publishing is that you’re completely on your own. You hire your own editor and your own designer. You figure out formatting, marketing, distribution. All of it. I loved the freedom, but without a plan and without the right people around me, I was learning as I went. And looking back, the books reflected that.
The third path is hybrid or independent publishing. I knew from pretty early on that this was my model, because I’d seen what was missing from the other two. With hybrid publishing, you pay for professional services, but the publisher stands by you. There’s collaboration. You keep creative control and ownership of your work, and you get a team around you to handle the editing, design, marketing, and launch strategy without having to find and manage all of those people yourself. I like the word “independent” more than “hybrid,” honestly. But whatever you call it, it’s the path I built Brave Healer Productions around, and it’s the one I wish I’d known about before I signed that first contract.
How to Choose a Publisher You Can Trust
After what happened with my first book, I started paying attention to what I should have asked before I signed that contract. I was trusting people I hadn’t vetted, and I had no idea what questions to ask. Now I know. And now I share this with every author who will listen: do your due diligence before you commit to a publisher.
Interview your publishers. Ask to talk to authors they’ve worked with. If a publisher isn’t willing to connect you with past authors who can vouch for them, there’s a problem. That’s my number one red flag. Walk away.
Know what you’re paying for. You really need to understand what those service fees include, and keep asking questions. How many rounds of editing? Who handles the cover design? What kind of marketing support comes with the package? What happens after launch day? Don’t sign anything until you have clear answers.
Make sure they publish your kind of book. If they don’t specialize in your genre, they won’t know how to promote it. Brave Healer Productions publishes nonfiction for holistic health, wellness, and business professionals. That focus is everything. A publisher who loves your kind of work is going to champion it in a way that a generalist never will.
Pay attention to communication from the very first interaction. Who will be your point of contact throughout the project? Will that person change? One of the biggest problems with my first publishing experience was the constant turnover. Nobody really knew my book. You want a project manager who’s kind, compassionate, professional, and who will be there from start to finish.
And trust your gut. You’ll usually have a first impression about the people you’re talking to, and you should go with your intuition on that kind of stuff.
Publishing a Book Can Change You
Writing, publishing, launching, and promoting a book can be a healing journey. This is a self-development game. I’ve spent 30 years as a holistic physical therapist, and my entire life has been about understanding the mind-body-spirit healing journey. That’s the lens through which we approach every project at Brave Healer Productions.
We call it conscious publishing. It means we take responsibility for our energy, and we coach our authors on how they’re being as humans and writers, not just how they’re producing pages. When people come to us, they sometimes don’t realize what they’re getting. We hold space for the healing alongside the logistics.
I was on a call after one of our collaborative book launches, and one of the authors said something that stopped me in my tracks: this chapter was the one I needed to write to prioritize my own healing. She talked about the safe space we provide for writing and sharing those stories. That’s probably the biggest compliment I could ever get.
We’ve had thousands of authors come through our world. Many come back for a second project, then a third. They want to keep writing in community with other people, to keep discovering what comes up when they put their stories on paper. Some have gone on to deliver TEDx talks. Others have created new businesses, certification programs, and author summits.
We’ve built a method around this called Brave Story Medicine™. It’s five steps that take you from writing privately to sharing your story publicly. You start by journaling for awareness and healing. Then you practice reading your words out loud to yourself, which takes more courage than you’d think. From there, you share what you’ve written with someone you trust. Then comes publishing, putting your words in front of people beyond your close circle. And the final step is stepping up to the microphone, taking your story to a stage. Every step asks a little more of you. And every step gives something back.
“I’m Not a Writer” (and Other Stories We Tell Ourselves)
I hear this one constantly. And my response is always the same: everybody is a writer. If you can write, you’re a writer.
What people really mean when they say “I’m not a writer” is that they’re worried about being good enough. They’re not afraid of writing. They’re afraid of not being perfect. And here’s the thing: that’s exactly what your editor is for. Even if your writing is good, a professional editor is going to make it excellent. I skipped the developmental editor on my first book, and I can see the difference now between that early work and what professional editing produces.
One of our authors recently told me that a friend commented on how much her writing had improved over the course of her projects with us. What a compliment, right? You will get better. The process itself makes you a stronger writer.
And if your fear is that nobody will read it, that’s what a launch strategy is for. A book launch checklist, a launch team, a media kit, an Amazon bestseller campaign. These aren’t magic. They’re systems. And they work. We’ve helped produce over 100 Amazon bestselling titles, many from first-time authors who started out convinced they weren’t “real” writers.
If you’re wrestling with that voice in your head that says you’re not ready, you might want to read what I wrote about impostor syndrome. Spoiler: you don’t have to feel ready to start.
From Idea to Published Author: What to Expect
If you’ve read this far, you’re probably wondering what the process actually looks like. Here’s the honest version.
Writing your book is the first phase, and it’s the most variable. Some of our authors are so motivated that they schedule their writing time and finish in a matter of weeks. For others, life gets in the way, and it takes several months or longer. We offer book coaching to help you build an outline and get unstuck.
Once your manuscript is ready, editing takes about four to eight weeks. We offer three levels of professional editing: developmental editing, copyediting, and proofreading. Your book goes through all of them.
Next comes design and formatting. Your cover, your interior layout, your print and digital editions. I feel strongly about this: all authors should be in love with their cover. When I republished Living, Healing and Tae Kwon Do, I collaborated with an artist I loved, and that cover represents me. That’s what I want for every author we work with.
Then we set a publication date and reverse-engineer the launch. This phase takes a couple of months and includes building your launch team, creating your media kit, and running your Amazon bestseller campaign. There’s a system behind it, and it works.
On the short end, the whole process can take four to five months. On the longer end, up to a year, depending mostly on how long the writing takes.
And then there’s what happens after launch. This is where Brave Healer Productions stands apart from most publishers. You’re not on your own. You’re part of a community of authors, speakers, coaches, and experts. We bring networking, guest speakers, business-building resources, and ongoing opportunities to our authors. The investment isn’t just in a book. It’s in a community that has your back long after launch day.
Your Legacy Is Waiting
Every time a first-time author holds their book in their hands, there’s this moment. They open it up. They flip to their chapter. And you can see it hit them: I did this. This is real.
Have you held a book you wrote in your hands? Have you felt that?
Books are legacy work. When I help you bring your legacy into the world, your legacy becomes my legacy. And that matters to me more than I can say.
If you’re not quite ready to commit, come hang out with us. Our Brave Badass Healers community hosts free networking sessions where you can ask questions, meet other healers and entrepreneurs, and see if this feels like home. If you’re ready to talk about your book, book a discovery call with our team.
We publish for holistic health, wellness, and business professionals through three imprints: Brave Healer Productions, Brave Business Books, and Brave Kids Books. We can’t wait to hear your story.
Big love, Laura
Questions We Hear All the Time
How hard is it to get a book published?
That really depends on which path you choose. Traditional publishing is tough to break into. You often need an agent and a lot of patience. It also helps if you have a big platform. Self-publishing is more accessible, but you’re managing every piece of the puzzle on your own. I’ve been down both roads, and that’s why I landed on hybrid or independent publishing. You get the professional support without giving up creative control, and you don’t need a celebrity-sized following to get started.
How long does it take to publish a book?
From finished manuscript to published book, about four to five months at the fastest. From initial idea to holding the book in your hands, six months to a year is realistic for most first-time authors. The biggest variable is how long the writing takes.
What is hybrid publishing?
Hybrid publishing is a model where the author invests in professional publishing services while retaining creative control and ownership of their book. The publisher provides editing, design, marketing, distribution, and launch support. It combines the professional quality of traditional publishing with the ownership and speed of self-publishing.
Do I need a literary agent to get published?
Only if you’re pursuing traditional publishing. Self-publishing and hybrid publishing don’t require an agent. You work directly with the publisher or your freelance team.
Can I become a bestselling author without a massive platform?
Yes. Brave Healer Productions has helped produce over 100 Amazon bestselling titles, many of which were written by first-time authors who didn’t have a large following when they started. A smart launch strategy and a supportive community can absolutely get you to bestseller status.
