Community Powered
PUBLISHING
New Degree Press
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Imagine if you could publish a book with a community of other authors — kind, ambitious, and generous individuals willing to help you succeed through feedback, support, and amplification. Welcome to your author community.
New Degree Press's hybrid, presale publishing model offers authors the benefits of both traditional and indie-publishing, with the power of a community to support and amplify your efforts.
Our process is grounded in an educational pedagogy of creation-based learning. Our goal in publishing your book is to empower you throughout each stage of the process as both the creator and owner of your work. Our editors and staff will teach you how to build your audience, conquer revisions, chose the highest impact cover designed by professional book cover artists, provide insight into the copy editing and proofreading process, introduce you to the importance of professional layout, and put you in the driver’s seat for your book launch and promotion.
By the end of your experience, you will have a book indistinguishable in quality from any traditionally published book—all while retaining 100 percent of the rights and royalties.
Tools and Coaching for Success
In our sessions, we share insights on optimizing social profiles, practice and leverage podcast interviews to build your platform, use beta reader feedback to secure more book reviews, and many other tools and resources to help further build and engage with audiences throughout the entire publishing process. We also create space for author circles—virtual breakout rooms where writers connect, collaborate, and learn from our author coaches.
A Team from the First Draft to Publication
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Acquiring Editor: Reviews your first draft manuscript and offers structural support and revision feedback
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Publishing Coordinator: Organizes the logistics and weekly schedule over the course of your publishing journey
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Marketing and Revisions Editor: Focuses on supporting you through the four-phase revision process and including the development of your pre-sale effort to build and activate your platform, optimize your social media and online presence, and helps you organize book tours, paid speaking opportunities, and additional promotions with your book
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Cover Designer: Incorporates your ideas into an innovative cover design
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Copy Editor and Proofreader: Provides a grammar and punctuation review and ensures consistency of tone, flow, and continuity throughout the manuscript
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Layout Editor: Typesets your manuscript and prepares your book for print
A Supportive Community of Your Peers
Authors develop and publish their own books, but are collaborators in the books of others — through content, discussions, collaboration, and promotions. You'll truly feel like you launch with a group in a Cohort Community that'll include in-person launch events where you'll celebrate together.
A selection of covers from our April 2021 Publishing Community Cohort
Expectations
No manuscript is perfect, which is why our Acquiring Editor Department reviews first draft manuscript submissions and determines if a writer is ready to move on to the next step or needs additional support such as a Developmental Editor.
Typically, less than 15 percent of unsolicited manuscripts are eligible to move forward. For comparison, approximately 50 percent of writers who participate in the Book Creators Program with our Book Creators accelerator program receive initial approval for publishing. Most writers are still developing their book’s structure, and most unsolicited manuscripts need additional help before moving into publishing.
If not initially approved to publish, we will recommend one of our writing Boot Camps or the opportunity to work with a Developmental Editor, Acquisitions Editor, or Marketing and Revisions Editor. Working together, we will determine the best way to help bring the manuscript up to our editorial standards prior to moving forward with publication. Our Boot Camps are free, with the expectation of attendance and active participation, and we offer our editorial programs at cost.
All manuscripts undergo an intensive revision process from our editorial departments and the author’s beta readership—which we help establish—and receive a round of copy editing and proofreading.
Upon Acceptance
Once a manuscript is accepted, the author will participate in a call with one of our Publishing Strategists to develop a plan and determine if New Degree Press is a good fit.
After reviewing and signing a three-page agreement and making a $300 deposit, writers will join the upcoming publishing cohort (a 22-week course). The deposit goes toward 1) a deeper review of the manuscript from the AE Department to create more detailed, tactical feedback for revisions; and 2) initial marketing support to prepare for prelaunch and audience-building.
What to Expect
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Month 1 = Prelaunch effort and audience building
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Month 2 = Revisions and editing; begin the cover design process
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Month 3 = Revisions and editing; incorporating beta reader feedback and early praise
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Month 4 = Copy editing and proofreading
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Month 5 = Layout and final preparation for publication
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Month 6 = Launch and promotion
Our goal is to help authors create books they are proud to share with the world. If additional time or support is needed, we will work to ensure a high level of quality.
The Publishing Journey
To learn more, submit a form request here with inquiries or submit a rough draft manuscript for our AE Department to review.
All unsolicited manuscripts are confidential. We will only share manuscripts with the AE Department for an initial review.
If the AE Department determines additional editorial support is needed, they may recommend going through the AE Bridge Program, an 8-week program to work with an Acquiring Editor to get the manuscript to a publication-ready state with additional revisions, copy editing, and proofreading. The AE Bridge Program is $499 and offered at cost.
The AE Department may also recommend working with a Developmental Editor through a book writing program, such as the Book Creators Accelerator Program through the Creator Institute, which helps approximately 1,000 authors annually create first draft manuscripts.
10-Month Publishing Program Program
Along with our standard 6-month program, we also offer an extended 10-month publishing program. As a smaller group (roughly 5–10 percent of writers), our 10-month program helps authors publish books over a longer timeline to grow their business or brand to find new clients, secure press coverage, land paid speaking gigs, and create other opportunities.
This is a self-funded program designed for authors who view publishing their book as a marketing tool for their business or company. If interested in learning more, please leave a note when you submit your manuscript for our AE Department to review.
Publish with Us
We publish genre fiction, creative nonfiction, memoirs, poetry and nonfiction. If you have a draft manuscript, learn how to submit a form request here.
We publish genre fiction, creative nonfiction, memoirs, poetry, and nonfiction.