OUR PROCESS
Every book begins with a manuscript—the culmination of an author’s dreams, ideas, and years of work. At Forest City Publications, we believe transforming that manuscript into a book should be an extension of the creative process. We treat each book as both a work of art and an original invention: something to be thoughtfully designed, built, prototyped, examined, and refined before it is brought to market.
Our concierge publishing process is shaped around the individual book and author. We work closely with you to strengthen the manuscript, design the reading experience, create the physical book, and evaluate the finished prototype in your hands. Every detail—from the words on the page to the way the book looks, feels, and reaches its readers—is considered as part of the whole. You retain your rights and creative control while we provide the guidance, craftsmanship, and publishing knowledge needed to realize your vision.
We look for authors who want to build a better world through their books. We care more about the strength of the work, the importance of its message, and the author’s commitment than the size of an existing platform. We do not accept every project that comes across our desks, nor do we expect every promising manuscript to arrive fully developed. When a book has merit but needs more work, we recommend the right editorial path to prepare it for publication.
SUBMIT YOUR MANUSCRIPT
Submit at least the first 50 pages of your manuscript, along with a 2-3 paragraph synopsis and chapter-by-chapter summaries. Chapter summaries should be just a few sentences each. If you don’t have formal chapters, please do your best to approximate these summaries. Before you receive the link to submit your manuscript, you will be asked to fill out a form with general information about you and your manuscript.
PRODUCTION
The production phase of publication includes the custom design of your book cover, the custom interior design and preparation, ebook file preparation, copyright and ISBN filing, distribution preparation, and meta-tagging. You will work closely with our team as the creative head of your project.
MANUSCRIPT EVALUATION
After you have submitted your form and manuscript, we will take it into consideration for publication readiness. At that time, we will determine which track is appropriate: editing, publishing, or marketing. We typically respond in 1-2 weeks.
DISTRIBUTION
This is the exciting time when you wait for your publication date! Your book will be available in all major book retailers around the world as well as Amazon. It will be available in both paperback and ebook form. Hardcover is discouraged by booksellers so we don’t typically publish in hardcover. If you need hardcover, please let us know that in your submission and we can discuss options.
PROOFREADING
Once your manuscript is ready for publication, we will conduct a final proofread. This proofread typically takes 2-3 weeks.
PR & MARKETING
We guide you through the process of planning a pre-launch sales campaign and jumpstarting your marketing as part of our publishing track. If you need more marketing support, our third track PR & Marketing gives you the full studio of services.