From your first idea to your finished book, WPC offers flexible publishing support so you can move forward with more clarity, confidence, and creative control.
Compare Publishing PackagesIt’s your ideas, your voice, your story… going out into the world. Finding the right publishing partner to trust makes all the difference.Â
While there’s no one right way to do it, we believe there is a right way for you.
That’s why we offer different options so you get to choose your level of support, investment, and collaboration.Â
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Here are 3 ways to start. 👇👇👇Â
Before your book is published, if you are not satisfied with the direction of the project, we will meet with you to review your concerns and create a plan to address them. If we cannot agree on a path forward, you may cancel future payments and request a review of any payments made for work not yet completed.
"Jess & Laura do a fabulous job of supporting and promoting their authors. I have had a consistently positive professional experience working with them. My first book has been selling well and I’m looking forward to seeing how the sequel fares." - Avian Swanson, Author of The Old Witches Home and The Old Witches Camp
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"I highly recommend Wildebeest Publishing Co. Professional and trustworthy. Without them, my book, IDK What to Say: A Guide for Navigating Social Situations would not have come to life. They guided me at every turn and handled the complex, time-consuming side of editing and formatting." - Kaitlyn Marquart, Author of IDK What to Say: A Guide to Navigating Social Anxiety
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"As a new author, I found Wildebeest helpful in guiding me through the process of editing and publishing my book!" - Kim Adams, Author of Bella and Nash: Our First Camping Trip
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We knew a different kind of publishing model was possible. And we knew it could be great ( empowering, not risky, confusing, or isolating!)Â
We designed Wildebeest Publishing Company to land somewhere between
Traditional → Where you lose control
andÂ
Self-publishing → Where you’re on your own
See what we're all about today.Â
Tell us About Your BookWorkshops, youth programs, a la carte end-to-end publishing services - we've got it all.
Our Youth Authors Group Publishing Program was established to create a unique and creative approach to engage youth with storytelling and writing. Students create art, write stories, and learn to appreciate what it means to write something someone else, maybe even a stranger will read. #impact
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Note about fit:Â WPC works with authors and projects that align with our mission, values, and areas of support. After learning more about your book and goals, we may recommend a specific publishing path, suggest a different service, or determine that we are not the right fit for the project. Learn more about who we are on the about page.
Publishing Avenues Explained
For a long time, authors were taught that there were only two choices: get chosen by a traditional publisher, or do everything alone.
That story is too small.
Traditional publishing can be wonderful for the right book, the right author, and the right business case. Self-publishing can be powerful for authors who want full control and are ready to manage the process. But many authors are standing in the middle: they want a professional book, real guidance, transparent costs, creative control, and a team that will not disappear after files are uploaded.
That is where Wildebeest Publishing Co. lives. We are a different sort of animal, and we built WPC for authors who need something different, too.
Traditional publishing is often treated like the gold standard because the publisher pays the upfront production costs and chooses which books to acquire.
But that choice is not only about literary value.
Traditional publishers are businesses. They evaluate books based on marketability, sales potential, platform, category, timing, list fit, and financial risk. A book can be meaningful, well-written, culturally important, useful, healing, funny, strange, practical, beautiful, or necessary and still not be the kind of book a traditional publisher wants to bet on at scale.
That does not make the author less real. It means the traditional model may not be the right model for that book.
Most authors are choosing between these three realities: asking a publisher to invest in the book, managing the whole process alone, or investing in a professional support system around the book.
Publisher-selected, commercial-risk model
A publisher selects the book and usually pays production costs.
Best fit when the book has strong commercial potential, platform, category fit, or agent/publisher interest.
Being chosen can open doors, but it does not guarantee sales, marketing support, bookstore placement, or long-term author care.
Author-led, full-control model
The author manages the publishing process and hires help as needed.
Best fit for authors who want full control and are ready to learn the systems or manage vendors.
Full control can be empowering, but authors may waste time and money if they do not know what they do not know.
| Question | Traditional Publishing | Self-Publishing Alone | WPC Support |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who chooses the book? | Publisher, agent, acquisitions team, and market fit. | Author. | Author chooses to inquire; WPC reviews for fit before recommending a path. |
| Who pays upfront? | Publisher usually pays production costs. | Author pays vendors, tools, production, and marketing costs. | Author invests through a package or service model with costs explained upfront. |
| Who controls the process? | Publisher often controls many business decisions, timelines, and final publishing strategy. | Author controls the decisions, but also carries the learning curve and project management burden. | Author stays involved while WPC helps with the technical, creative, and publishing process. |
| How do royalties work? | Royalties are usually lower because the publisher is taking the financial risk. | Royalties can be higher, but quality, strategy, and sales depend heavily on the author's choices and execution. | Royalty structure depends on the WPC Trek selected: Sherpa and Safari retain 100%; Herd is shared-royalty. |
| Best question to ask | Does this publisher's business model match my book and goals? | Am I ready to manage the whole process and quality control? | Do I want professional support, creative control, and a clearer path forward? |
One of the biggest misunderstandings in publishing is the word advance.
An advance is not a bonus. It is not separate from royalties. It is an advance against future royalties.
In a typical traditional publishing deal, the author does not receive additional royalty payments until the book has earned enough royalties to cover the advance. In that sense, the advance is paid back from the author's future royalty earnings before additional royalties are paid.
Many traditional advances are not repaid out of the author's pocket if the book does not earn out. But contracts matter. Some agreements may include repayment obligations, delivery obligations, cancellation language, or other terms that change what happens if the book is not accepted, completed, published, or sold as expected.
The point is not that advances are bad. The point is that an advance is part of a contract and a business model.
Some books are not designed to sell hundreds of thousands of copies.
Some books are meant to support a business. Some belong in classrooms, workshops, churches, nonprofits, clinics, communities, conferences, family histories, coaching programs, creative practices, or local movements. Some books build trust. Some create opportunities. Some preserve a story that would otherwise be lost.
If a book has a clear purpose, a real audience, and a thoughtful publishing plan, it may be valuable even if it is not built for a traditional publisher's mass-market sales model.
The better question is not, "Will a gatekeeper choose this?" The better question is, "What does this book need to become useful, professional, findable, and ready for the people it is meant to reach?"
Get started today before this once in a lifetime opportunity expires.
