Questions authors ask us

No. A vanity press prints whatever you pay for. We shape your book around your authority position and your reader, apply real editorial rigour, and tell you in writing what everything costs before you commit. You keep your copyright throughout.

Fair question. Debbicot Press is new, and we won’t pretend otherwise, but the person behind it isn’t new to writing or publishing. Carl Adamson, the son of a playwright, is an experienced writer who built a LinkedIn audience of 26K+ followers, plus 6K+ subscribers to his LinkedIn newsletter, simply with his writing skills. He is an International Bestselling Author, a bestselling publisher and a marketer, with 50+ recommendations on LinkedIn to support his credibility. He also spent a year studying the publishing industry before taking on his first client, and that first book launched as a Number 1 Amazon bestseller. We’d rather you judged us on those results and on the paperwork than on promises, so you’ll see our terms in writing before you commit.

That’s the aim of every step. Professional editorial, cover and interior design and production mean your book stands comfortably beside titles from any publisher. Those signals are a big part of why a book opens doors, and they’re often what self-published books lack.

You can, and some experts do it well. But you become your own strategist, editor, designer and launch manager. What you’re paying for with us is experience and a proven process, so your book is shaped to reach the right readers and serve your goals, not just to exist.

Traditional publishing can take years, usually means giving up your rights, and leaves the big decisions about your book to someone else. If you want to be recognised as an authority sooner and keep control of your book, hybrid is a faster, more flexible route.

We’re a boutique, founder-led press with a deliberately small list. Our AUTHORITY System™ starts with who your book is for and The Promise it makes, not with production, and carries on well past launch day.

Unlike some publishers, we keep our book marketing in-house. We don’t outsource it. When you ask us to market your book, this keeps us closer to you, and your readers.

No. You bring the expertise and we bring the process. Our editorial support helps you shape and write the book while keeping it unmistakably in your voice. Many of our authors are writing their first book.

Most of the people we work with are busy professionals. The AUTHORITY System™ breaks the work into nine clear steps with a plan agreed at the start, so your time goes on the parts only you can do. On YOUR Authority Call we’ll talk honestly about how much time your book needs and what support you’ll want.

An AUTHORITY Buddy is an expert who guides you, every step of the way, to becoming an Authority in your field. They coach you to hold yourself accountable for doing what you’ve committed to do, because in our experience, most budding authors fail by not taking the right action.

Every Edition includes an AUTHORITY Buddy.

In the Collector’s Edition your Buddy works with you one to one.

In the Signature Edition one Buddy is shared by a deliberately small cohort, designed to focus on implementation.

In the First Edition one Buddy is shared by the whole community group.

Almost certainly, and the answer lies in Step 2 of the AUTHORITY System™ : Unique!

Your book doesn’t need an untouched topic. It needs your unique angle: the experience and point of view that make you the right person to guide a particular reader.

You don’t need a following to write a book that matters to the right readers. Many of the people we work with are quiet experts, the practitioners and specialists with deep knowledge and little visibility. Helping them be seen is why Debbicot Press exists.

We publish nonfiction by subject matter experts, including consultants, coaches, clinicians, lawyers, technologists, executives, entrepreneurs, researchers and speakers. A specialist subject isn’t a weakness: a focused book for a clearly defined reader is often the strongest way to be recognised. If you’re unsure, tell us about it on a call.

Start with the YOUR Authority Blueprint™ assessment. It helps you discover the best way to get clients with your book, and it’s a good first step even if you’re still deciding.

After YOUR Authority Call you receive a written proposal that itemises what’s included and what it costs, so you can compare it with any other option before you decide.

The three Editions are designed to suit the individual needs and budget of every author.

The Collector’s Edition is Done For You (DFY): one to one with Carl, with the heavy lifting done for you.

The Signature Edition is Done With You (DWY): a deliberately small cohort that focuses on implementation, with professional help applying each step to your own book.

The First Edition is Do It Yourself: you write the book yourself, or bring one you’ve already written, with group coaching, and it is our most budget-friendly way to work with us.

Not sure? Start with the YOUR Authority Blueprint™ assessment.

You keep your copyright. You can earn up to 63% royalties on profits from retail sales, set out in writing before you sign.

It’s your book and your voice. We bring strong opinions and plenty of experience, and we work through the big decisions, such as positioning, title and cover, together with you.

Life happens, and a good publisher plans for it. If you need to pause or stop, we’ll explain exactly what happens in writing before you sign, so there are no surprises.

No. Our goal is to help you author your authority, not to turn you into a bookseller. Many of the authors Carl coaches give copies to the people they most want to work with, and the book does the introducing. We’ll help you plan who should receive your book and how to follow up. We can’t promise sales, rankings or results, but we’ll show you how to make every copy count.

A copy in the right hands does something a sales page can’t: it shows how you think. The value comes from the work it can lead to, such as clients, speaking and partnerships, rather than from royalties. Results vary, so we help you plan and measure what your book brings in. Every edition includes author copies for exactly this reason.

You get 20 author copies with the First Edition, 100 with the Signature Edition and 200 with the Collector’s Edition, delivered when your book is published.

We do this to support book gifting as marketing, which we believe in and coach our authors to use. If you need more, you can order extra copies at an author discount.

Many publishers expect authors to market their own books. At Debbicot Press, your pre-launch, launch and post-launch book marketing is done in-house, so we plan it and carry it out with you. You’re still the face of your book, and your AUTHORITY Buddy helps you do what you’ve committed to do.

No. Pre-launch, launch and post-launch book marketing is done in-house by Carl and a small team of professionals. Keeping it in-house keeps us closer to you, and to your readers.

Before you write. In the AUTHORITY System™, marketing starts at Step 1, Assess: who is this book for? The promise of your book (Step 3) and its title, subtitle and description (Step 8, Target) then shape everything we do for your launch.

Yes. Carl will promote your book to his audience on LinkedIn, which includes 26K+ followers and 6K+ newsletter subscribers. Promotion helps your book get seen, but we can’t promise sales or rankings.

Carl built his LinkedIn audience with his writing and applies behavioural science to marketing. He works with a small team of professionals, and our first title launched as an Amazon Number 1 Bestseller.

Your timeline is agreed at the start and written into your plan, so you always know what happens next.

A well-positioned book is one of the strongest ways to show your expertise, and your launch plan is built around your goals, whether that’s speaking, media, lead generation or all three. Nobody can guarantee clients, because results depend on how you use the book. That’s why the final step of the AUTHORITY System™, Yield, focuses on improvement and engagement after launch.

No, and be wary of anyone who does. Our first title launched as an Amazon Number 1 Bestseller, and we plan every launch carefully, but rankings can’t be promised. What we can promise is a book that’s well positioned, well made and well launched.

A bestseller is a wonderful thing, but it isn’t our goal. Our goal is to help you author your authority, and you don’t need to sell books to do that.

Start with the YOUR Authority Blueprint™ assessment.

There’s no commitment. Depending on the outcome of the assessment, we’ll invite you to YOUR Authority Call to talk about your book, your goals and whether we’re the right fit for you.