Timeline
Traditional
18–36 months after acceptance
Berg Publisher
4–5 months, launch-date scoped
Generic Agency
6–12 months, rarely date-locked
Your book is a strategic asset, not a vanity project.
Berg Publisher writes, edits, and publishes business books for founders and CEOs. No template chapters, no filler "thought leadership" — the manuscript comes from your actual operating decisions, and the publish date gets scoped against your calendar, not ours.
Trustpilot
Trusted Authors
Henry
Told Berg I needed a simple author website and they nailed it in two weeks. Clean design, books front and centre, newsletter signup, done. Sean was responsive and easy to work with. Looks way more polished than I expected. Already sent two writer friends their way.
Crispin Oakley
They guided me through every step of the publishing process, ensuring my book was professionally edited, designed, and marketed. Their team was responsive, knowledgeable, and truly cared about my success. Highly recommended.
Get Your Free Publishing Quote in 24 Hours
Milestone
Weeks
Progress
Output
Discovery & Outline
Wk 1-2
Chapter architecture, thesis, comps
Interviews & Drafting
Wk 3-10
Full manuscript, chapter-by-chapter review
Edit & Design
Wk 11-14
Line edit, cover, interior layout
Publish & Distribute
Wk 15-18
Amazon, IngramSpark, launch assets
420+
Founder & executive manuscripts delivered
94%
Shipped within the originally scoped timeline
12+ yrs
Publishing operators, not just memoirists
100%
IP, royalties & rights retained by you
Scope of Work
What actually ships by week eighteen.
Not a manuscript file and a goodbye email. Here's what's in scope by the time the book is live and listed.
01
Interview-built manuscript
10–14 hours of recorded sessions, structured around a thesis — not a chronological retelling of your career.
02
Two editorial passes
A developmental edit for argument and structure, then a line edit for voice, pacing, and clarity.
03
Cover design & interior layout
Print and ebook formatting built to retailer specs, not a generic template swapped with your title.
04
ISBN & distribution setup
Listed on Amazon KDP, IngramSpark, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, and 60+ retail and library channels.
05
Launch-week kit
Three LinkedIn excerpt posts, a one-page press summary, and an Amazon listing built around the terms buyers actually search, not just genre tags.
06
One post-launch revision round
If early reader feedback flags a chapter, it gets revisited — this isn't a one-shot handoff.
How the Voice Gets Built
We record you talking. We don't send you a form.
The Usual Way
Most ghostwriting intake is a questionnaire — twenty prompts and a couple of voice memos, with a writer trying to reverse-engineer your voice from bullet points. That produces a book that reads like a LinkedIn post stretched to two hundred pages: correct, generic, and forgettable by chapter three.
How Berg Runs It
Six to eight sessions, forty-five minutes each, built around specific decisions rather than general career history: what made you kill the first product, why you turned down that acquisition offer, what the board meeting actually sounded like the week before the layoffs. Those are the chapters people remember, and they only surface when someone is asking the right follow-up question live — not reading a form response back to you.
14 hrs
Average founder time investment
18 wks
Discovery to published book
100%
IP, royalties & rights retained
60+
Global retail & distribution channels
How the Paths Compare
Traditional publishing, generic ghostwriting, or Berg — scoped for founders.
Three ways to get a book out. Only one is built around a founder calendar, full ownership, and a launch that actually means something.
| Factor | Traditional Publisher | Berg Publisher | Generic Ghostwriting Agency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Timeline | 18–36 months after acceptance | 4–5 months, launch-date scoped | 6–12 months, rarely date-locked |
| IP & royalties | Publisher owns IP; ~10–15% royalties to you | You own 100% of IP and royalties | Varies — sometimes shared or limited rights |
| Acceptance odds | Under 1% for unsolicited proposals | Not applicable — you control the yes | Pay to play — anyone with a budget |
| Voice fidelity | Editor-shaped; often diluted for market fit | Built from recorded interviews, reviewed chapter by chapter | Form-based intake; generic, templated voice |
| Distribution | Bookstore-centric — if they pick you up | Amazon, IngramSpark, Apple Books, B&N, 60+ retailers | Often manuscript-only; publishing sold separately |
| Best fit | Authors chasing prestige, not a launch date | Founders who need the book to hit a business timeline | Anyone wanting a book written, not a business asset |
IP & royalties
Traditional
Publisher owns IP; ~10–15% royalties to you
Berg Publisher
You own 100% of IP and royalties
Generic Agency
Varies — sometimes shared or limited rights
Acceptance odds
Traditional
Under 1% for unsolicited proposals
Berg Publisher
Not applicable — you control the yes
Generic Agency
Pay to play — anyone with a budget
Voice fidelity
Traditional
Editor-shaped; often diluted for market fit
Berg Publisher
Built from recorded interviews, reviewed chapter by chapter
Generic Agency
Form-based intake; generic, templated voice
Distribution
Traditional
Bookstore-centric — if they pick you up
Berg Publisher
Amazon, IngramSpark, Apple Books, B&N, 60+ retailers
Generic Agency
Often manuscript-only; publishing sold separately
Best fit
Traditional
Authors chasing prestige, not a launch date
Berg Publisher
Founders who need the book to hit a business timeline
Generic Agency
Anyone wanting a book written, not a business asset
How an Engagement Actually Runs
A composite look at a typical founder engagement.
Week 1–2
The founder comes in wanting a book about company culture. By the end of week two the outline has shifted — the real thesis is how they made the hardest operating calls under pressure. Culture becomes the through-line, not the topic.
Week 3–10
Interviews continue on a fixed weekly slot. Drafts land chapter by chapter. The founder reviews on planes and between board meetings; nothing waits for a free month that never arrives.
Week 15–18
Publish date gets set for three weeks before a raise or product launch. Cover, layout, and distribution lock. Launch assets go out. The book is a timed asset, not a someday project.
This is a composite pattern drawn from multiple founder engagements, not a single client's exact story — most founder projects run under NDA.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to ghostwrite and publish a founder's book?
For US-based founder and executive books, ghostwriting plus editing, design, and self-publishing typically runs $15,000–$60,000, depending on manuscript length, interview hours, and distribution scope. We scope an exact number on a discovery call — not a generic package price.
How long does it take?
Most founder books move from kickoff to a published, distributed book in 4 to 6 months: roughly 8 weeks of interviews and drafting, 4 weeks of editing, and 4–6 weeks for design, formatting, and distribution setup.
Will it actually sound like me?
The manuscript is built from recorded interviews, not a questionnaire. Your writer matches your cadence and your specific examples, and you review every chapter before it moves forward.
Self-publish or pursue a traditional deal?
Traditional publishing offers distribution and prestige but takes 18–24 months, gives up rights and royalty control, and rarely accepts unproven business authors. Self-publishing takes 4–6 months, keeps full IP and royalties, and ships on your timeline — which matters most when the book needs to support a raise, a launch, or a hiring push.
Who actually writes it — a person or AI?
A dedicated writer assigned to your project runs every interview and drafts every chapter by hand. Manuscripts aren't run through AI generation tools — the material comes from your recorded voice and a human editor's line-by-line pass.
Start the Scoping Call
Tell us your timeline. We'll tell you if a book fits it.
30-minute call. No package pitch — just whether this makes sense against your calendar and your goals.
Call +1 (213) 631-5993Confidential, NDA-Covered Interviews
100% Manuscript & IP Ownership
Direct Access to Your Writer
60+ Global Retail Channels
Get In Touch With Us
Have a story to tell? We're here to help bring it to life.
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