FAQs

Self-publishing means you, the author, are in charge of all the creative and technical aspects of publishing your book. (This can be overwhelming, which is why we are here to help.) As the author, you get to make key decisions about the book’s style, cover design, and distribution. You also retain full ownership of your work and earn higher royalties per sale. Thanks to modern tools (like print-on-demand services and online marketplaces) self-publishing is a professional, accessible, and empowering way to share your book with readers on your own terms.

Village Lane is here to make your self-publishing process simple and fun!

In traditional publishing, an author first contracts with a literary agent who then approaches publishers on the author’s behalf. This process generally
(almost always) takes several years. When the agent finds a publishing company to publish the book, the publisher buys the rights to your book (usually for an advance payment), and agrees to produce and distribute it. The publishing company takes control of editing, cover design, printing, and distribution for years, sometimes indefinitely. Authors have less control over creative decisions related to publishing, but benefit from the support and recognition of a large-scale publisher. 

For most authors, traditional publishing is not an option. Traditional publishers and agents publish less than 0.001% of all books submitted to them. Self-publishing is the most accessible and practical option, allowing authors to publish their books, retain rights to their own work, and do so In their own timeline  without needing approval from a gatekeeper. Self-published authors often enjoy higher royalty rates, faster time to market, and direct relationships with their readers. It’s a path that rewards creativity, persistence, and entrepreneurial spirit.

That said, traditional publishing still holds appeal for some authors, particularly those with a strong platform, a literary agent, or industry connections. It can offer the support of a full publishing team, established distribution networks, and the prestige of being backed by a known imprint. For some, especially celebrities or those writing in certain types on non-fiction, this route can make strategic sense.

At Village Lane, we offer the best of both worlds: a professional team to handle the editing, design, and publishing process, while you stay in control. You keep 100% of your rights and royalties, and we work with you every step of the way to make sure your vision stays at the heart of your book. 

In the past, publishing a book required millions of dollars, hundreds of people, a printing press, warehouses, trucks, and an extensive knowledge of everything from type setting and book binding to market trends and distribution channels. Self-publishing was simply not an option for most authors. This left authors at the mercy of large companies. 

Recent changes in technology have allowed individual authors to publish directly with Amazon and other print-on demand (POD) companies. Authors no longer have to go to big corporations, hat in hand, asking for a spot on their limited printing schedule with tiny royalty percentages, no control over the cover design, and loss of ownership of the books they’ve written. Today, authors can own their own rights, play key roles in choosing how their books is published, and collect royalties directly without going through a transitional publishing house. 

Self-publishing on your own can be difficult, yes. But there’s no need to fear. That’s why we’re here! With Village Lane you can have your cake and eat it too- or rather, you can self-publish and save your writing time too. We will create your professional book cover including a sample design process that keeps you in the driver’s seat, format your manuscript your book for publication, set up ISBNs, optimize the digital back-end, and more!

Self-publishing through Village Lane is simpler (and faster) than traditional publishing. And while we do the work, you remain in control of your book and keep the royalties. Your job is to write your book and send us your completed manuscript. We handle everything after that. And unlike at traditional publishers, with Village Lane you have the option to help decide what your book cover looks like! (That’s even better than the frosting on the cake!) 

Just send us your finished manuscript! We’ll have a phone call to discuss things like what size you want the cover to be, what options you prefer for things like chapter headings, and to make sure we understand your goals, so your book is everything you are hoping for. Some authors also want to participate in cover design, while some want to leave that to the pros on our team. The process is super easy!

Your book will be available on Amazon in both paperback and on Kindle and available worldwide, wherever Amazon operates. If you choose Expanded Distribution or the Complete Publishing Package, your book will be for sale on all online bookstores including Target, Walmart, Barnes & Noble, and more, as well as being available for for physical bookstores, libraries, and gift shops to order through traditional channels. 

At Village Lane, our self-publishing process is surprisingly fast. It typically takes 2-4 weeks from the time we get started to when your book is published and available for purchase.

Thank you for asking! Our team at Village Lane has several decades of experience in the publishing industry, in both traditional and self-publishing. We’ve worked as authors, editors, marketers, publishers, book sellers in brick-and-mortar stores, librarians, professional reviewers, writing teachers, artists, graphic designers, cover designers, publishers, and more. You would be hard-pressed to find a more experienced team of publishing professionals to handle your book. We know what it takes to give your book the polished finish it deserves. 

But there’s more. Village Lane was started to bring books to life! This means two things. First, our goal is to provide authors realistic, author-friendly publishing options to turn your book from a dream into reality. Second, we want to bring your book to into readers’ lives because we are passionate about the positive impact books have in the world. In order to do that, we put our heads together and came up with the best way possible to help you get your books into readers’ hands. 

As authors ourselves, we’ve experienced first-hand the frustration of spending years (sometimes decades) writing the perfect book, only to be told by an editor we’ve just met that our book has to change to fit current market trends or editor’s preferences. We’ve faced contracts that left us with almost nothing to show for our hard work. And we’ve thought, “There has to be another way!” 

We found a better way. And we are passionate about helping you bring your book to life.

In the last few years, hundreds of self-publishing “vanity press” companies have sprung up, charging tens of thousands of dollars. In keeping with our goal to bring books to life, we want to make it possible for everyone– not just those with spare cash- to get their books out into the world.

Your voice matters. We want to help you share it.

Not at all! We have a team of professionals who create stunning book covers, and we love doing it! If you have a cover already, that’s awesome. But if you don’t, or if you just have an idea of what you might like, we will work with you to create a cover that gives readers the best first impression for your book. 

Absolutely! We love bringing picture books to life. We have experience with the special formatting needs in picture books and are excited to work with yours!

We can refer you to illustrators, but we do not illustrate your book for you. Please note that, unless an author is also a professional artist, authors do not usually illustrate their own books. It’s most common to hire an illustrator to handle that for you. We can refer you to potential illustrators.

To start the self-publishing process with Village Lane, just click on “Publish Your Book!” in the menu above, and select the package that works best for you! We can’t wait to see your book and help bring it to life! 

Still have questions? No problem. 

Check out the Publishing Comparison Chart below to see a side-by-side comparison of self-publishing and traditional publishing. 

And if you would like to speak with us directly to ask about your specific situation, or to learn more about publishing in general (self or traditional), we are always happy to chat! Navigate to the ‘Schedule a Consult‘ tab at the top of the page, or scroll down for a button to take you there. 

We are always happy to talk publishing!