Who we are What we do

Our Writing / Publishing Journey

As internationally published, award-winning authors, we have experienced the publishing side of things from the author perspective. Our experience covered multiple publishers and led us to explore every possible iteration of how books are being published in the 21st Century.

Michael Jenet met a publisher at an event, having sat next to him at a table, and they discussed the book he was writing at length. They kept in touch over the course of the next year, the publisher having indicated his intent to publish the book, but when the time came and Michael reached out to him at the end of the year, he was told that they ‘already decided all the books they were going to publish’ the coming year.

After getting National exposure on CBS Sunday Morning for her 50 in 52 Journey, Dafna Michaelson Jenet was contacted by an agent about her upcoming book and promised a plethora of support.
After signing a contract, however, it became rapidly apparent that the agent had other priorities. They had also neglected to mention that their area of priority was a completely different genre of book. The agent simply saw an opportunity for themselves from someone who had garnered national attention but had no intention of authentically helping and supporting the author with the writing process. They were simply in it for themselves.

Fortunately, both Dafna and Michael finally found a publisher willing to publish their books. The process, however, did not live up to the billing.
The editing provided by the publisher was marginal at best and often felt disconnected from the authors or their content.
During initial discussions the publisher alluded to multiple marketing tools and support only to find out later that these were purchasable add-ons provided by the publisher and their subsidiaries.
Support for additional formats such as audio-books was non-existent and in some cases, the audio book versions were never distributed.

Later, the publisher sold the business. A new publisher took on the existing catalog of authors, but immediately changed the publishing model to a ‘pay-to-play’ model with up-front cost to the authors, leaving many of the existing authors, as well as new writers, with little to no path forward.

The straw that broke the camel’s back was when the new publisher began to extort money in order to keep our books in print. Several months later, after having had to pay the extorsion to get the rights to the books back, we decided something had to be done.

What we learned is that the publishing industry is not designed to benefit the author. As authors we were frustrated by the lack of genuine help and support provided by publishers and the disingenuous efforts to help authors be successful.

In our work via The Journey Institute, we have always been focused on building community. We decided to bring that focus to create an author community of those who are overlooked by large publishing houses and create a publishing company that would provide authentic tools and support and a model that would benefit authors more than the publisher.

Disrupting the Model

In creating a publishing arm to the work we do at The Journey Institute, we wanted to disrupt the publishing model that is available to the everyday writer, the author who is overlooked by larger more traditional publishers and who is often left with the self publishing model as their only option. Our focus is primarily, though not exclusively, on the communities of women, bipoc, and lgbtq+.

By creating a non-profit publishing model, we want to provide the tools, resources, and support to authors who otherwise would not have access to them, to tell the stories that otherwise would not be told.

As a non-profit publisher we are creating a model that is first and foremost dedicated to helping authors be successful. Successful in their writing. Successful in their publishing process, from editing to book cover design to layout and typography, and finally to publication and distribution.

With this model we will embrace authors at the beginning of their writing journey, enrolling them in a writing workshop to receive tools, guidance, and support as they take their story/idea from concept to paper.
We will continue to provide support and engagement from our author community to surround the author as they navigate the challenges and hurdles that all authors face.
Finally, we will work closely and collaboratively with each author throughout the publishing process.

While the distribution channels take a large part of a books purchase price, the bulk of what remains is traditionally siphoned off by the publisher to help recoup the cost of publishing. This means the smallest amount is left over for the authors.

Our model will disrupt the current ‘sales-funnel’ model for authors to reach readers with their books by working in tandem with our authors to help them find creative and proven ways to engage their audience, and get the message and stories of their books told.

What if the publishing model of profit at all costs flipped and became a ‘help authors succeed’ at all costs instead? We plan to find out!

Who we are as a publisher

Click to read an interview with our publisher on our purpose before profit publishing model and the benefits of running a purpose-driven business

Authority Magazine Interview

More Interviews

Read Michael Jenet’s interview by Teri Gault on MEDIUM about publishing.

Interview with Michael Jenet

The back cover copy you write for your book is among the most important marketing messages you’ll craft. It’s the essence of your book’s most exciting features, distilled into a few hundred words. It typically serves as the foundation for your online book descriptions, as well as any press releases or pitches you make to the media. It will get re-used and re-fashioned for dozens of purposes. Whatever labor you expend on perfecting it will reward you in the long run.

Here are the key principles that publishers and authors alike use to create what should become a masterpiece of your book marketing and an essential piece of your book metadata.

Back Cover Copy for Nonfiction (Non-Narratives)

The most important question you must answer in your back cover copy is: Why and how will the reader benefit from this book? If you know your audience well, then you know the problems they face; your back cover copy should tell how your book addresses these problems head on and helps readers overcome a challenge or succeed.

Two of the most common mistakes that nonfiction authors make in crafting their back cover is:

Focusing too much on a description of the book’s content, rather than how the content will help, inform, or entertain the reader
Focusing too much on the author’s background, rather than how the author’s credentials or experience helps them expertly address the subject matter

Rather than crafting copy that’s a long, solid block of text, you can help ensure the copy is read by including (in this order):

A headline at the top of the cover that succinctly sums up the key benefit or selling point of the book—or consider a convincing quote (blurb) from a recognizable authority who recommends the book
About a 100-200 word summary that expands upon the headline and demonstrates the value of the book
A bullet list of features and benefits the book provides to readers
A final sentence or two to close the message, with a mention of the author’s credentials if not earlier described
(optional) Praise (blurbs) for the book from recognizable authorities
(optional) A brief author bio and author photo at the bottom of the cover

A professional designer can work wonders in arranging this information in a way that helps it get read, especially if you have a range of elements you’re trying to assemble (description, blurbs, bio, photo, awards, and so on).

Back Cover Copy for Fiction (and Nonfiction Narratives)

It’s not uncommon for traditional publishers to put nothing but blurbs or book reviews on a novel’s back cover, especially if it’s by an author who is already well-known. But that’s rarely the best strategy for authors who don’t already have an established audience. Potential readers will want to know what the story is about before committing, and the hook you provide may determine whether they start reading the first page or chapter. (The same is true of memoir and other true-to-life stories.)

The hook for the back cover isn’t so different from the hook you’d put in a query letter to a literary agent. The hook needs to convey:

Who is the main character(s)?
What do they most deeply desire?
What stands in the way?
What is the setting or context for the story?

If you can’t identify what the main character deeply desires, then ask: What challenge do they face? What sets their story in motion?

Ultimately, what you’re trying to get across is an intriguing story premise. For example, My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult tells the story of 13-year-old Anna, who was born as a “savior sister” specifically so she can save her older sister’s life. When Anna turns 13, she is told that she will have to donate one of her kidneys, and she sues her parents for medical emancipation.

That length of description is all you need to sell the story to potential readers. To improve your own story description, read the book marketing copy for dozens (even hundreds) of books in your genre, and pay attention to length, point of view or voice, as well as how much of the story is described. For example, it’s very popular for contemporary romance novel descriptions to be written from the point-of-view of the heroine. Here’s how the book marketing copy for Baller by Vi Keeland starts:

The first time I met Brody Easton was in the men’s locker room.
It was my first interview as a professional sportscaster.
The famed quarterback decided to bare all.
And by all, I don’t mean he told me any of his secrets.
No. The arrogant ass decided to drop his towel, just as I asked the first question. On camera.

In those 60 words, we know who the main character is, a good idea of what she desires (or will desire!), and what her challenge will be. We also know the setting or context.

No matter what category or genre your book falls into, you have to pack a lot of punch into a couple hundred words, sometimes less. Don’t just write one version and consider it done. Write multiple versions, test and gather feedback, and improve it until you feel it’s the best possible sales piece for your book.