Lake Drive Books began with a vision to do book publishing for authors and readers who want to break the mold and ask honest questions about religion, spirituality, and personal growth. That vision manifests in an innovative publishing model that empowers authors and is attuned to how books get discovered today.

Traditional Publishing, Untraditional Model

We are a traditional publisher that curates a selective number of annual titles and brings professional editing, composition, design, platform coaching, marketing, publicity, and advertising to each. We are untraditional in that we offer a far more hands-on author experience, better publishing and marketing discipline than even many conventional publishers, and a financial model that rewards authors better.

Distribution

Books published by Lake Drive are available everywhere books in the English language are sold in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook. In today’s marketplace, however, the phrase “everywhere books are sold” now means that the vast majority of sales go through just a few online retailers. A clearheaded view of today’s publishing therefore acknowledges the power and potential of online platforming.

Online Platforming

If most book sales are with online retailers, then online platform—email list, website, blog, social media—offers more potential to reach readers than most authors and publishers realize. Lake Drive not only acknowledges an author’s platform, it is also committed to its own dynamic online platform. That’s why Lake Drive both coaches authors on their online presence and even offers them opportunities with the Lake Drive platform. With a consistent and growing online platform, authors can progress better in developing their author network, speaking, and audience.

Marketing and Publicity

Book marketing is built on the author’s “engine of discoverability.” That engine can take many forms but it typically begins with the power of online community. That’s why we give due focus to leveraging an author’s online platform to create launch marketing strategies. We specialize in:

• helping authors establish launch teams, conduct preorder campaigns, establish an email strategy
• creating traditional publicity campaigns that consistently earn placements with targeted podcasts and written media.
• developing shareable graphics, Amazon and social media advertising, and promotional discounts.

Some of our media placements include:

Author Partnership

We expect our authors to be ongoing partners aligned in content, driving awareness of books, and financial investment and reward. We ascribe to the Independent Book Publishers Association’s standards for hybrid publishers, but we require less upfront author investment and offer a more robust publishing plan than most hybrid publishers. As a hybrid publisher, we also pay authors significantly higher royalty percentages that provide long-term benefit. Let us also help you see how crowdfunding can help with upfront costs while also developing your audience.

Editorial Vision

We publish spiritual and personal growth books that help you heal, grow, and discover. We create books for readers who want to move beyond broken narratives and are ready to be real and feel seen. Our books offer stories and strategies, not ideologies. We are seeking proposals of spiritual living, nonfiction memoir, deeply descriptive and story-driven narratives, and even fiction from the following:

• • • writers who create evocative spiritual ideas that help us make sense of our world.
    • religiously marginalized voices along lines of race, class, gender, and sexuality.
    • experts on mental, spiritual, and physical health

Submit Your Book Proposal

If you’re ready with a well-thought-out concept that fits within the Lake Drive editorial vision, and you have a growing audience and platform, we’d love to hear your stories and insights in a fully developed book proposal. Feel free to use our book proposal template, which includes explanations on how to fill in each section. A well-developed book proposal is a must and serves as a guide for both publisher and author. Please submit your proposal to [email protected].

Benefits Summary of Publishing with Lake Drive Books

Significantly Higher Royalties • High Author Participation • Author Platform and Marketing Coaching • Strongly Curated Publishing • Customized Launch Marketing and Publicity • Multiple Formats at Launch • Better and More Responsive Sales Reporting • Amazon and Social Media Advertising • Author Community •  Better Author Discount