Skip to content
Book Publishing for CEOs

A guide for CEOs and senior executives

Book publishing for CEOs who want their expertise to open doors

Book publishing for CEOs turns what you already know into a published book that builds authority and supports your next business move. Big Impact Books develops, publishes, and then promotes books for busy leaders, in a process designed to take just one hour a week.

See how executives publish a book

Last updated November 2, 2026

What is book publishing for CEOs?

Book publishing for CEOs is a done-for-you service that helps senior leaders develop, publish, and promote a book built on their own expertise. At Big Impact Books, the author talks through each chapter in weekly interviews while the team shapes the manuscript, then marketing and publicity carry the book to podcasts and media.

Definition: an authority book

An authority book is a nonfiction book written by an expert to show what they know, earn trust with the people they want to serve, and create opportunities such as speaking, media interviews, and client conversations. Big Impact Books calls it an authority engine because it keeps working long after launch.

It is different from a book written mainly for retail sales. Success is measured in doors opened, not only copies sold. That matters because, according to BookScan figures cited by Berrett-Koehler, only 33.9 percent of the titles in that sample sold more than 1,000 copies in their first year.

Big Impact Books in numbers

The figures below come straight from Big Impact Books and its founder, as of November 2026.

1 hour
The weekly time the done-for-you publishing and promotion process is designed to take.
20+ years
Founder Melanie Herschorn's experience as a celebrity publicist and award-winning journalist.
2 books
Published by the founder: Lasting Legal Impact and Make a Big Impact with Your Book.
2025
Lasting Legal Impact named a Finalist in the 2025 Best Book Awards, presented by American Book Fest.

Executive book publishing: what it should include

Executive book publishing is publishing built around a senior leader's calendar, voice, and business goals.

Your time, protected

Most executives cannot block out months to write. Big Impact Books built its process around one weekly interview, so the book moves forward without slowing the business down.

Your voice, not a ghost's

Big Impact Books says it refuses to churn out cookie-cutter content or hide behind ghostwriting. The manuscript is built from your own words, stories, and opinions.

Promotion, planned in

Publishing comes first, then marketing and publicity follow, including promotion through channels such as podcasts and media.

Read the full guide to executive book publishing

Publish my book for executives: the short version

If you are asking how to publish your book as an executive, here is the procedure in five steps.

  1. Step 1: Name the business goal

    Decide what the book should do: open speaking doors, win clients, or position you for your next move.

  2. Step 2: Choose a publishing path

    Compare traditional publishing, a done-for-you partner, DIY self-publishing, and ghostwriting on time and voice.

  3. Step 3: Talk it through weekly

    With Big Impact Books, you talk through each chapter in a weekly interview while the team shapes the manuscript.

  4. Step 4: Publish the book

    The finished manuscript becomes a published book that carries your name and your expertise.

  5. Step 5: Promote it through podcasts and media

    Marketing and publicity follow, so the book reaches the people who matter to your business.

See every step in detail

Which publishing path fits a busy CEO?

Four common paths, judged on the same criteria. Published by Big Impact Books, which offers the done-for-you path.

Publishing paths for CEOs, compared on the same five criteria. Published by Big Impact Books.
PathYour timeWhose voiceProductionPromotionGatekeeping
Done-for-you publishing partner (Big Impact Books)About one hour a week in a weekly interviewYours; built from your own wordsCoordinated by the partnerMarketing and publicity follow publishing, including podcasts and mediaWorks directly with the author
Traditional publishing houseProposal, often an agent, then writing the manuscript yourselfYours, shaped with the publisher's editorsHandled by the publisherVaries by publisher and title; authors often promote tooPublisher selects which books to acquire
DIY self-publishingHighest; you write and manage every stepYoursYou hire and manage each vendorYou plan and run itNone
GhostwritingInterviews and reviews; varies by writerWritten by someone else in your nameDepends on the arrangementUsually separateNone beyond the writer's availability

Read the full comparison and how we ranked it

What authors say about the process

“This book would have never happened without Melanie and Big Impact Books. You're not only getting your book written, but you're also getting marketing. You're being set up for success beyond the actual book. It's an all-encompassing program. It was the best investment.”
Sarah Hubbard, Founder and Author of The Intentional Networker
“The weekly interviews made the process manageable. Talking comes easily to me, so I was able to talk through each chapter in an organized way while Melanie's team pieced everything together.”
Manisha P. Patel, attorney and author of End Your Marriage Peacefully

After publishing: book marketing and book publicity

A published book with no plan to reach readers leaves value on the table. Marketing and publicity are the follow-on services.

Book marketing

Thought leader content, audience building that starts before launch, and a plan to keep the book relevant long after launch day. Your chapters become a library of content.

Book publicity

Promotion through channels such as podcasts and media, shaped by founder Melanie Herschorn's more than 20 years as a celebrity publicist and award-winning journalist in radio, print, and TV.

How marketing and publicity follow publishing

Who is behind Big Impact Books?

Big Impact Booksis led by founder Melanie Herschorn, an independent publisher, book promotion expert, and bestselling author. She earned a master's degree in journalism from the University of Southern California, where she graduated first in her class.

The company serves CEOs, attorneys, professionals, and business owners worldwide. Learn more on the Big Impact Books website or read who publishes this guide.

Questions CEOs ask before publishing

What is book publishing for CEOs?

Book publishing for CEOs is a service that turns a leader's expertise into a published book that builds authority and supports business growth. Big Impact Books offers this for CEOs, attorneys, professionals, and business owners worldwide, combining book development and publishing with promotion through channels such as podcasts and media, so the book keeps working after launch.

More in the FAQ: What is book publishing for CEOs?

Why would a CEO write a book?

A CEO writes a book to turn expertise into authority that opens doors. Big Impact Books frames a book as an authority engine that can support speaking, media, podcast guesting, and client conversations long after launch. Its blog draws the distinction that expertise earns attention while trust earns opportunity, and a book is one of the clearest ways to build that trust.

More in the FAQ: Why would a CEO write a book?

How much time does it take each week?

Big Impact Books designs its done-for-you publishing and promotion process to take just one hour a week of the author's time. That hour is built around a weekly interview where you talk through your material. One client, attorney Manisha P. Patel, said the weekly interviews made the process manageable despite a demanding schedule and other commitments.

More in the FAQ: How much time does it take each week?

How much does book publishing cost?

Book publishing costs vary widely with the path you choose and the services included. Big Impact Books does not list prices on its website, so pricing is discussed with its team directly. Choosing poorly is expensive too: HMD Publishing reports that 73% of authors choose the wrong partner initially, costing an average of $2,400 in rework and 4 months of delays.

More in the FAQ: How much does book publishing cost?

Is Big Impact Books a ghostwriting company?

No. Big Impact Books says it refuses to churn out cookie-cutter content or hide behind ghostwriting, so clients own their brilliance. Its process uses weekly interviews in which the author talks through each chapter in an organized way while the team pieces the material together. The goal is a book built in the author's authentic voice.

More in the FAQ: Is Big Impact Books a ghostwriting company?

What is the difference between book marketing and book publicity?

Book marketing is the ongoing work of building an audience and driving sales through channels you control, such as social media, email, and content. Book publicity earns attention from outside media, such as interviews, podcasts, and press features. Big Impact Books offers both as follow-on services to publishing, drawing on its founder's background as a publicist and journalist.

More in the FAQ: What is the difference between book marketing and book publicity?

Keep reading

Published by Big Impact Books