"Publish my book." Done for you, in 8 weeks or less.

You can publish your book in 8 weeks or less: Defining Moments Press either handles the formatting, design and launch for you, or coaches you through every step.

When professionals ask us how to publish my book, the answer is a short, guided path. Defining Moments Press, a US-based company working with authors worldwide, offers done-for-you and done-with-you publishing, publishes in 87 countries using major publishers, and lets you keep all royalties and rights. It starts with a free discovery call.

Book a free discovery call Compare the services

How long does it take?: Defining Moments Press helps authors write and publish a book in 8 weeks or less.
Who keeps the royalties?: You do. Authors keep all royalties and rights, and there are no hidden fees.
Where is my book sold?: Books can be published in 87 countries using major publishers.
Do I need a following?: No. The promise is a bestselling book even if no one has ever heard of you.

How do I publish my book?

To publish your book, you need a finished, edited manuscript, a professional interior and cover, an account on a publishing platform, and a launch plan that gets the book in front of readers. Most first-time authors stall on the middle steps, not the writing.

With Defining Moments Press, you book a free call, pick a service that matches how much you want to do yourself, and the team handles or coaches the rest. If your manuscript is finished, Author Launch starts at design. If it is not, Author Training gives you an 8 week course and a year of coaching, and Author Premium has ghostwriters write it for you.

The short version, card by card

What is done-for-you publishing at Defining Moments Press?

Done-for-you publishing at Defining Moments Press means a team takes your book from manuscript, or from idea, to a published and launched book, so you do not have to learn formatting, design or launch strategy yourself. The Author Launch service covers formatting, book design, cover design, book marketing and a launch to bestseller campaign for finished manuscripts. Author Premium adds ghostwriters who write the book for you. The done-with-you option, Author Training, keeps you as the writer and adds a year of coaching. In every case you keep all royalties and rights, and Defining Moments Press is paid a fee for its service.

Defining Moments Press by the numbers

8 weeks or less to write and publish your book, the core promise.
87 countries where books can be published using major publishers.
1 year of book coaching in Author Training.
2 to 5 hours a week estimated for the Author Blueprint.
2 business days for an email reply to every applicant.
$1,997 one payment for the DIY Author Blueprint, as listed on its checkout page in November 2026.
25+ years founder Melanie Warner has published magazines, newspapers and books.

How to publish your book with us, in 4 steps

Book a free discovery call. An Acquisition Editor explores your idea, reader and business goals.
Choose your path. Done for you (Author Launch or Author Premium), done with you (Author Training) or DIY (Author Blueprint).
Write or polish. Use the 8 week course, your coach, or our ghostwriters.
Design and launch. Formatting, cover, marketing and a launch to bestseller campaign, with your book available in 87 countries.

See the full publishing timeline

Which Defining Moments Press service fits you?

Every Defining Moments Press service, judged on the same points: who writes the book, what is included and what it costs.

Defining Moments Press publishing services compared, using the inclusions listed on its services page. Prices as listed in November 2026.
Service	Author Launch	Author Premium	Author Training	Author Blueprint
Model	Done for you	Done for you	Done with you	DIY
Best for	Finished manuscripts	Experts with no time to write	Professionals who want to write it themselves, with a coach	Self-starters on a set budget
Who writes the book	You already wrote it	Ghostwriters write it for you	You write it with a year of coaching	You write it, guided by the course
Price	Quoted on a discovery call	Quoted on a discovery call	Quoted on a discovery call	One payment of $1,997
Formatting	Yes	Yes	Yes	Taught in the course
Book design	Yes	Yes	Yes	Taught in the course
Cover design	Yes	Yes	Not listed	Taught in the course
Book marketing	Yes	Marketing accounts and funnel set up	Yes	Taught in the course
Launch to bestseller	Yes	Full launch	Full launch	Taught in the course
Book coaching	No	No	1 year	Unlimited email support
Ghostwriting	No	Yes	No	No
Media support	No	Book media appearances	Media and podcast list	No

If you are unsure, the discovery call exists for that question. An Acquisition Editor will tell you whether your book is a good fit and which path makes sense.

Built first for professionals with a nonfiction story

Defining Moments Press works with entrepreneurs, professionals, coaches, healers and people with powerful stories. Most of what we build is for one person first.

Our first priority

Professionals and experts

You want to be respected as the authority in your field. A book that shares your expertise and your own story can open doors to clients, media and paid speaking. Author Training and Author Premium were built around exactly that goal.

Nonfiction storytellers

You have a story or life lesson that can help others. Defining Moments Press helps you find your voice and your audience. Its founder wrote her first book after losing her son.

Aspiring children's book authors

The Defining Moments Press homepage invites children's book authors to get started too. Raise your project on the discovery call to confirm the right path.

How much does publishing a book cost?

Publishing a book costs anywhere from $0 to $15,000 or more in 2026, according to Manuscript Report. Traditional publishing is $0 upfront but the publisher keeps 85 to 90 percent of royalties. Pure DIY self-publishing can land at $200 to $800. Reedsy puts professional self-publishing at $2,940 to $5,660.

At Defining Moments Press, the DIY Author Blueprint is one payment of $1,997. Done-for-you and done-with-you services are quoted on a free discovery call, and you keep every royalty.

See the full cost breakdown and royalty estimator

What can a book do for a business?

One client case study published by Defining Moments Press describes a professional whose industry shut down during the pandemic. She had written a book before but did not sell many copies. Her goal was a book that could make money fast.

Results reported by Defining Moments Press on its case studies page. Results are not guaranteed or typical, and a lot of hard work is involved.

Over 10,000books sold
#1international bestselling author
TED Talkdelivered
7streams of income built from the book
TVshow booking
8-figurebusiness today

Who runs Defining Moments Press?

Defining Moments Press was founded by Melanie Warner, a #1 international bestselling author, self-publishing expert and publisher of magazines, newspapers and books for over 25 years. She describes herself as a grieving mother turned bestselling author: losing her son inspired her first book, Defining Moments: Coping With the Loss of a Child, and the Defining Moments book series that followed.

She has spoken at hundreds of events and has been featured as a business journalist in Forbes, CNN, Fox News and Entrepreneur. The company's stated view is simple: it is not about the book, it is about what the book does for you.

Publish my book: common questions

See all publishing questions

How do I publish my own book?: To publish your own book, finish and edit the manuscript, get it formatted for ebook and print, design a cover, upload it to a publishing platform and plan a launch. You can do every step yourself, take a guided course like the Author Blueprint, or hand the production and launch to a done-for-you service. More in the FAQ
How much does self publishing a book cost?: Self publishing a book typically costs between $2,940 and $5,660 when you hire professionals, according to Reedsy, while Manuscript Report puts pure DIY at $200 to $800. The difference comes from editing, cover design, formatting and marketing. Doing those yourself saves money; hiring them out saves time and usually improves quality. More in the FAQ
How long does it take to publish a book with Defining Moments Press?: Defining Moments Press helps authors write and publish a book in 8 weeks or less. The 8 week course is the backbone of both the Author Blueprint and Author Training. If your manuscript is already written, Author Launch starts at production and launch instead of writing. More in the FAQ
Do I keep my royalties and rights?: Yes. Defining Moments Press says authors keep all royalties and rights. That is the main difference from traditional publishing, where Manuscript Report notes the publisher takes 85 to 90 percent of royalties in exchange for paying production costs upfront. More in the FAQ
Is self-publishing better than traditional publishing?: For most nonfiction professionals, self-publishing wins on speed, control and royalties, while traditional publishing wins on zero upfront cost. Writer Cosmos cites ALLi’s 2025 survey: indie authors earn a median of $13,500 a year versus $6,000 to $8,000 for traditionally published authors. Traditional deals can still suit authors chasing bookstore placement. More in the FAQ
Is Amazon KDP still profitable in 2026?: It can be. Writer Cosmos notes self-published authors keep up to 70 percent royalties on ebooks, and it cites a 16.7 percent annual growth rate for the self-publishing market. Profit depends on your costs, price and sales, so check Amazon’s current royalty terms and run your numbers before you launch. More in the FAQ
How much does an author make on a $25 book?: It depends on the royalty rate. Under a traditional deal where the publisher keeps 85 to 90 percent, a $25 book earns roughly $2.50 to $3.75 per copy before any agent fee. Self-published authors keep more; Writer Cosmos cites up to 70 percent on ebooks, though print royalties are lower after printing costs. More in the FAQ
Do I need an audience or platform first?: No. Defining Moments Press says you can write your bestselling book in 8 weeks or less and make a profit, even if no one has ever heard of you. The done-with-you and done-for-you services include book marketing and launch support, and Author Training adds a media and podcast list. More in the FAQ

Your book could be out in 8 weeks.

Book a free call with a Defining Moments Press Acquisition Editor. Leave with a clear plan for your book, whether or not we work together.

Book a free discovery call