FAQ

At Dexterity, we provide the professional quality of a big publisher to every book we touch. However, the way each book enters the market depends on the author’s goals, platform, and the book’s commercial fit. We offer two distinct engagement models:

1. Hybrid Publishing (The Imprint Partnership)

Because we stake our brand reputation on every book carrying the Dexterity logo on its spine, we publish a limited number of titles under this model each year. This is a collaborative partnership designed for authors with an established platform who can maximize our national distribution expertise.

• The Model: We act as your expert publishing and distribution partner. We handle every stage of the process, all managed by the Dexterity Collective. Once the book is retail-ready, our in-house sales team takes it to market, actively pitching it to buyers at Barnes & Noble, BAM!, Indie bookstores, and other retailers.
• Selection Criteria: We select titles that align with our “Helpful, Hopeful, Inspiring” brand and authors ready to leverage a national sales engine.
• Royalties: 50–65%.
• Marketing: Certain services included/covered by Dexterity; additional services available at cost to the author.

2. Assisted Self-Publishing (The Professional Service Model)

This path is for the autonomous author who wants creative and financial control without the “factory feel” of generic self-publishing. You get the full power of the Dexterity Collective (top-tier editors and designers) to ensure your book can compete with national bestsellers.

• The Model: You remain in complete control of every aspect of your book. We provide the professional expertise and execution, from cover design to aiding in the setup of global Print-on-Demand.
• Selection Criteria: Open to all authors who value professional excellence and want to own their assets entirely. 
• Royalties: You keep 100% of the profit.
• Marketing: A menu of services is available to you through Dexterity and our Dexterity Collective Partners. 

Not sure which path is right for you? Take our two-minute Publishing Path Quiz and find out!

You certainly can. Programs like Amazon KDP have made publishing accessible to everyone, but there is a significant difference between making a book and building a successful launch. The DIY route is like being your own doctor or attorney—you might save on the fee, but you miss out on the unspoken industry rules and best practices that separate a professional project from an amateur one. After all, you don’t know what you don’t know. 

Dexterity is your Strategic Architect managing the hundreds of details of production and distribution so you don’t drown in the process. Partnering with a team of experts is the best way to ensure your book is professionally produced and looks like it came from a big publishing house.

In a large publishing house, your book is often just a number on a spreadsheet, Product #400 in a factory list. We are Book People with Startup Hustle. We only publish 10 to 15 titles a year under our hybrid imprint, allowing us to give those books the focused, data-driven attention it deserves. 

You aren’t limited to our in-house staff. The Dexterity Collective allows all our authors—both hybrid and assisted self-published—access to professional, high-quality experts to refine and perfect their book.

Not necessarily. While a social media following is a great asset, “platform” comes in many different shapes. We prioritize the quality and urgency of your message over the size of your follower count. 

When it comes to our hybrid publishing partners, we look for authors and leaders who have a specific tribe to serve, whether that is through a speaking business, a ministry, a non-profit, or a niche professional community. If leveraged strategically, these organizations become the natural engines for a successful book launch. Ultimately, we would rather help a leader sell 3,000 copies to the right people than see a generic book get lost in the noise of 3.5 million annual releases.

We hand-pick a custom team for your project from the Dexterity Collective. The Collective is made up of award-winning publishing professionals, many of whom have worked on bestsellers with major trade publishers. They’re specifically chosen for their expertise and interest in your genre. You aren’t just buying a service; you are gaining a partnership with a tribe of experts.

There’s no formula to publishing a bestseller (unless you’re Stephen King). Just like money doesn’t grow on trees, there’s no magical way to get books into customers’ carts. Selling books requires a dedicated author and focused publishing team working in tandem. We provide the map and the distribution, but the “hustle” is a shared commitment to long-term promotion. 

Successful sales are part of a two-pronged strategy. First, we use Market Intelligence (real-world retail data) to ensure your book’s title, cover, and category are engineered to compete on the shelves. Second, we prioritize Direct Sales (the copies you sell to your own audience). This is your most profitable channel and focusing here allows the book to pay for itself much faster.

At Dexterity, we believe in human impact and creative excellence. While we use advanced data tools like Circana/Bookscan to engineer your book’s market fit, your voice is sacred. Our AI policy is simple: We use technology to sharpen our strategy, but we rely on our Collective of over 175 vetted professionals—writers, editors, designers, and more—to ensure your book is a work of art, not an algorithm.

We would love to help! While we are known for our end-to-end publishing partnerships, we also offer À La Carte Services. Whether you need a Bestseller-worthy cover design, an in-depth developmental edit, or help navigating metadata and distribution setup, you can hire our elite experts for whatever you need.

This is a great way to “test the waters” with our team. If your project grows in scope, we can discuss a transition into a full Assisted Self-Publishing or Hybrid path later.

We can help you get started! Whether you’re starting from a pile of rough notes, a series of talks, or just vision in your head, we can help you move your idea forward:

• The Blueprinting Phase: Let us help you build a publishing plan through strategic consulting and develop a submission-ready professional book proposal.
• Book Coaching: Our team of experts will assist in developing your book direction and turning that big idea into a chapter-level outline.
• Collaborative Writing: Through the Dexterity Collective, we can pair you with a world-class ghostwriter or editor to help get your voice onto the page.

Don’t wait for a polished manuscript to reach out. The best books are built from a solid foundation and we are here to help you lay the first brick.

Yes. While we love working directly with authors, we are also a trusted partner for literary agents, publishers, non-profits, and other organizations. Because we offer a complete menu of services, we are often brought in to solve specific problems for our industry colleagues.

• For Agents: We are safe hands for your clients who want a hybrid or assisted self-publishing path while maintaining the quality and distribution of a large publisher.
• For Other Publishers: We provide outflow support, offering professional editorial, design, and production services when internal teams are at capacity. 
• For Non-profits and Other Organizations: We act as an outsourced publishing department, helping you turn your intellectual property into high-quality books without you having to hire a full-time internal staff.

Whether you’re an individual with a mission or an organization with a catalog, we have the “startup hustle” to move your content forward.