Stacy Schilling
Photo Credit: Ivy West
You don't have to figure everything out alone.
With more than 25 years of experience in graphic design, website development, writing, editing and marketing—and my own experience as an author, illustrator and self-publisher—I create practical resources to help authors and creative professionals move their ideas forward.
Whether you want to learn on your own or get personalized guidance, you'll find an option here.
Book Your 30-Min Publishing Strategy Session
Publishing a book comes with a lot of decisions and the first one includes whether it's better to go the traditional publishing route, and have them do all the work for you. Or, would it be better to hire a hybrid-publisher to assist you with your book? But self-publishing will give you the most control, but comes with the greatest financial risk and plenty of hidden unknown challenges along the way.
So, which is the better option: traditional, hybrid or self-publishing? How do you know which path makes sense for your book? What are the pros and cons of each publishing option you need to consider?
I've created practical resources to help you understand your options, market your book and take the next step.
I made this checklist for the author that doesn't know where to start in their publishing journey, and in what order each task should be completed. It is something I wish I had available to me when I first started my author journey. This simple checklist will takeaway all the guesswork when it comes to the order and steps for completing your book starting from conception to the final product.
Grab it free and check off each step as you go. When you're ready for the how-to behind the steps, my Book Design & Production Toolkit walks you through layout and printing, finding an illustrator, and building your author website.
A 28-pg practical guide to understanding traditional, hybrid, and self-publishing so you can make an informed decision about how you want to publish your book.
You'll learn:
How the three publishing paths work
Who pays for what
Who handles the publishing process
How creative control differs
How rights and ownership can vary
What to consider before choosing a publishing path
What to know about querying agents
Basic manuscript and children's picture-book requirements
Stop wondering what to post.
This ready-to-use 30-day content calendar plan gives you ideas to help you stay visible and market your book without having to constantly come up with something new. You can use it over and over again.
How it will help:
Create brand awareness
Builds a relationship and trust with your audience
Offer insights into your creative and production progress
Encourages visibility and commenting from viewers
Allows followers to share your content for more exposure and at no additional cost to either of you
Which Publishing Path is Right For Me? – A practical guide to understanding traditional, hybrid, and self-publishing so you can make an informed decision about how you want to publish your book.
You'll learn:
How the three publishing paths work
Who pays for what
Who handles the publishing process
How creative control differs
How rights and ownership can vary
What to consider before choosing a publishing path
What to know about querying agents
Basic manuscript and children's picture-book requirements
30-Day Content Calendar – 30-days of content ideas to help you stay visible and market your book without constantly wondering what to post.
How it will help:
Create brand awareness
Builds a relationship and trust with your audience
Offer insights into your creative and production progress
Encourages visibility and commenting from viewers
Allows followers to share your content for more exposure and at no additional cost to either of you
4 Practical Guides to Help You Take Your Book From Idea to Finished Product
Not sure where to find an illustrator? Confused about book layout and printing? Need to choose a website designer or figure out which hosting platform is right for you?
I've put four of my practical author resources together in one toolkit to help you navigate the creative and production side of publishing your book.
You'll receive all 4 guides:
How to Find an Illustrator/Designer
Layout, Design & Printing Tips for Your Book
How to Hire a Website Designer
How to Select an Affordable Website Hosting Server
With decades of experience in graphic design, website design and publishing, I created these guides to help make the creative and production side of building your author business easier to understand.
Instead of searching for scattered information online, you can have these practical resources together in one convenient toolkit.
Stacy Schilling
Photo Credit: Ivy West
Sometimes you don't need another PDF. You need someone to look at your specific situation and help you figure out what to do next.
In a private one-on-one session, we'll look at:
Your book and publishing goals
Your budget and timeline
How much of the process you want to handle yourself
Your experience and available resources
The level of creative control you want
Your questions about your publishing options
You'll leave with a clearer understanding of your options and the next steps you can take toward publishing your book.
I made this checklist for the author that doesn't know where to start in their publishing journey, and in what order each task should be completed. It is something I wish I had available to me when I first started my author journey. This simple checklist will takeaway all the guesswork when it comes to the order and steps for completing your book starting from conception to the final product.
Grab it free and check off each step as you go. When you're ready for the how-to behind the steps, my Book Design & Production Toolkit walks you through layout and printing, finding an illustrator, and building your author website.
© 2026. Stacy Schilling. All Rights Reserved.