FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Women are the backbone of the world, and yet we still experience systemic inequity. I’m a woman of colour who’s worked with over 100 female-led companies—so it makes sense for me to continue supporting them. 

If you do not identify as a woman and still want to work with me, contact me.

Ethical people not only have a sense of moral agency, but they follow it. That’s the difference. No colour-washing, no preaching that you created an amazing work culture, then making everyone work weekends.

For my ideal clients, the right thing to do is barely a question.

I expect the same level of professionalism from my clients that I do from contractors I hire. If your work involves:

• Fighting for the rights of minorities
• Combatting climate change
• Pioneering innovation that improves lives
• Negotiating peace deals

…we’re aligned.

And if you:

• work for Big Oil, Meat, Dairy, or any obviously harmful industries
• are paid to promote or sell products that harm people, animals, or the planet
• earn your income through a multi-level marketing (MLM) company or a pyramid scheme
• don’t pay your team on time

…please find someone else to work with.

Schedule a call and ask all the questions you want—but you can learn about me through my social media content and About page. Here’s a bit more about my personality and work ethic:

• I am an introvert. My personality is more cool than warm. I stay quiet so I can listen—a lot. I’ve been called mysterious and quiet for someone ‌in communications, but my words and editing skills are my secret weapons. Being the daughter of a fiery mother brought a lot of fights in my childhood home, but this also gave me values-led leadership skills. And being the middle of three children honed my sense of diplomacy.

• Some people interpret my RBF (resting bitch face) as anger, but I’m really just listening intently to what you say. (This is especially important if I’m writing in your voice—it translates into well-written content.)
• I can usually tell in about a minute how strong your personal brand is online. (Remember, Google and AI searches take seconds)
• I like clear communication. Small talk is great for the first few minutes of our meetings, but after that, I like to get to the point.
• People forget me, but I don’t forget anyone. I’m the small Asian woman who might stay quiet in a boardroom, but I listen to everything and respond when I need to. In the past, I’ve run a film festival with a team of a dozen people, so I’ve led groups when needed.
• If you’re a leader who enjoys delegating, we’ll have a good time. I love taking on tasks that are too small for you and managing team members to do the rest.
• I’m down to earth and realistic, but I also believe in aliens and that the Divine is everything and everywhere. Everything I do in my life, including my business, is for the greater good of all living beings. I wouldn’t call myself an Intuitive, but when I write or edit for clients or even have conversations with people I meet, I get intuitive “downloads.” So if you’re into the woo, we’ll get along just fine.
• Into Human Design? I’m a Generator. Teaching and helping others to find solutions and progress is in my 4/6 profile.
• After 20+ years of professional work, I know that I work 3–5 times faster than most people without compromising quality. I believe in daily speed and long-term patience. I’m looking to work with clients for the next 20 years of my life.

My five-step process creates a system around amplifying your personal brand to reach your visibility and impact goals.

Week 1:

Step one is a brand audit & strategy. In our first week working together, I look at your current brand perception, from search to AI, and metrics. Then we hop on a strategy call to talk more about your personal brand goals and the roadmap to reach them. Step two builds on the call in this step. Ideally, we have another strategy call six or 12 months later.

Week 2:

Step two is a visibility plan. You may already have a plan in place, so it could be a matter of tweaking and building on what you have, or simply documenting the plan based on our discussion in Step one. The plan should include your content platforms, media and speaking strategy, and other projects to amplify your thought leadership, like a book or documentary.

Week 3 onward:

Step three is team management. Your content, podcast, and/or publicity teams will be new to working with me. I’ll set up calls to get to know them and their processes, see how systems can become more optimized and efficient, and how we can all work together to achieve your brand goals.

Step four is execution. This is more about integrating me into your workflow as a project manager and/or executive assistant. Potentially, we start new projects that involve me being more hands-on, like a book or a media outreach/publicity campaign.

Months 3–6:

Step five is amplification. After working with you and your team for three to six months, we’ll assess whether we’re reaching or on the way to reaching the goals we discussed in Step one, and adjust the plan or processes in Steps two through five as needed.

Timelines vary, but you should expect to see results in six months.

My monthly rate starts at $1000 for executive assistant, publicity, or content manager services for a set number of hours per month. My rate as a podcast manager depends on the frequency of publishing.

Book-related fees follow below. Contact me to inquire further.

No. We have to lift people of colour and work towards racial and gender equity. That includes paying me what I’m worth.

There is an inherent discount for clients who hire me as a personal brand manager for at least four services.

Yes. All my proposed roles are examples of what I have done, but I’m always open to learning new skills.

Contact me for my availability.

Check out my LinkedIn profile.

AI apps have great capabilities: research, planning, ideation, writing, and analysis. I love using AI to save time.

But do you want to give it your SIN/SSN or banking/credit card information? I didn’t think so.

Scheduling, filling out forms, purchasing, and sending emails are examples of tasks AI still can’t do yet, at least not securely.

AI data centers also require a vast amount of natural resources (land and water), which further affects people and the planet.

I’m all for slow tech!

Yes. However, I am not a speaking coach, so I won’t help you develop signature or keynote talks.

If you have prior (paid or unpaid) speaking experience, we’ll put together a speaking kit and I can pitch you as a paid speaker to strategic events that will help you raise your brand profile and grow your audience. Or I can help you find a speaking agent to get you those gigs.

Yes. Better still, if you have applied or been nominated for an award in the past, did not win, and think you have a good chance of winning now, we can build on your existing applications.

Yes. My list of over 500 vegan-friendly media, podcasts, and content creators is free if you become a client. You can also purchase my course, How to Publish Your Bestselling Book, to become a client and ask for the list.

I’m more than just a book coach; I’m a book whisperer. I can do most of the services a hybrid publisher can do, except cover design and printing/distribution.

I do not take a royalty (percentage) of sales; I offer services for fees, and you keep your royalties on all book copies.

Traditional publishing involves a publisher (also called a publishing house/company) securing the rights to the author’s work. The author either pitches their book idea directly to the publisher or lands an agent to represent them, who then facilitates a book deal. Publishers pay for all services required and hold the rights to your book for as long as your contract is in effect.

The typical timeline from signed book deal to launch is one to two years, but can be sped up or delayed for various reasons. Publishers also facilitate the distribution of books, both online and in physical bookstores. Authors typically receive between 5 to 15% royalties on each physical book copy sold (ebook and audio formats are higher).

Most publishers expect authors to do marketing for their books.

In independent or self-publishing, the author maintains their book rights and has complete creative control over the entire publishing process. The author hires their own book team or may complete some steps themselves. While this path involves an upfront investment, the author keeps a higher royalty (typically 35 to 70%) per print/digital copy sold.

If you have ecommerce set up on your website, there are platforms that could earn you 100% net royalty minus printing and shipping.

Hybrid or vanity publishers operate similarly to traditional publishers, but the author maintains their book rights and pays the publisher for its services. These companies may provide some marketing and book distribution support. Authors typically receive 50 to 75% royalty per print/digital copy sold. Hybrid publishers may also take a fee per copy sold.

Click here for a short video about the difference between the three types of publishing.

I explain more about each path in my course, How to Publish Your Bestselling Book.

Also check out Writer’s Beware’s list of publishing, marketing, and fake literary agency scams if you’re considering working with a service provider or agency as an alternative to traditional publishing.

Other blog posts that may be helpful to you:

• Pros and cons of traditional book publishing
• Book publishing vs. distribution
• 11 elements of a book proposal
• What a year-long self-publishing journey looks like
• How to publish a vegan book

There are two ways to sign a deal with a traditional publisher. First, you can pitch them yourself. You will need to prepare a book proposal. Click here for a book on publishers that accept submissions directly from authors.

Second, you can land a literary agent who will help you find and negotiate a deal with a traditional publisher. The process of landing an agent is similar to landing a publisher. See the question below for resources on landing an agent.

Note: traditional publishers may or may not pay an advance. Top publishers expect authors to sell 25,000 copies at the time of launch, so I usually suggest authors not expect a deal with a top publisher unless they have at least 100,000 social media followers or email subscribers.

Hybrid publishers do not pay advances. Authors pay the company to complete all services required to produce a book. Authors should maintain their rights to the book, but some hybrid publishers take both a percentage of sales and a fee per copy sold.

The process of landing an agent is similar to landing a publisher, but you typically only need a query letter and not a full book proposal. Some resources:

• AgentQuery.com
• Literary agents
• Literary agents in Canada
• How to find a literary agent
• Jericho Writers’ AgentMatch
• Manuscript Wish List

If we work together, I’m happy to send you a list of literary agents.

The top 5 publishers will only take inquiries from literary agents. Agents pitch your book idea or manuscript to potential publishers, who provide the entire suite of services to authors.

Literary agents are common for authors expected to sell a minimum of 25,000 books.

Amounts will vary depending on where you live or who you choose to hire, but I suggest self-publishing authors invest US/C$10,000 to $15,000 for the following:

• Editor(s)
• Formatter(s)
• Cover designer
• Narrator & sound engineer (optional, for audiobook production)
• Marketing & publicity
• Inventory

Even if you can save money by doing a service yourself or having a friend do it for free or at a lower cost, I still suggest taking the amount you saved and investing it into marketing. It’s the most important facet of reaching readers.

As the amount of text on a page can vary according to the size of the book and text, the font used, and other design elements, we consider word count instead of page count. The minimum for a book that will have a proper spine is 30,000 words, which will equate to roughly 120 pages.

We structure the work in a series of weekly audio or video calls so you can “tell” your story and turn it into a manuscript. I prefer to work with authors who want their speaking voice preserved in written form and don’t want to sound like someone else wrote their book.

I believe everyone has a story worth developing into book form, but many folks don’t have writing as a skill or can’t find time to sit down at a computer to type out a book.

If you’re an influencer without writing experience, publishers may even recommend you hire someone to co-author a book with you.

I have ghostwritten two and a half books, one and a half of which have been published.

Click here for a short video about ghostwriting.

If you are self-publishing and use AI to write your book or portions of it, you’ll need to disclose that on your publishing platform. Traditional publishers currently frown upon any use of AI.

As a structural editor (also known as a developmental editor), I ensure that chapters, sections, and paragraphs flow cohesively, even if the story isn’t in chronological order.

As a copyeditor, I spot and fix glaring spelling, grammar, punctuation, and consistency errors, fact-check (for nonfiction), and ensure style consistency (for footnotes and reference lists). I typically do proofreading and line editing along with copyediting.

Click here for a short video about copyediting.

Also known as typesetting or interior design, I lay out the interior of your book in PDF format and convert it to ebook format for Kindle and other devices.

Formatting happens once editing is complete.

I do not do cover design, but can give pro book tips to your designer, recommend the right look and feel, and ensure consistency with the rest of your manuscript. I can also refer you to my book’s cover designer.

Click here for a short video about book formatting.

No. I’m happy to make recommendations depending on your location and book’s genre.

I can develop a content marketing strategy for you to use for the 3 months surrounding your book launch date (1 month before launch, 2 months post-launch). If you need me to write and potentially publish the content, I can do that too. Note: I will not create video content for you.

I also offer book publicity services. I can support local authors in Vancouver, vegan authors who want to target global vegan-friendly media, and authors who are new to media and podcast interviews.

I’ll also develop a custom list for the campaign that depends on your story, expertise, or book genre.

Want to handle your own publicity but just need a list? I can help you with that, too. You can learn how to do publicity and media outreach through my first book, The Only Public Relations Guide You’ll Ever Need.

Vegan author clients may have access to my FREE list of 500+ vegan/plant-based media, podcasts, and content creators.

Click here for a short video on the 6 elements of a book marketing strategy.

Other blog posts that may be helpful to you:

• How to build your reader community
• What you can pay for to promote your book
• The marketing strategy of a bestselling author

And click here for additional author resources, including my list of book marketing sites.

The great thing about having an already established audience is you can do things a bit differently than most debut self-publishing authors, like sell on your own site (while getting a service to fulfill printing and shipping) and stay in contact with readers (no, Amazon doesn’t give you emails).

Services range from $30 to $125 per thousand words, or $60–125 per hour. If you provide your manuscript’s word count and/or a sample chapter, I’ll have an idea of how much time it will take to complete the work.

When we sign an agreement, clients typically pay half the estimate of the project at the start, and the remaining fee upon delivery of the work.

Additional charges depend on:

• Whether you need to change style during/after ghostwriting
• Whether you need to approve all changes during editing
• The amount of fact-checking required (for nonfiction books)
• The presence of images and footnotes/references
• Requests for changes after receiving your print proof

Traditional vegan publishers include:

• Ashland Creek Press
• BenBella Vegan (vegan arm of BenBella)
• Lantern Publishing & Media
• Vegan Heritage Press
• Vegan Publishers
• Next Level (German)

If you are a publisher and would like to be added to this list, please contact me.

I recommend The Vegan Publisher’s Conscious Authors Academy to help you publish a non-fiction book.

Print-on-demand services that use vegan ink include Amazon KDP, Books.by, Blurb, and Lulu.

IngramSpark does not use vegan ink, but is the largest global distributor of self-published books (and I know The Vegan Publisher is working on getting them to go vegan ASAP!).

I can manage most elements, but some tasks like recording, sound editing/engineering, and creating and posting graphics and video clips to social media are best handled by you, a podcast production team or sound professional, and your content team.

A podcast can either be a marketing tool for your existing products and services, or you will need enough viewers/listeners to earn revenue. You can:

• Host a Patreon community whose members pay monthly for exclusive content.
• Work with a podcast advertising agency, but you must have a minimum of 10,000 downloads per episode.
• Air video episodes on YouTube. You must have a minimum of 1000 subscribers and 300 watch hours monthly.

I can post and manage engagement for you, but I don’t make video reels; as a leader, you probably already know the content ‌that performs ‌best.

I can create graphics if you’ve already got a Canva template to work from. In short, I can handle 90% of the work, but I prefer to manage the team that’s doing it for you, rather than do most of it myself.

No! Most content creators have one hero platform (Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok) and then repost to other platforms.

While you do not need to post everywhere, I suggest you reserve your name on all platforms to ensure no one else has taken it.

Yes, if you do not already have a dedicated email marketer. We’ll develop an ideal schedule for regular emails and ensure it aligns with the rest of your content.

Having a blog is an easy way to add content to your website. The more content, the more chances you have of being ranked in a search engine or AI app. You don’t need to develop new blog content; you can repurpose your video or email content or transcribe existing talks or interviews.

If your website isn’t set up to host a blog but you want to create one to be seen as a thought leader, consider Substack, which also sends out emails to subscribers. However, this won’t send traffic back to your website.