Traditional Publishing for Indie Authors
How it Works
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01. Submission
Complete our DartFrog Blue online submission form, which includes a few brief questions to help us understand your writing goals and platform. We will request your manuscript only if we believe you may be a strong fit for our traditional publishing program.
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02. Evaluation
If we decide to ask for your manuscript, it will be evaluated by former Big Five literary agent Zoe Sandler—DartFrog’s Chief Evaluator—to assess its market readiness. Corey Stewart, DartFrog’s Editorial Director, will evaluate the manuscript for craft and execution. Their combined review determines if your book is accepted for publication.
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03. Onboarding
Authors selected for traditional publishing are invited to a 60-minute video call with DartFrog founder Gordon McClellan. This call covers how our virtual collaboration works, best practices for the publishing process, your anticipated release date, and answers to any questions you may have.
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04. Editing/Design
Every accepted manuscript undergoes professional editing and proofreading. Covers are designed by Mumtaz Mustafa, Senior Designer at HarperCollins, ensuring that your book will stand out with its Big Five level design quality.
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05. Production
From formatting your edited manuscript and preparing print-ready files, to assigning ISBNs, registering with the Library of Congress, managing metadata, and uploading to all major platforms—we handle every step of the production process, ensuring your book meets industry standards and is fully ready for publication.
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06. Distribution
Authors can choose between offset printing with third-party warehousing and distribution, or Print-on-Demand (POD) distribution. In both cases, your book will be made available to bookstores, libraries, and online retailers around the globe.
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07. Marketing
One of DartFrog’s key differentiators in the independent publishing space is our built-in marketing infrastructure. This includes our exclusive partnership with Bookclubs.com, giving vetted indie titles access to their network of 100,000 book clubs; a curated influencer network reaching over 750,000 readers; targeted Ingram catalog promotion; and more. Marketing for books published through our traditional imprint is customized on a case-by-case basis.
Want to Learn More?
DartFrog Blue is our curated traditional publishing imprint, reserved for authors with a large, highly engaged audience. As the only DartFrog imprint that requires an established platform, Blue offers full-service publishing, marketing, and distribution—with all costs covered by DartFrog and no financial investment required from the author. Click the link below for more information.