What Elite Authors does

Elite Authors is a Baltimore, Maryland-based professional services firm founded in 2016 that provides editing, design, formatting, ghostwriting, and publishing support to independent authors, with a cumulative base of more than 10,000 authors served and roughly 1,750 manuscripts edited in its most recent year. The company sells services both individually (proofreading at $0.022/word through developmental editing at $0.09/word; cover design from $439; interior formatting from $619; back cover text at $309; manuscript evaluation at $399; book reviews from $469) and as bundled publishing packages (Essentials at $2,329, Deluxe at $2,979, Premium at $3,619), supplemented by four specialty packages (Storybook Suite, Global Gateway, Book Launch Pro, Developing Story) targeting children's books, ESL/international authors, launch marketing, and developmental work respectively.

The company's underlying technology stack includes a proprietary Amazon Search Algorithm Optimization Software used to inform cover design and metadata work for client books, plus a library of genre-specific cover design templates. Distribution integrations with KDP, Barnes & Noble Press, Apple Books, IngramSpark, and Lulu are bundled into higher-tier packages. The go-to-market motion is sales-led hybrid, combining direct phone sales, website e-commerce, and dedicated publishing consultants in a direct-to-consumer model targeting first-time authors, business/professional authors, memoirists, children's book authors, ESL authors, and faith/spiritual authors. The business is privately held and founder-led by Jennifer Rotner, with BBB accreditation and Women-Owned Business certification as reputational anchors. Revenue is generated entirely through professional services fees and one-time project licenses; there is no disclosed subscription, recurring, or funded component to the model.

Name

Elite Authors

Legal name

Elite Authors LLC

Website

https://eliteauthors.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Elite Authors is a Baltimore-based, founder-led publishing services firm founded in 2016 that provides editing, cover design, formatting, ghostwriting, and publishing packages to independent authors, having served over 10,000 authors and edited roughly 1,750 manuscripts in its most recent year.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Self-Publishing Services

NAICS

Book Publishers (51313), Other Publishers (51319)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Author Service Marketplaces & Aggregators (Vetting, Bundled Services) (MPAJAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Editorial & Production Services (Copyediting, Proofreading, Formatting, Typesetting) (MPAJAJAG), Cover Design, Illustration & Book Interior Design Services (MPAJAJAH), Author Marketing, PR & Launch Services (Ads, Book Tours, Influencers) (MPAJAJAL), Ghostwriting & Collaborative Writing Services (MPAJAJAI), Self-Publishing & Author Platforms (BPAMAJAF)

Keywords

• Self-publishing services
• Book editing services
• Book cover design
• Book marketing services
• Ghostwriting services

Headquarters

HQ city

New York, NY

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Editing Services: Per-word pricing for editing services across four levels: proofreading ($0.022/word), copyediting ($0.030/word), line editing ($0.036/word), and developmental editing ($0.09/word). Flat rates apply for manuscripts under 10,000 words. Discounts available when multiple services are bundled into packages.
2. Publishing Packages: Pre-built publishing packages (Essentials, Deluxe, Premium) and custom build-your-own packages combining editing, formatting, cover design, and marketing services at tiered price points ranging from approximately $2,329 to $3,619 for standard word counts, with specialty packages and add-ons available.
3. Manuscript Evaluation: One-time fee of $399 for a high-level editorial assessment delivered within one week, with the full fee credited toward publishing packages of $2,199 or more.
4. Book Reviews Service: Packages sold in increments of 5 reviews starting at $469 for the Launch tier, scaling up to $4,041 for the Amplify tier (50 reviews). Reviews posted on Amazon, Goodreads, and/or Barnes & Noble by real human readers.
5. Book Cover Design: One-time fees for custom book cover design starting at $439, with simple and complex options providing front, spine, and back cover designs for paperback and e-book formats.
6. Interior Formatting: One-time service starting at $619 for interior book formatting, including EPUB file, print-ready PDF, template customization, and 10-day turnaround.
7. Back Cover Text: One-time fee of $309 for professionally crafted book marketing copy including taglines, blurbs, author bio, and back cover text.
8. Ghostwriting Services: Custom project-based pricing for ghostwriting services where writers transform authors' ideas into polished manuscripts. Authors retain 100% ownership and all royalties. Timeline typically six to twelve months for full-length projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Elite Authors provides professional self-publishing services for independent authors, including four levels of manuscript editing (proofreading, copyediting, line editing, developmental editing), book cover design, interior formatting, ghostwriting, manuscript evaluation, and marketing services such as book reviews, optimized Amazon listings, and video book trailers. Services are sold individually or as bundled publishing packages (Essentials, Deluxe, Premium, plus specialty packages such as Storybook Suite and Global Gateway), with dedicated author success managers assigned to each project.

Product overview

Elite Authors is a professional publishing services company offering a comprehensive suite of editing, design, formatting, and marketing services for independent authors. The company provides four levels of manuscript editing: proofreading (final error check at $0.022/word), line editing ($0.036/word), copyediting ($0.030/word), and developmental editing ($0.09/word). Design services include book cover design (simple from $439 and complex options) and interior formatting (from $619). The company offers ghostwriting services, manuscript evaluation ($399), and book reviews starting at $469 for 5 reviews. Publishing distribution support includes KDP upload services, optimized Amazon listings, and video book trailers. Elite Authors organizes these services into pre-built packages: Essentials (from $2,329), Deluxe (from $2,979), and Premium (from $3,619), plus specialty packages like Storybook Suite for children's books and Global Gateway for ESL authors. All packages include a dedicated author success manager. The company has been operating for 9 years and has served over 10,000 authors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Proofreading Final cold read of a print-ready PDF manuscript to catch lingering misspellings, grammatical errors, and punctuation mistakes before publication, priced at $0.022/word.
• Line Editing In-depth line-by-line editing addressing paragraph structure, sentence flow, word choice, consistency, and overall presentation of the story, including corrections to grammar and punctuation, priced at $0.036/word.
• Copyediting Word-by-word editing to correct typos, misspellings, and grammatical errors, ensuring the manuscript is error-free for readers using the Chicago Manual of Style and Merriam-Webster as style guides, priced at $0.030/word.
• Developmental Editing Comprehensive content-shaping editing that addresses story, plotline, structure, voice, character development, and how the book may be received by its genre audience, helping transform rough drafts into finished products, priced at $0.09/word.
• Book Cover Design Award-winning custom book cover design services with simple and complex options for both paperback and e-book formats, creating distinctive front, spine, and back cover designs, starting at $439.
• Interior Formatting Professional interior book layout and formatting for print and digital distribution, including templates for various genres, font selection, chapter titles, headers, front/back matter, with EPUB file and print-ready PDF output, starting at $619.
• Ghostwriting Services Professional ghostwriting transforming authors' ideas into polished, publishable manuscripts while preserving their voice and vision. Specializes in nonfiction including memoirs, how-to guides, self-help, thought leadership, and business books, with authors retaining 100% ownership and royalties.
• Manuscript Evaluation High-level editorial assessment providing feedback on manuscript structure, style, and market potential within one week, including a 3-5 page detailed report with actionable next steps and genre-specific recommendations, priced at $399.
• Kindle Direct Publishing Services Amazon KDP upload and submission assistance handling the technical process of publishing e-books and paperbacks to Amazon, including file compliance verification and submission guidelines.
• Book Reviews Service Authentic book review service connecting authors with real human readers who post genuine reviews on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Goodreads. Reviews are never AI-written and come from verified readers matched to the book's genre, starting at $469 for 5 reviews.
• Optimized Amazon Listing Amazon product page optimization including customized book description, researched keywords and meta descriptions specific to genre, utilizing proprietary software calibrated to Amazon's search algorithm.
• Video Book Trailers Movie-quality 45-second promotional videos combining custom video, images, text, and music for use on social media, author websites, Vimeo, and YouTube channels.
• Back Cover Text Marketing copy service creating eye-catching taglines, compelling book blurbs, and confidence-inspiring author bios for back cover and promotional materials, priced at $309.
• Essentials Package Entry-level publishing package from $2,329 including line editing, interior formatting with digital conversion, and simple cover design with e-book, plus a dedicated author success manager.
• Deluxe Package Mid-tier package from $2,979 including all Essentials services plus back-cover text, KDP upload service, and optimized Amazon listing, with marketing support.
• Premium Package Comprehensive package from $3,619 including all Deluxe services plus 5 book reviews, marketing 3D cover image, and white-glove assistance with author questionnaire.
• Storybook Suite Specialized package for children's book authors including interior formatting for children's books with digital conversion, from $2,220.
• Global Gateway Specialized package for ESL authors including copyediting plus services and bespoke marketing support, from $3,120.
• Book Launch Pro Launch-focused package with services designed to capture reader attention and increase author presence, priced at $584 flat rate.

Quantifiable outcome

• Editors make 10–15 corrections per page on average during copyediting, resulting in over 5,000 potential errors caught in a 350-page book.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles8 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Feature2 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kirkus Media: Kirkus provides paid editorial book reviews for indie and traditionally published authors. It competes directly with Elite Authors' book review service as a higher-prestige review option used by authors seeking visibility and credibility signals.
• BookBaby: BookBaby offers self-publishing services including editing, cover design, formatting, ISBN assignment, and distribution to major retailers. It directly overlaps with Elite Authors' editing-to-distribution workflow and serves the same independent author SMB customer.
• Reedsy: Reedsy is a marketplace connecting self-publishing authors with vetted editors, designers, ghostwriters, and marketers. It is the closest direct peer to Elite Authors, sharing the same target customer (independent authors), service categories (editing, cover design, ghostwriting), and bundle/package sales motion.
• IngramSpark: IngramSpark is a print-on-demand and distribution platform offering cover design, formatting, and ISBN services to indie authors. It is both a distribution partner of Elite Authors and a competitor offering overlapping services in design and global bookstore distribution.
• Lulu Press: Lulu is a print-on-demand and self-publishing platform that also offers design and distribution services. It is both a direct peer (services for authors) and one of Elite Authors' distribution partners, making it a partially overlapping competitor.
• Scribendi: Scribendi provides professional editing and proofreading services for authors and businesses, with per-word pricing similar to Elite Authors' editing tiers. It is a direct competitor in the editorial services layer, though it focuses more heavily on editing than end-to-end packages.

Broad incumbents

• Fiverr: Fiverr is a broad freelance marketplace where authors can source editing, cover design, ghostwriting, and formatting services at highly variable price points. It competes with Elite Authors across multiple service lines as a low-cost, high-fragmentation alternative.
• Upwork: Upwork is a large freelance marketplace offering editing, ghostwriting, design, and formatting services. It competes with Elite Authors as a broad incumbent that captures price-sensitive authors seeking individual freelancers across the same categories.

Emerging players

• Self-Publishing School: Self-Publishing School offers author education, coaching, and book-launch services. It targets the same first-time and business-author segments as Elite Authors but focuses more on courses and done-with-you launch packages rather than full editorial production.
• BookBrush: BookBrush provides book cover design tools and templates for indie authors. It competes in the cover design category with Elite Authors' $439+ custom cover design service but does so via self-serve software at a lower price point.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/elite-authors

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Elite Authors