Published Author

What Published Author does

Published Author, operating under the legal entity Influence Global, LLC, is an online coaching and education platform that helps entrepreneurs write, publish, and leverage nonfiction business books to grow their businesses. Founded by Josh Steimle — a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author who has built and sold multiple businesses — the company targets entrepreneur-authors ranging from startup founders to established executives. The core offering is the Published Author Masterclass, a subscription-based program priced at $100/month or $1,000/year, structured around a 90-day path to publication with weekly live coaching via Zoom, a private community of paying members, monthly guest speakers, and a free 100+ page downloadable workbook. The customer base is described as 'hundreds of entrepreneur-authors' who use the program to write and publish books that serve as business growth, thought-leadership, and client-acquisition tools.

The company operates with no proprietary technology platform, relying entirely on third-party infrastructure: Squarespace for website hosting, Kajabi for course and community delivery, Zoom for live coaching, YouTube for video content, and Amazon for book distribution. The business model is direct-to-consumer with a product-led growth motion, using a free 30-day trial with credit card on file as the primary conversion mechanism. Free content channels — a blog, YouTube channel, and a podcast with over 100 episodes featuring bestselling authors, literary agents, editors, and ghostwriters — serve as top-of-funnel marketing, while the free workbook functions as a lead magnet. Beyond the core subscription, the company offers one-on-one book coaching with the founder, a Done-For-You Book program (interview-based book creation), and Premium Ghostwriting services at undisclosed higher price points. The company also operates the Book Doulas sub-brand, co-created with NYT bestselling author Kristine Carlson and Debra Evans, offering a 10-week book incubator and full manuscript birthing program. Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, with 58 employees, the company is bootstrapped and founder-controlled with no external funding.

Name

Published Author

Legal name

Influence Global, LLC

Website

https://publishedauthor.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Published Author is an online coaching platform that helps entrepreneurs write, publish, and leverage nonfiction business books to grow their businesses through a subscription masterclass, live coaching, and a private community of entrepreneur-authors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Author Coaching Services

NAICS

Book Publishers (51313)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Manuscript Development Services (Coaching, Developmental Editing) (MPAJAJAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ghostwriting & Collaborative Writing Services (MPAJAJAI), Author Service Marketplaces & Aggregators (Vetting, Bundled Services) (MPAJAJAB)

Keywords

• Book coaching services
• Online author masterclass
• Self-publishing education
• Thought leadership training
• Entrepreneur writing programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Phoenix

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Masterclass Subscription - Monthly: Recurring monthly subscription providing access to the Published Author Masterclass including weekly coaching calls, community access, downloadable resources, and monthly guest speakers. Customers pay $100/month on a month-to-month basis with a 30-day free trial.
2. Masterclass Subscription - Annual: Annual subscription at $1,000/year, representing a $200 savings compared to the monthly plan ($1,200). This creates a land-and-expand dynamic encouraging longer commitments from committed customers.
3. Free Workbook Lead Magnet: The 100+ page Published Author Workbook is offered free to capture email addresses and build the sales funnel. While not directly monetized, it serves as a customer acquisition tool leading to paid subscriptions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Published Author sells an online Masterclass subscription that helps entrepreneurs write, edit, publish, and leverage a nonfiction business book in as little as 90 days. The program includes weekly live Zoom coaching, a private community of entrepreneur-authors, monthly guest speakers, and a free 100+ page workbook. Add-on paid services include a Done-For-You Book program and Premium Ghostwriting.

Product overview

Published Author is an educational coaching platform that helps entrepreneurs write, publish, and leverage nonfiction books to grow their businesses. The core offering is the Published Author Masterclass, an online course with weekly live coaching via Zoom, community access, and a free 100+ page workbook, priced at $100/month or $1,000/year. Additional services include one-on-one book coaching with founder Josh Steimle, premium ghostwriting services, and a Done-For-You Book program for interview-based book creation. The company also partners with Kristine Carlson and Debra Evans to offer the Book Doulas program, which includes a 10-week book incubator course, momentum program, and full manuscript birthing support. Free resources include the Published Author Podcast (featuring interviews with authors and publishing professionals) and a blog with articles on writing, publishing, and marketing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Published Author Masterclass: The core online course program helping entrepreneurs write, publish, and leverage a nonfiction book in 90 days with weekly coaching and community access.
• Book Doulas

Products and services

• Published Author Masterclass An online course and coaching subscription that helps entrepreneurs write, edit, publish, and leverage a nonfiction business book in as little as 90 days. Priced at $100/month or $1,000/year, it includes weekly live Zoom coaching with Josh Steimle, a private community of entrepreneur-authors, monthly guest speakers, and a free 100+ page workbook.
• Published Author Workbook A free downloadable 100+ page (nearly 400 pages) workbook that walks users step-by-step through writing, editing, publishing, and leveraging a book to grow a business. Functions as a freemium entry point to the paid Masterclass.
• Book Doulas

Quantifiable outcome

• Publish a book in as little as 90 days
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Scribe Media: Scribe Media (now Scribe) is a done-for-you book publishing service that interviews entrepreneurs and turns their expertise into published books. Directly comparable on the high-end Done-For-You tier of Published Author's offering, serving the same entrepreneur-author segment.
• Self-Publishing School: Founded by Chandler Bolt, Self-Publishing School offers online courses, coaching, and a live workshop aimed at helping aspiring authors write and publish books. Directly comparable in offering (online book-writing masterclass), target market (aspiring/entrepreneur authors), and delivery model (subscription/coaching).
• Authority Publishing: Authority Publishing offers done-for-you book writing, publishing, and marketing services specifically targeted at entrepreneurs and business owners. Directly comparable on the premium book-production tier for the entrepreneur-author segment.
• Book in a Box: Book in a Box provides done-for-you book services, ghostwriting, and coaching for business leaders who want to publish a book without writing it themselves. Directly comparable as a premium-tier competitor to Published Author's Done-For-You and Ghostwriting services.

Others

• Kajabi: Kajabi is the underlying platform Published Author uses to deliver its Masterclass. Comparable as an enabler/platform in the online-coaching ecosystem; not a competitor but a key infrastructure dependency.
• Smart Podcast, Book Summaries: Adjacent book-industry consumer subscription product that operates in the publishing ecosystem and shares some target audience overlap (lifetime learners/entrepreneurs), though not a direct coaching competitor. Listed for category adjacency rather than direct competition.

Emerging players

• Reedsy: Reedsy is a curated marketplace connecting authors with professional editors, designers, ghostwriters, and marketers. Comparable as an author-services ecosystem that touches the same entrepreneur-author audience, though it functions as an aggregator/marketplace rather than a coaching program.
• Written Word Media: Written Word Media provides book marketing services (Featured Deals, BookBub Ads partner) and reader acquisition tools for indie and self-published authors. Comparable as an adjacent ecosystem player serving self-published authors who are Published Author's customers.
• The Copywriter Club: The Copywriter Club offers online coaching, courses, and community for freelance copywriters and content entrepreneurs. Comparable as an adjacent online coaching/community business targeting solopreneurs, with similar delivery mechanics (subscription, community, courses) but a different content specialty.

Broad incumbents

• BookBub: BookBub is a leading discovery platform for books that drives millions of readers to author titles via featured deals. Comparable as a broader incumbent in the author-marketing ecosystem, addressing book promotion rather than the writing/coaching side, but serving the same end author.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@published-author
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/publishedauthor

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 Published Author