Authority System
Your book should bring clients, speaking work or media.
From $4,999
- Everything in Full Production
- A full copyedit
- Amazon keyword and category optimization
- Author website and press release
A Forbes Books alternative
Build real authority. Without borrowing someone else’s brand.
Forbes Books is application-based and does not publish its prices. We publish ours: authority publishing with full editing, an audiobook and a bestseller launch campaign, from $7,500, with your name alone on the cover.
- Published prices, no application for Authority Plus
- Full editing, audiobook and 3-Day Bestseller Launch
- 100% of your rights and royalties
City of the Gods by Jason Patterson 4.7 from 21 Amazon reviews · published with us
Free · Reply within one business day
Get your authority book plan
A specialist reviews what you send and replies personally with an honest plan and a written quote.
Your book, sold where readers buy
AmazonBarnes & NobleApple BooksKoboIngramSpark
Plus bookstores and libraries through IngramSpark’s network.
What to weigh
Three questions to ask any authority publisher
01
Do you know the price before you commit?
Forbes Books does not list pricing publicly, so the cost is known only after you apply. Our prices are on this page and confirmed in writing.
02
Whose name is the asset built on?
A media brand on your spine is borrowed credibility. A book under your own name is portable and stays yours wherever your career goes.
03
What exactly is included?
Ask for the line items. Ours are below: editing at three levels, cover, interior, audiobook, printed copies and a launch campaign.
How it works
Three steps from your idea to a published book
- 1Free · within one business day
Strategy call
We look at your goals, audience and manuscript, then send a written plan and quote.
- 2Editing and production
Built to commercial standards
Editorial review at three levels, cover, interior and audiobook. You approve each stage.
- 3Launch
Published under your name
Release to Amazon and major retailers, with the 3-Day Bestseller Launch Campaign.
What you get
What Authority Plus includes, line by line
Editorial review at three levels
Developmental, copy and proof editing.
Executive-grade cover
Designed to signal authority on any shelf or stage.
Print and eBook formatting
Interiors built to retailer specifications.
Audiobook
Production and distribution included.
15 printed copies
For clients, events and media.
3-Day Bestseller Launch Campaign
A structured launch for your release week.
ISBNs included
From our Bowker block at no extra cost, or bring your own. The book is never exclusive to us.
One project manager
A named person from first call to launch day.
A real author, verifiable on Amazon
“It turned out better than I could have imagined when I first started. … You guys have done great and I have zero issues or complaints with anything you all have done. It has been a pleasure every step of the way.”
Jason Patterson · Author of City of the Gods, Arizona
4editions
21verified reviews
4.7★on Amazon
eBook, paperback, hardcover and audiobook. Featured in New York Weekly and ArtDaily (paid editorial features).
Side by side
Columbia Publication vs Forbes Books
| What matters | Forbes Books | Columbia Publication |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Not publicly listed, quote after application | From $7,500, published and confirmed in writing |
| Access | Application-based | Open to any author for Authority Plus |
| Name on the cover | Published under the Forbes Books imprint | Your name, ISBNs included, never exclusive |
| Rights and royalties | Set by their contract | 100% yours, flat fee only |
| Ghostwriting and publishing | Not publicly listed | Up to $45,000 (Gravitas Press, publishing included) |
Forbes Books details from books.forbes.com, accessed Jul 19, 2026. Columbia Publication is not affiliated with Forbes.
Transparent pricing
Real prices, published up front
One flat fee. You keep 100% of your rights and royalties, and nothing is added without your approval.
Authority Plus
Full editing, an audiobook and a launch campaign.
From $7,500
- Editorial review at all three levels
- Audiobook production and distribution
- 15 printed copies
- 3-Day Bestseller Launch Campaign
Gravitas Press
Executive publishing, from your manuscript or fully ghostwritten.
From $25,000
- Senior editorial team
- Published under the Gravitas Press imprint
- Ghostwriting in your voice available
- By application
In writing before you pay
Scope, deliverables, price and refund terms are set in your written agreement before any payment. Two revision rounds per deliverable, and you approve every milestone before we move on.
Every package is paid in full upfront, once you approve the written quote. Refund policy.
Straight answers
What authors ask before they start
Still unsure? Call +1 (703) 997-9787 and ask a specialist directly.
Will my book carry weight without a famous imprint?
Readers judge a business book by its ideas, its editing and how professionally it is produced. Those are what we deliver, and the authority stays attached to your name.
Do I have to apply?
No. Authority Plus is open to any author. Gravitas Press, our executive imprint, is by application.
What does it cost?
Authority System starts from $4,999 and Authority Plus from $7,500. Your exact price is confirmed in writing before any payment, and every package is paid in full upfront.
Do I keep the rights and royalties?
Yes, 100%, permanently. We charge a flat fee and take nothing from your sales.
Can you write it for me?
Yes. Ghostwriting in your voice is available, and Gravitas Press offers fully done-for-you executive publishing.
Authority that carries your name, not ours.
Tell us about your book. A specialist replies within one business day with a written plan and quote.
Get my authority book plan →or call +1 (703) 997-9787