How to Choose
The Short Book Formula was built around a specific purpose: a book your prospect can read cover-to-cover in a single sitting, often before your first or second meeting. That constraint isn't a limitation. It's the whole point. A short book gets read. A long book gets shelved. Our Premium and Elite Author Programs both produce short books built for that job.
That being said, some advisors want a more comprehensive book. One that doesn't need to function inside the sales process. Maybe the niche is complex. Maybe the body of work warrants the length. Maybe the book is at the center of a bigger platform. For those advisors, we created Platinum. A longer-book track that uses the same coaching methodology applied to a larger, more ambitious project.
Program Comparison
Every program includes professional ghostwriting, copyediting, interior design, cover design, and Amazon setup. The differences are in scope, reach, and strategic support.
| Features | Premium | Most PopularElite | Long Book OptionPlatinum |
|---|---|---|---|
| Author Program Duration | 8–12 weeks | 11–18 weeks | 15–25 weeks |
| Private Book Coaching Calls | 6 | 8 | 12 |
| Professional Ghostwriting | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Manuscript Copyediting | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Professional Interior Design | Classic Layout | Editorial Layout | Fully Custom Design |
| Professional Cover Design | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Paperback Trim Size | 5.5" × 8.5" | 6" × 9" | 6" × 9" |
| Included Page Count | 100–120 | 120–160 | 160–300 |
| Included Word Count | 12,000–15,000 | 15,000–25,000 | 25,000–50,000 |
| "Flipbook" Version | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 3D Images of The Book | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Amazon Book Setup | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Paperback Format | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Hardback Format | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Kindle Setup | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Amazon Best Seller Launch | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Podcast Interview | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Media Training | — | 1 Session | 5 Sessions |
| Strategy Sessions With Paul | — | — | 5 Sessions |
| Audiobook | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Your Investment | 6 Payments of $2,000 | 9 Payments of $2,000 | 12 Payments of $3,000 |
| Features | |
|---|---|
| Program Duration | 8–12 weeks |
| Coaching Calls | 6 |
| Word Count | 12,000–15,000 |
| Page Count | 100–120 |
| Trim Size | 5.5" × 8.5" |
| Interior Design | Classic |
| Ghostwriting & Copyediting | ✓ |
| Cover Design | ✓ |
| Paperback & Kindle | ✓ |
| Hardback | — |
| Audiobook | — |
| Best Seller Launch | — |
| Podcast Interview | — |
| Media Training | — |
| Strategy with Paul | — |
| Your Investment | 6 × $2,000 |
Classic, Editorial, and Fully Custom Design
Every program delivers a professionally designed book. What changes across the three is how much design work goes into each page.
Classic Layout
5.5 × 8.5 trim
A clean, text-driven short book built for fast deployment in your sales process.
- Professional serif typography with proper justification, hyphenation, and spacing
- Designed chapter openers with a consistent internal visual hierarchy
- Up to 5 graphics in your book. Either simple charts, tables, timelines, or diagrams built by our team from data you provide, or artwork you supply
- 5.5 × 8.5 trim, 100–120 pages, sized to be read in a single sitting
A refined, fast-turnaround design built around the words. The right choice when the text is the whole point of the book.
Editorial Layout
6 × 9 trim, editorial treatment
A fuller editorial treatment with the design elements that make a book feel like a serious trade title.
- Everything in the Premium Classic Layout
- Larger 6 × 9 trim size for a more substantial on-shelf presence
- Expanded page range (120–160 pages) and word count (15,000–25,000)
- Callout boxes, pull-quotes, and designed running headers for editorial polish
- Richer graphics treatment beyond the basic chart allotment
- Hardback format available for credibility-building gifts and COI distribution
The professional short-book design standard. Indistinguishable from the design work on any major paperback you'd find on a bookstore shelf.
Fully Custom Design
6 × 9 trim, individually art-directed
Individually art-directed pages designed to serve the specific narrative of your book.
- Everything in the Elite Editorial Layout, as a foundation
- Bespoke chapter opener treatments designed specifically for your book
- Custom illustrated elements woven into the text
- Page-by-page design decisions made for specific moments in the narrative
- Custom typography treatments tied to your book's tone and subject
- The book itself designed as a signature object, not a repeatable template
The right choice when the design itself is part of the story. When the book is meant to feel handmade, editorial, or collectible, not templated.
Classic Layout
5.5 × 8.5 trim
A clean, text-driven short book built for fast deployment in your sales process.
- Professional serif typography with proper justification, hyphenation, and spacing
- Designed chapter openers with a consistent internal visual hierarchy
- Up to 5 graphics in your book. Either simple charts, tables, timelines, or diagrams built by our team from data you provide, or artwork you supply
- 5.5 × 8.5 trim, 100–120 pages, sized to be read in a single sitting
A refined, fast-turnaround design built around the words. The right choice when the text is the whole point of the book.
Editorial Layout
6 × 9 trim, editorial treatment
A fuller editorial treatment with the design elements that make a book feel like a serious trade title.
- Everything in the Premium Classic Layout
- Larger 6 × 9 trim size for a more substantial on-shelf presence
- Expanded page range (120–160 pages) and word count (15,000–25,000)
- Callout boxes, pull-quotes, and designed running headers for editorial polish
- Richer graphics treatment beyond the basic chart allotment
- Hardback format available for credibility-building gifts and COI distribution
The professional short-book design standard. Indistinguishable from the design work on any major paperback you'd find on a bookstore shelf.
Fully Custom Design
6 × 9 trim, individually art-directed
Individually art-directed pages designed to serve the specific narrative of your book.
- Everything in the Elite Editorial Layout, as a foundation
- Bespoke chapter opener treatments designed specifically for your book
- Custom illustrated elements woven into the text
- Page-by-page design decisions made for specific moments in the narrative
- Custom typography treatments tied to your book's tone and subject
- The book itself designed as a signature object, not a repeatable template
The right choice when the design itself is part of the story. When the book is meant to feel handmade, editorial, or collectible, not templated.
Since 2016. Their books have generated over $100 million in client fees and commissions.
Rick Krebs
CPA, M&A Advisor · EPI's 2025 Member of the Year
Called his book one of the single best things he ever did to promote his business. Business owners now show up to meetings pre-sold.
Jason Wendt
Financial Advisor · Chicago, IL
Published his book and within months landed a recurring role as the financial expert on NBC 5 Chicago, the third-largest NBC market in the country.
Anton Anderson
Financial Advisor · Author of 4 Books
Tripled his already impressive revenue in a single year after publishing his first book. He's now writing his fourth.
Rick Krebs
CPA, M&A Advisor · EPI's 2025 Member of the Year
Called his book one of the single best things he ever did to promote his business. Business owners now show up to meetings pre-sold.
Jason Wendt
Financial Advisor · Chicago, IL
Published his book and within months landed a recurring role as the financial expert on NBC 5 Chicago, the third-largest NBC market in the country.
Anton Anderson
Financial Advisor · Author of 4 Books
Tripled his already impressive revenue in a single year after publishing his first book. He's now writing his fourth.
When You're Ready
If you've decided which program is the right fit, or you want to talk it through before you commit, the next step is simple.
Tell me which program you're leaning toward, any questions you have, or your preference to move forward.