Reedsy Links Publishing Professionals with Lucrative Opportunities to Work on Self-Published Books

In a Nutshell: Publishing professionals know there’s more to creating a book than writing it. Reedsy enables authors to self-publish their works by connecting them with professionals who provide the ancillary services necessary to shepherd a book to publication. The company assists parties in resolving any disputes that arise. Reedsy helps authors procure book reviews to include in advertisements and on retailers’ websites.

Books are powerful. Books can change people’s perspectives and fill their minds with bold and imaginative ideas. Though writing a book is easier said than done, many people dream of writing the next best-selling novel or self-help book. 

Those who have written a book’s first draft may wonder what their next steps are. After all, most authors require a bevy of professionals to help them usher their book from the first draft to the finished product. 

Reedsy helps authors self-publish their books, providing publishing professionals with job opportunities in the process. We spoke with one of Reedsy’s Co-Founders, Ricardo Fayet, to learn more about the company and its approach to linking publishing professionals with lucrative work.

Fayet said that, prior to founding Reedsy, he and the company’s other Co-Founders were fascinated by the concept of authors self-publishing their works. Fayet said authors who self-publish books own their story and intellectual property.

“Self-publishing allows authors to become entrepreneurs — their business is their book,” Fayet said.

Fayet said Reedsy helps authors with the tasks necessary to bring a book to market, including editing, proofreading, formatting, and creating visual design elements. Reedsy connects authors to talent they’d have access to at a traditional publisher, Fayet said.

Fayet and his fellow Co-Founders launched Reedsy in 2014. 

“We haven’t really pivoted much in the time we’ve been in business,” Fayet said. “At our heart, we still focus on putting authors in touch with people who can help them realize their dream of publishing their book. We don’t just introduce authors to editors and designers. We work with marketers, publicists, literary translators, and ghostwriters. We connect writers with pretty much anyone they would need to work with throughout their careers.”

Fayet said Reedsy differentiates itself from competitors by the quality of talent it offers authors to work with. Reedsy partners with publishing professionals who have previous involvement working with books and at least five years of experience in their respective fields. All individuals applying to work with Reedsy must complete an online application and submit a portfolio with examples of their work.

Fayet said Reedsy reviews applications thoroughly to make informed decisions.

“It’s a really competitive process,” Fayet explained. “And we only accept around 3% to 5% of the people who apply to be listed on our marketplace. The vast majority of applicants aren’t accepted.”

Fayet said Reedsy employs identity-verification tools to identify fake accounts and to ensure applicants are who they claim to be.

Professionals listed on Reedsy’s marketplace set their prices and determine how they want to approach job opportunities. Reedsy uses an algorithm to rank professionals based on their past performance on the platform. Fayet said competition on Reedsy’s platform is high, particularly for editors with experience in the fantasy, memoir, and self-help genres.

Fayet said authors communicate directly with the professionals they partner with on Reedsy’s platform to determine work schedules and due dates. Authors who want to work with an in-demand editor may have to reach out to them in advance to secure their services. Fayet said professionals who perform well on Reedsy’s platform can increase the rates they charge and be more selective of the projects they accept.

“The really good editors we work with are booked up three, six, or 12 months in advance,” Fayet said. “Not only do those editors have the assurance of consistent income, but they’re usually earning three or four times what they’d make at a publishing house.”

Parties working together on a project that requires creativity may have differences of opinion at times. Fayet said Reedsy encourages parties with creative differences to resolve their disagreements as amicably and professionally as possible.

Fayet said Reedsy can mediate disputes and hires third parties to help resolve those outside the expertise of the Reedsy team. Fayet said less than 1% of the projects on Reedsy’s platform require dispute resolution.

“If a dispute is in regards to editing work, then we’ll involve third parties,” Fayet said. “We’ll ask third-party editors to review the work being contested to see whether it warrants issuing a refund or not. Based on a third party’s recommendation, we’ll make a decision on whether a refund is necessary and, if so, whether it should be a partial or full refund. It’s mandatory that both parties agree with our final decision, but it’s rare that this process is needed.”

Stakeholders have debated artificial intelligence’s role in creative work. Fayet said artificial intelligence has not had a significant impact on Reedsy. The company’s policies dictate that professionals using artificial intelligence disclose their practices to clients. 

Fayet said artificial intelligence can be useful for functions such as designing a book’s cover. Authors may find the cost of custom photo shoots prohibitive, and artificial intelligence can help authors obtain the image they desire at an affordable price.

“Using artificial intelligence is fair as long as its use is disclosed to the client,” Fayet said. “In the future, I envision artificial intelligence being leveraged by professionals to improve their work and potentially reduce costs. I don’t see it as being a threat to our livelihood.”

Self-publishing can be a more direct course for writers to navigate than working with agents and traditional publishers. Fayet said authors who self-publish their work need to employ additional skills, such as the ability to market their book, to be successful.

“Some writers do well enough that they need someone else to help them manage the business side of things,” Fayet said. “I’ve seen a lot of couples in the industry where one person writes, and the other handles administrative and marketing tasks.”

Fayet said one of the most difficult challenges authors can face after finishing their book is finding people to review it.

“You need reviews to sell books, and you need to sell books to get reviews,” Fayet said. “It’s a bit of a chicken-and-egg type of a situation.”

Reedsy’s Discovery program provides select readers with advance copies of books to generate reviews. Fayet said readers selected to write reviews for upcoming releases are semi-professional reviewers with writing experience.

Authors can post reviews submitted via Reedsy’s Discovery program on online retailers’ review sections, advertisements, and social media platforms. Fayet said the program is a win-win — authors obtain credible reviews before their book’s launch, and reviewers gain access to unreleased books. Reviewers are unpaid, but Fayet said Reedsy sometimes gives reviewers incentives, such as gift cards. Additionally, authors can tip reviewers.

Reedsy’s plethora of services combine to help writers realize their dreams.

“You shouldn’t write because it seems like a good or easy way to make money,” Fayet said. “It’s actually probably one of the hardest ways to earn a living. Writing has to come from the heart. If you’re passionate about writing, then you need to put words on paper.”