About Influence Publishing
Influence Publishing is an independent, hybrid publisher with the mandate of publishing books that influence positive change in the world. Under that umbrella, we have published non-fiction and fiction titles that span a wide spectrum of topics from health and wellness to business, self-help, children’s literature, memoirs and more. From health experts to business leaders, from artists, performers, and athletes to leaders in the self-help field, Influence has helped countless authors throughout Canada, the U.S., and the world, share their stories.
A Collaborative Publisher
A new model in publishing – you keep 100% of the rights and 100% of the royalties—The Best of Both Worlds
Influence offers authors the best of both worlds by blending the advantages of traditional trade publishing with the flexibility, independence, and the complete control of their books that authors are looking for. Similar to a traditional publisher, we offer quality services such as developmental and structural editing, cover design, typesetting, worldwide distribution, and marketing/PR support. However, unlike a traditional publisher, we do not own the rights of a book or license the rights for the contract period. The author keeps all the intellectual property and copyright and rights to their book, and all the royalties, which provides the author with autonomy and 100% ownership of their book. Even self-publishing companies license the rights to your book and take 40%-60% profit share of your book for the term of the contract. This language is confusing sometimes but we help you to register your ISBN number with Library and archives to ensure you have complete ownership.
We provide all the services of a traditional publisher and you pay us for our expert consulting services. No ongoing profit shares or restrictions of sales and you buy your book at print cost – NOT wholesale cost, as other self publishing houses do. Please do not be mistaken though, this is NOT self publishing, as there is no “self” in it, we do all the work – to the highest standards, so you still have to go through a selection process to ensure your standards match our professional standards. For the Entrepreneur, Visionary or Influencer, it is vital that the author retains complete control of their intellectual property so that they are free to sell their book at their own events. We have helped many authors to get back the rights to their content when their book has gone out of print and they can not get copies of their own book! Don’t let this happen to you and your life’s work!
Marketing & Business Consultant
Unlike a traditional publisher, Influence also acts as a business and marketing consultant, helping authors with branding and marketing strategies (including social media and online marketing). We help authors to align their book with their larger vision and show how a book can be used as an effective tool for growing a business.
Julie’s Story
Marilyn’s 8Q Spotlight on Julie
I was fortunate to meet Julie Salisbury at the perfect moment in my life. About a year before, the magazine I co-owned folded leaving me feeling a lost. While I was still working with Raine Magazine in the U.S. and submitting to other publications, my writing was beginning to feel predictable. I had been interviewing and writing the stories of interesting people for eight years and still loved it immensely, but needed a fresh challenge.
Several times I had considered writing my own e-books, but just couldn’t seem to get started. Then one night on a whim I attended a Women of Worth (WOW) monthly get-together where a hybrid publisher would be speaking on the book industry. That speaker was Julie Salisbury. From the first moment she started speaking, it was clear writing a book would be my new direction and this woman would be my mentor. We met the next week so I could present my concept to see if she was interested. Fortunately the answer was yes.
I attended her Inspire-a-Book Workshop to get started and then signed on board with her company – Influence Publishing. In the end, her life journey ended up being the closing chapter in my book – Life Outside the Box: The Extraordinary Journeys of 10 Unique Individuals. But that closing chapter is also a beginning. There are now many more books I intend to write – with her help of course.
8Q Spotlight Julie Salisbury, read more
What is your current career(s) – paid and unpaid?
I am the founder and President of Influence Publishing Inc. which has published 70 book titles that influence the way we look at the world. I am also the founder of InspireABook coaching that has taught most of those authors how to write and market their books.
Can you share an interesting thing (or two) about your journey to reach this moment?
Writing my own book started this journey, so I’m in a unique position of knowing exactly what the first time author goes through to birth their book! I created the InspireABook program from my product development background and applied all the principles of developing a new product, to writing and publishing a book. I created a really unique way to tackle the huge overwhelming task to help myself first. When I realized I had created a whole curriculum, I started classes at the local rec centers and it was such a success I started a business and registered the trademark. Before I knew it, I started a publishing company simply to help those authors who could not get published. It just seemed so natural to set up a publishing company. I could keep building that community of authors rather than handing them over to another publishing house! It was very organic. I knew I had a purpose and I started the company with no credit and no help, I’ve just built it up on a tight budget and re-invested my profits so it can keep growing.
What 3 things would you like people to know about you to give them a sense of who you really are?
I’m on purpose.
I’m living my passion.
Love and community is the most important thing to me. I went travelling around the world for seven years, nonstop, mostly on a sailboat. It gave me a unique perspective on life and the importance of living your passion and purpose. When you live in a space that is 30ft by 10ft and create your own self-sustaining life on a small budget, you understand that money has nothing to do with a rich fulfilling life. As long as your basic needs are met, you don’t need stuff. I don’t need a husband to provide for me, a fancy car or house or even money for retirement, I’m self-sustaining wherever I go, because my needs are little. What I really need is just love, community, food, shelter and healthcare. I’m fortunate to live in a country that provides all those opportunities.
Highest moment so far?
Signing my first celebrity author – it was also my lowest 8 months later when I realized I made a huge loss on the book!
What are you working on right now? In the next 6 months?
I am focusing my attention back on InspireABook and educating authors. I’ve taken my intensive two day program online and am also offering it as a 8 week webinar program – and I’m taking on more personal coaching clients as I build my community of authors that influence the way we all see the world. I’m building our community of authors of influence by creating more collaborative events with the authors.
Who and/or what inspires you?
Writers that are willing to be vulnerable and share their experiences with the world to help other people. I am inspired by people who genuinely and authentically want to help other people at any cost.
How do you personally define success?
If you have touched the heart and helped one person, you’ve been successful. The more people you can inspire and help, the more successful you are.
If you could collaborate with anyone on a project who would it be and why?
Richard Branson – I love that he shakes up the way we see things. I need him to shake up the publishing industry with me as the spokesperson, so we can empower the people who have the knowledge and wisdom to help other people. I want to help them find their voice, among all the noise created by the media and advertising dollars and a publishing industry that rewards celebrity status rather than wisdom. During that shake up I will stop all sales and returns on books that result in billions of trees destroyed when the books are destroyed. What an insane waste of the planet’s resources, why not give all that wisdom away instead of destroying it? The world is oblivious that this even goes on.
