Maximize Your Book's Impact: Strategies from Michele DeFilippo for Aspiring Authors

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Michele DeFilippo of 1106 Design on Quality Self-Publishing and Keeping Control of Your Book

Michele DeFilippo is the founder of 1106 Design, an author services company that helps authors produce professional-quality books while keeping control of their work and their profits. On Your Brand Amplified, she draws on a career that runs from Crown Publishing through typesetting, desktop publishing and the rise of self-publishing. Her core point: a book represents its author, so it deserves the same production standards as a traditionally published title.

How did Michele DeFilippo learn the publishing business?

Michele DeFilippo started at the bottom. Crown Publishing was the first company to offer her a job after a series of interviews, and her early work was assembling catalogs of remainder books, the unsold inventory from various publishers. It showed her how complex the business really is.

When she and her husband found that their new home in Phoenix, Arizona, offered different financial realities than New York City, she started her own typesetting business and ran it for 13 years. When desktop publishing, particularly the Macintosh, changed the industry, she became a freelancer offering design and production services to authors and publishers.

What is the difference between an author services provider and a hybrid publisher?

An author services provider is paid for its work and leaves the author in full control of the book and its revenue. The rise of self-publishing in the early 2000s, driven largely by platforms like Amazon, gave authors new control, but Michele DeFilippo also saw new problems: inconsistent quality and a wave of hybrid publishers that charged authors for services while also taking a share of their sales.

She built 1106 Design as an author services provider, not a publisher. Authors work with her team on editing, design and distribution and keep their books and their revenue.

What makes a self-published book look professional?

Every element of production affects a book's success, Michele DeFilippo says, and three matter most:

• Thorough editing, so the writing is clear and credible.
• Professional cover design, which shapes a reader's first impression.
• Careful typesetting, which affects readability on every page.

These are not cosmetic choices. They affect how readable and marketable a book is. She also educates authors so they can make informed decisions, refuses to promise outcomes like instant bestseller status, and stresses hard work, strategic marketing and connection with readers. She works collaboratively so each author's voice is preserved. On technology, she sees AI helping with research and streamlining processes, while human creativity and authentic storytelling remain irreplaceable.

Key takeaways

• Self-publishing gives authors control, but quality varies widely.
• Some hybrid publishers charge for services and also take a share of sales; an author services provider does not take ownership or revenue.
• Editing, cover design and typesetting directly affect a book's readability and marketability.
• Be wary of anyone promising instant bestseller status; marketing and reader connection take work.
• For entrepreneurs, a book represents your brand and should meet the same standards as everything else you produce.

Free resources: Download 1106 Design's free guide, Publish Like the Pros: A Brief Guide to Quality Self-Publishing, or book a free consultation at 1106 Design.

Listen to Anika Jackson's full conversation with Michele DeFilippo on Your Brand Amplified.