Stellar Communications Houston

Stellar Communications Houston Stellar Communications Houston is a certified nonfiction book publishing and marketing strategy team Every author and book is a privilege and joy!

Welcome to Stellar Communications Houston, a certified nonfiction book publishing and marketing strategy team. We help self-published authors, business leaders, global corporations, families, and nonprofits who value hands-on guidance and personal attention. We've helped clients publish:

● Memoir
● Corporate history
● Bible study
● Essay collection
● Newspaper column collection
● Training program


● Self-help
● Research report and study
● Poetry collection

Here's a look at our 6-step process:

● Materials development
● Digital and print graphic design
● On-demand/offset printing
● Global distribution
● Digital and print marketing consultations
● Lifetime account support

Visit the website at www.stellarwriter.com to schedule consultations, book speaking engagements, or subscribe to nonfiction book marketing and publishing tips. If you're a nonfiction writer, editor, or graphic designer, contact me to find out how we can collaborate. My team has been called "one of the best if not THE best in Houston" and "tremendous, earning the utmost trust and respect." Happy publishing!

When Cheri Ben-Dov Williams' book was released last month, she emailed early that morning: “It’s out! Can I tell the wor...
10/01/2025

When Cheri Ben-Dov Williams' book was released last month, she emailed early that morning: “It’s out! Can I tell the world?”

(𝘊𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪’𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘐𝘴𝘳𝘢𝘦𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢, 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘥𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦-𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵. 𝘛𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺, 𝘴𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘳, 𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘺.)

“Not yet!” I responded.

As exciting as it was, I wanted to share two “clean” links before her big announcement.

These two links will help boost your marketing efforts:

1. A clean link to your Amazon book page. (Not the long link copied from your browser.)

It matters because it counts each click as a unique visitor, boosting your Amazon page.

It ensures readers are just a click away from your page, without the fuss of searching for your name or book title.

It's also shorter, less cluttered, and more professional-looking.

2. A direct link to your Amazon review page.

It matters because it makes it easier for people to leave book reviews.

It takes readers directly to your review page, without needing to scroll and search for the review button on your Amazon book page.

To learn how to create your two clean links, visit the blog in my About page.

Congratulations, Cheri! 👏

“What’s a mistake you made in the publishing or marketing of your book?” Here's what Bob Rich said: (He's the author of...
09/23/2025

“What’s a mistake you made in the publishing or marketing of your book?”



Here's what Bob Rich said:



(He's the author of 20 books, including his latest, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦: 𝘎𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘉𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵, by Loving Healing Press, 2025.)



“I wrote a book in a few weeks.

I had a very successful self-help book with Penguin called 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘎𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘉𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬. So, when I expanded into fiction, they agreed to have a look at it. I had spent centuries polishing the first volume of the fiction.

But I had a brainstorm and wrote another book in a few weeks. This was my new favorite book. I did a last-minute switch.

They said, 'Thank you, but no thank you.'

The lesson? A highly polished jewel is better than a rough diamond."



Thanks to all six authors for contributing to this series!

“What’s one mistake you made in the publishing or marketing of your book?” Here's what Eric Butow said: (He's the owner...
09/10/2025

“What’s one mistake you made in the publishing or marketing of your book?”

Here's what Eric Butow said:

(He's the owner of Butow Communications Group and the author of 50+ books, including his recent release, 𝘉𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘬𝘺 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘋𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘦𝘴, by For Dummies, 2025.)

“I didn’t collaborate with a co-author.

I’ve been writing books on computing, social media, business, and finance since 2000. My biggest mistake came from writing a LinkedIn book with a co-author in 2007.

She was a new author and asked me a lot of questions. I wasn’t interested in answering them because I was busy writing my part of the book. I asked her to contact our editor.

The editor wasn’t helpful, either. As a result, the material she submitted was little more than an outline. I ended up writing most of her part of the book based on that outline on a tight deadline. That helped my bank account, but it gave me much more stress I didn’t need.

Since then, I’ve always been happy to answer my co-authors’ questions. This approach has brought me many more book contracts with first-time authors. As a result, my co-authoring work on books has often included editor and project management roles, and these added responsibilities make my editors happy and help my co-authors’ expertise and authority shine."

Stay tuned to hear from one more author in this series!

“What’s a mistake you made in the publishing or marketing of your book?” Here's what Joy Resor said: (She's the author ...
09/03/2025

“What’s a mistake you made in the publishing or marketing of your book?”



Here's what Joy Resor said:



(She's the author of 𝘋𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘚𝘏𝘐𝘕𝘌! 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥-𝘈𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘥 𝘙𝘩𝘺𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘈𝘯𝘺 𝘚𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 and 𝘋𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘚𝘏𝘐𝘕𝘌! 𝘝𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘮𝘦 𝘛𝘸𝘰.)



“I wish I’d created community.

My in-person community was lacking early on because I’m a sensitive introvert who didn’t extend myself much.

Finally, in 2023, I went to a used book sale, not to buy books but to see who I might connect with. Amazing connections unfolded – and which continue to unfold.

I joined the group American Association of University Women (AAUW). I attended lunches and gatherings and worked at the book sale. All of it allowed me to continually connect with new people.

Now, I’m experimenting. I led a monthly ’s Way book study group this past year, which started with 12 women. This fall, I’ll invite women to a twice-monthly Women’s Wisdom Circle.

It’s a gift to connect as we’re able. It fills my heart, adds to my joy, and gives me chances to express myself while inspiring others onward."



Stay tuned to hear from two more authors!

“What’s one mistake you made in the publishing or marketing of your book?”Here's what Julia Torres Barden said:(She's th...
08/27/2025

“What’s one mistake you made in the publishing or marketing of your book?”

Here's what Julia Torres Barden said:

(She's the author of Author of 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘚𝘦𝘦? 𝘈 𝘔𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘪𝘳 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘶𝘮𝘢, 𝘗𝘛𝘚𝘋 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦.)

“I wrote my book in haste.

I first wrote and published my memoir in 2013, and it was a hot mess! I wrote it in haste and didn’t take the time to incorporate my creative writing skills.

As an award-winning journalist, I should have known better than to waste money on publishing the first version of my memoir.

I also launched a very specific marketing plan focused only on my Puerto Rican community, which severely limited the growth potential of my brand.

This time around, I worked harder on writing a more universal storyline – one that reflects the trauma I experienced, which transcends cultures and is simply part of the human condition.

I also wanted to inspire my readers to know that they are not alone in their trauma and that there is empathy and support out there.

I’m proud of my new, revised memoir, as it is my best work and a defining moment for my legacy."

Stay tuned to hear from three more authors!

“What’s a mistake you made in the publishing or marketing of your book?”Here's what Natasha Williams said:(She's a write...
08/20/2025

“What’s a mistake you made in the publishing or marketing of your book?”

Here's what Natasha Williams said:

(She's a writer and the author of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘏𝘪𝘮 𝘐 𝘒𝘦𝘱𝘵 by Apprentice House, 2025.)

"I hired a publicist, which I would do again to give my book the best chance of getting into readers’ hands. In hindsight, I wonder if I could’ve gotten a more structured list of deliverables from them.

For example, in our contract it says:

𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘢 𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘺, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘸, 𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘦𝘵𝘤.

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘢 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘧𝘵 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘳𝘦-𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.

𝘈𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘢 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘺𝘤𝘭𝘦.

To my mind, this is a specific and measurable outcome. But in reality, although we identified platforms, we still haven’t worked on tactics for growing my following and have only developed a handful of pre-approved posts.

At the end of the day, I wonder if spelling out the number of posts, pieces of content creation, and a calendar for posting might have been helpful.

Also, specifying the memoir/creative nonfiction-specific outlets and strategies they will use, as I think they are accustomed to working with larger presses and more mainstream writing."

Stay tuned to hear from four more authors!

“What’s one mistake you made in the publishing or marketing of your book?”Here's what Gary Metivier said:(He's the host ...
08/13/2025

“What’s one mistake you made in the publishing or marketing of your book?”

Here's what Gary Metivier said:

(He's the host of the 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 podcast and YouTube series and the author of 𝘔𝘺 𝘔𝘢𝘴𝘬, 𝘔𝘺 𝘞𝘢𝘳 by Legacy Books Press LLC, 2023.)

"I built the manuscript around material I couldn’t use.

I spent years compiling interviews, newspaper articles, and archival photos for a woman's WWII memoir. I even hired a European archivist to dig up rich historical context.

My goal was to pair my subject’s personal recollections with a parallel narrative that explained the larger wartime events around her.

I thought publishers would love it. They didn’t.

The cost and legal complexity of securing photo rights made it unfeasible.

I had to scrap years of work and reframe the book as a more traditional memoir. It was based on additional interviews with my subject, by then in her 90s and nearly blind.

The lesson?

Deep research is valuable, but don’t let it bury the heart of the story.

The silver lining?

I’m now repurposing the unused materials for social media, school visits, podcasts, and Substack. They're a treasure trove of 'beyond the book' assets."

Stay tuned to hear from five more authors!

“What’s one mistake you made in the publishing or marketing of your book?”Here's what Amanda C. Bauch said:(She's a writ...
08/07/2025

“What’s one mistake you made in the publishing or marketing of your book?”

Here's what Amanda C. Bauch said:

(She's a writer, editor, and teacher. She's also the author of 𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘜𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘎𝘰𝘥: 40 𝘋𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘗𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘞𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 by Post Hill Press, 2025.)

"I waited to write my book.

I came up with the idea a few years ago, but I kept putting it off.

One day, I told myself, 'No more excuses!'

I started writing during the two hours a week my kids are in karate. It didn’t seem like much. But it felt incredible to finally work on my own project.

Before I knew it, I had a publishing deal.

I kicked myself for not having written more, because a tight deadline meant I had to rush to complete the manuscript.

So, if you have a book idea on your heart, start writing! Even if it’s just an hour or two a week.

You’ll start to build momentum and pour yourself into something that means a lot to you and adds value to your life."

Stay tuned to hear from six more authors!

What are the common mistakes that nonfiction authors make?Here are three:1. Not taking feedback on your manuscript.A man...
07/30/2025

What are the common mistakes that nonfiction authors make?

Here are three:

1. Not taking feedback on your manuscript.

A manuscript can take months or years to finish. It's no wonder authors are tired and tempted to rush toward the finish line.

But it's important to slow down and get input from a developmental editor and beta readers, who can improve your book’s readability, marketability, and overall appeal.

2. Choosing the wrong publisher.

Some authors have found themselves stuck with the wrong kind of publisher, making for a very unhappy journey.

Whether you opt for a traditional publisher, hybrid publisher, or publishing services team, take precautions to make sure you and your book are in good hands.

3. Expecting your book to sell itself.

Many authors are surprised by how hard it is to sell books. The market is saturated, and you’ve got to persuade people that your book is worth their limited reading time.

Begin by defining the outcomes that will satisfy you – and how you’ll measure them.

Then, budget your time and money wisely to achieve results, either through consultations or a marketing team, understanding that it’s a lifelong endeavor.

Stay tuned to hear from 7 authors who share their mistakes and lessons learned!

07/23/2025

It’s good to learn from your mistakes.

Want to know what’s better?

Learning from other people’s mistakes.

(A little wisdom from Warren Buffett.)

That’s why I smiled when Judd Labarthe asked me about other people’s mistakes.

Judd is a globally experienced marketing consultant and the founder of Planner At Large. He has helped guide brands like Volkswagen, Mastercard, and Nestlé, taught strategy and marketing in Europe and Asia, and contributed to acclaimed industry publications.

And he just released his debut book, 𝘚𝘸𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘋𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮 (Marshall Cavendish Business, 2025).

Judd is a master at asking the right questions.

During the publishing process, he asked:

“What are the mistakes that people in my position tend to make?"

What a relief it is to educate authors on the potholes in book publishing and marketing. I could’ve said many things.

Stay tuned for my top three things – plus seven authors who share their lessons learned.

Thanks to the following authors from the Nonfiction Authors Association who contributed to this series:

Julia Torres Barden, Gary Metivier, Eric Butow, Joy Resor, Natasha Williams, Bob Rich, and Amanda C. Bauch.

Want to boost your book publishing, marketing, and PR with monthly tips?I love subscriber feedback! ❤️Subscribe to the b...
07/10/2025

Want to boost your book publishing, marketing, and PR with monthly tips?

I love subscriber feedback! ❤️

Subscribe to the blog link in the About section.

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