Category Archives: Uncategorized

Book Release: Tales from the 4th Grade: 75 Short Stories

Originally published in English, we would like to congratulate Megan Fluhart on the release of the Spanish edition of her book, Tales from the 4th Grade: 75 Short Stories!

Step into the imagination of a fourth-grader…

The stories within this book were written and illustrated by Megan Fluhart when she was in fourth grade. Then 17 years later, her dad, Doug Fluhart, edited and compiled them into this book.

The resulting collection of short stories and illustrations is a fantastical window into the mind of a kid. Often hilarious, always wildly imaginative, this book will delight kids of all ages (and parents too!) with the creativity of one fourth-grader’s storytelling.

Order your copy of Tales from the 4th Grade: 75 Short Stories from a major retailer or request it from your favorite local bookstore today!


America should be reading your book. We help authors just like you publish books that win in a competitive marketplace. Click here to book a free one-on-one consultation with a publishing expert. We’ll answer your questions and advise you on the best way to publish your book.

BOOK RELEASE: CHARLES THE ANXIOUS PANDA

We are excited to announce the release of Charles the Anxious Panda, which is now available for purchase under our Proving Press publishing imprint!

Written by Vicki Roach and illustrated by Ricardo Ramirez Gallo, Charles the Anxious Panda is about a little panda who realizes you can’t always conquer worries and anxieties on your own. Along the way, he learns that there’s no problem or fear too big to handle if you talk to your parents and trust in God to help and guide you.

Grab your copy of Charles the Anxious Panda at a major retailer or find it at your favorite bookstore!


Interested in becoming a published author? We’ve developed a five-step plan that will guide you through the process. For a limited time, download a free copy of The Self-Publishing Handbook here.

The Great Novel Contest Winner Announcement

Fellow Travelers by Jesse Bethea is the Grand Prize Winner of The Great Novel Contest 2019!

One of this year’s judges described the winning submission by saying, “Fellow Travelers is a fast-paced trip through time and into a world where everything has happened, is happening, and will happen. This science-fiction tale combines world-building and clever characters to craft a story that will keep readers engaged until the end. Amazing manuscript!”

Congratulations to Jesse! His hard work is paying off with a publishing contract through Bellwether, the publishing imprint of the Ohio Writers’ Association, as well as $3,000 in author development services from yours truly, Columbus Publishing Lab.

We can’t wait to help produce Fellow Travelers!

Becoming Nora by Margaret Kirby is the official Runner-up of The Great Novel Contest 2019.

Commenting on the novel, one of this year’s judges said, “Becoming Nora explores the intricacies and complexities of relationships. Through tight prose and exceptional character development, Margaret Kirby reveals how closely our identities are entwined with those we care about the most.”

Congratulations to Margaret as well! She has won $1,000 of our services to be used however she sees fit.

The remaining eight finalists will receive a letter of recommendation for agents and publishers, as well as a publishing consultation from Brad Pauquette.

All submissions were judged “blind”—no names, history, demographics, or identifying information was shared with the judges.

Learn more about The Great Novel Contest here, and mark your calendar for next year!

Social Media BOOM! – The Husband by Aaron Daniel Behr

Aaron Daniel Behr - AuthorAaron Daniel Behr asked us to help. He was toiling away at social media, but wasn’t gaining much ground—few new followers, no new book sales.

So over the month of April, we exploded Aaron’s social media with new, real followers who are interested in him and the books he’s selling.

We grew his Facebook audience from 82 individuals to 3,135 real followers.  Every new follower was carefully targeted because they’re interested in the topics that Aaron is talking about.

During the same time period, his Twitter audience grew from 38 followers to a crowd of 1,385 people. That’s more than a 3,500% increase on both platforms!

Thousands of people are now open, receptive, and interacting when he shares his message of hope, and discusses important topics like mental illness, bullying, Christianity, and divorce.

The Husband by Aaron Daniel BehrNot only did we increase the size of his permanent audience, but we also shared his message and his book with more than 975,000 individuals.  More than 70,000 people interacted with his content.  The Husband, a Christian memoir of his divorce and battle with mental illness, is receiving more attention than ever before.  Since his social media has blown up, Aaron has received offers to be featured in magazines, podcasts, and more.

Learn more about Aaron and his book on his website, www.AaronDanielBehr.com.  Find him on Facebook here, or on Twitter @AaronDanielBehr.

Before he came to us, Aaron worked hard to produce great content, but no one was responding, the pieces just weren’t coming together. Now when Aaron talks, people are listening. His content routinely gets 100+ interactions with no additional money spent. And when reviewers, agents, and producers find Aaron online, they see an author with an active, vibrant audience and a professional, robust web presence.

This is a game changer for Aaron’s platform as an author, and it will net real book sales as he moves forward, and big opportunities over the next few years. It takes the same amount of time and effort to talk to thousands of people on Facebook as it takes to talk to 82.  Working with Aaron, we’ve built a social media machine that leverages his time and energy. This is an asset that he will keep for the rest of his life.

Does your social media need a shot in the arm? Please contact us, we’d love to chat.

614-805-3982 | info@columbuspbulishinglab.com

The Secrets of Strong Language — Boyle & Dalton

The Secrets of Strong Language features poetry by Sylvia Vance. This collection, compiledebook_cover by her daughter, is the first time Sylvia’s poetry has been published together. We worked closely with Sylvia’s family to produce and publish a book that would honor a lifetime of hard work by a talented poet.

Find The Secrets of Strong Language here, or ask for it at your favorite bookstore.

After collecting Sylvia’s poetry, we received detailed instructions on the order and layout of the book, and followed those directions exactly. We provided several design samples prior to completing the book interior to ensure Sylvia’s book would turn out exactly as expected.

After completing the interior design, our cover designer worked with a handwritten page of Sylvia’s poetry, transforming it into a cover for both the paperback and hardback editions of the book.

After the cover and the interior of the book were finalized, we created an e-book version of The Secrets of Strong Language, and distributed the book in hardback, paperback and e-book formats to all major retailers.

What was once a folder of handwritten poetry, is now a beautiful book that can be shared with Sylvia’s family and loved ones.

Publishing your book with Columbus Publishing Lab is a unique experience. We provide professional services, but also the comfort of a one-on-one relationship. If you’re interested in publishing your manuscript, we encourage you to contact us today.

L is for Leader — Boyle & Dalton

L is for Leader LLC has a mission: Create products to inspire, empower and encourage case8.000x8.000.inddyoung girls to live as leaders.

The latest product in the L is for Leader line is a colorful picture book, designed to show young girls what it means to be a leader in their everyday lives. We were thrilled when L is for Leader founder Sarah Kregel came to us with her L is for Leader book materials, and we started the publishing process right away.

Learn more about L is for Leader LLC at www.LisforLeader.com.

Sarah provided us with the book text, as well as pictures for each page. The L is for Leader team had a clear idea of how they wanted the book to look, and our interior designer worked closely with them to ensure expectations were fulfilled.

We created a professional layout for Sarah’s pictures and text, and added playful embellishments on each page that corresponded with the existing L is for Leader branding elements. Our cover designer then created a bright, simple cover design that uses the L is for Leader logo as the focal point.

After the cover and interior were complete, we reviewed L is for Leader for  inclusion under our exclusive imprint: Boyle & Dalton. Based on the quality of content and design, L is for Leader was accepted and is distributed as a Boyle & Dalton book to all major online retailers in hardback and e-book formats.

Find L is for Leader on Amazon.com here. 

Along every step of the publishing process, Sarah and the L is for Leader team had a dedicated point of contact. If they had a question or needed an update, there was someone to answer their call or speedily reply to an email.

Congratulations to Sarah Kregel and her team on the release of L is for Leader!

Columbus Publishing Lab works with individuals, organizations, businesses and small presses to create great books. If you’d like more information on making your book project a reality, we invite you to contact us here.

Website Maintenance

We’ll be transferring our website to a new host on June 3 and June 4, 2015.  Please excuse our mess.

There may be temporary service interruptions during this period, and some pages may not appear correctly. Please bear with us and we’ll complete these updates as quickly as possible.

Thank you for your understanding.