You will never find the time
to write your book.

You don't need to.

A business book writing service for executives, founders, and thought leaders. Up to three hours of your time. Your complete book architecture in one week.

The conversation is where your book begins.

Your knowledge is already there.

The structure is what's missing.

That is exactly what this conversation provides.

Book a Discovery Call

Why most business books never get written

It is not a lack of ideas, or expertise, or things worth saying. The reason is simpler: every path to getting a book done demands the one thing a successful business leader will never surrender. Months of time. Writing it yourself means carving out hours you will never find. Hiring a ghostwriter changes the shape of the problem but not its weight: dozens of hours of interviews, months of review cycles, a significant fee, and at the end of it, another person's interpretation of your voice.

A book is not a collection of ideas. It is an argument. And finding the shape of that argument is where the time disappears.

Most people who sit down to write discover this within the first few hours. They have the expertise, the stories, the frameworks. What they do not have is the architecture: the structure that turns all of it into something a reader follows from first page to last. Structure and writing skill are real challenges, but they are both downstream of time. If you had six clear months, you would figure them out. But you will never have six clear months.

What if the hardest part...
took a week?

One conversation lasting up to three hours. Seven days of production. And you are holding a complete blueprint for your book: the architecture, the voice, the chapter structure, the roadmap. The idea that has been sitting in the back of your mind for years becomes a structured, achievable project.

Not in twelve months. Not after months of interviews. This month. From a single conversation.

1 conversation
8 Blueprint sections
7 days to delivery

The Book Blueprint


Up to three hours of structured conversation. Your complete Book Blueprint delivered within one week.

Before we meet, you receive a short Pre-Session Questionnaire: thirteen questions about your book, your audience, and what you already have. Answer in writing, or simply record a voice note for each. This means our session starts from a foundation rather than from scratch.

The questions move through your material in a way that makes the shape of your book visible, often for the first time.

Within one week, you receive your Book Blueprint: a comprehensive document that includes everything needed to turn your idea into a structured, achievable project.

Anatomy of a Blueprint

Inside a Book Blueprint.


Eight sections that make a book possible.

Tap any section to see what it actually contains. From a real Blueprint produced through this service.

Sample Book Blueprint

The Identity ProtocolTommy Baker

Tailored to your book · Delivered in one week
Section 01

The Vision and Working Title

The book gets a name and a reason to exist.


Directly from a Blueprint

Identity first, evidence second, results last. That is the spine of this book. It was not discovered in a library. It was forged in a hospital bed, tested on a strip of tarmac in Somerset, and proved on stages from Lisbon to the NBA All-Star Weekend.

The Identity Protocol fills a gap that few authors can credibly occupy. It is not a memoir dressed as advice. It is not a business book decorated with anecdotes. It is a hybrid that earns its authority because the same system that carried a fourteen-year-old crash survivor to Guinness World Records is the same system the author uses today to function under pressure that has nothing to do with basketball.


Why this matters

This is the moment your book stops being an idea and becomes a project.

Read this section in full
Read the Identity Protocol Blueprint

Delivery is accompanied by a Blueprint Review Session: a walkthrough of the Blueprint together, where we answer any questions and refine anything that needs adjusting. Included in the Blueprint fee.

See Example Blueprints Produced Through This ServiceSee the full architecture, voice direction and chapter structure.

The Blueprint stands on its own. It represents the hardest part of the journey, done. The idea is out of your head, structured into a form that makes sense, and ready to act on. There is no obligation to proceed with this service beyond that.

The Blueprint is a fixed fee for a single book: less than most businesses spend on a single morning of external consultancy.

For projects involving multiple books, pricing is discussed during your initial conversation.

Client Perspective

One Blueprint Session. Three books architected in parallel.

Tommy is a Trojan. By this I mean his dedication and work rate are exemplary, and have enabled him to help me move far faster in our mutual exploration of the power of sophisticated tools to extract, express and extrapolate my core creative writing. I write quickly and easily, the master scribe if you like, while Tommy has applied technology tools as super-fast accelerants. Writing three books in parallel would not be possible without the application of these services.

Dr Stephen Rhys Thomas

PhD Neuroscience, University of Cambridge
Former Senior Partner, Accenture · Founder, NeuroForm Ltd

See Stephen's Book Blueprint →
Tommy believed in my book before I did. Over twenty years of friendship and ten years of working together, he has an extraordinary ability to draw out what matters and give it shape. Without his encouragement, ‘Formed, Not Fractured’ would still be an idea I kept meaning to get to. If your book is in you but not yet on the page, talk to Tommy.

Peter Larkum

Author, Formed, Not Fractured · Founder, Peter Larkum Ltd

peterlarkum.com →
Tommy Baker, founder of The Book Development Service

About

Tommy Baker


My background is not what most people expect behind a book development service. I spent years as a sports entertainer: meeting and connecting with people from all walks of life, negotiating contracts, coordinating events, reading the room with corporate clients and venue partners. Then keynote speaking. The route was unconventional, but it left me comfortable doing the thing this service depends on: sitting across from someone, asking the right questions, and following where the conversation goes.

But the conversation is only the starting point. I learned the rest by writing my own book. A book is not a collection of ideas. It is an argument. Finding that argument is the hardest part, and it is the part that takes the most time.

The book is already in you. The problem is that you are too close to see its shape.

From writing my own book, I quickly discovered I could help others find the shape of theirs. I built a production system with editorial intelligence at every stage: structure, voice, genre architecture, argumentation. My skill is extraction and iteration. Getting the material out of your head, running it through that system, and refining until the result sounds like you at your most articulate.

This service exists because I believe the most valuable books come from the people who have lived the expertise. My role is to ask the right questions, capture what matters, and make the result inevitable.

The best time to write your book was five years ago.

Thesecondbesttimeisnow.

Before You Start

A few things worth knowing.

Everything you share belongs to you

Your words, your stories, your frameworks. Full intellectual property ownership from the first session. Nothing produced in this work belongs to anyone but you.

Sessions are handled in strict confidence

Recordings, notes, and drafts are not shared, referenced, or discussed outside this project. Your material is yours to control.

No obligation beyond the Blueprint

The Blueprint is a standalone product. Once it is delivered, you decide what happens next. There is no commitment beyond the session you have paid for.

Common Questions

Frequently asked questions about the service.

What if my idea turns out not to be a book?

That is one of the most valuable things a Blueprint Session can reveal. If your material is better suited to a keynote, a series of articles, or a different format entirely, you will know that before you have spent months writing something that does not work. The Discovery Call exists partly for this reason: it is a free conversation where we assess whether your project is ready for a Blueprint, whether it needs more thinking first, or whether a book is the right vehicle at all. Honest assessment before commitment, not after.

Book a free Discovery Call

Do I have to commit to writing the full book?

No. The Book Blueprint is a standalone product. Once you have it, you have three routes forward: write the book yourself using the Blueprint as your guide, continue with the Writing Partnership, or take the Blueprint to a professional ghostwriter. There is no obligation to proceed beyond the Blueprint.

The whole picture, in two minutes

Do I need a finished idea before I start?

No. Most clients arrive with a feeling rather than a finished concept: a sense that they have a book in them, but not yet a clear picture of what it is or how it should be structured. That is exactly what the Blueprint Session is designed to resolve. The conversation draws out the material, finds the argument, and builds the architecture. You do not need to arrive with a table of contents or a polished pitch. You need to arrive willing to talk.

How the process works

Get Started

Your book is closer than you think.

No commitment. No pressure. Just a conversation about whether this is the right fit for your project.

If you have been carrying a book idea, the first step is the simplest one. Tell me a little about what you have in mind and I will get back to you within the next business day.

What happens next: I respond within one business day. We have a free 30-minute Discovery Call. If we are both ready, we lock in your Blueprint Session.

Your material remains yours: full intellectual property ownership, strict confidentiality, no exceptions.

Thank you.

Your enquiry has been received. I will be in touch within the next business day to continue the conversation about your book.

Prefer to book directly?

Book a free Discovery Call →

Your Book Blueprint

Thank you for confirming your Blueprint Session. The questions that follow help me prepare so we can make the most of our time together.

There are no right or wrong answers. Just speak naturally about what is in your head. You do not need polished paragraphs.

For each question, you can type your answer, record a voice note, or both. If you would rather record voice notes on your phone, you can skip the recorder here and send them by WhatsApp or email.

Most people take about 30 to 35 minutes. Your answers are saved automatically as you go.


Before we begin, one question:

Do you have a clear idea for your book, or are you still discovering what book is in you?

Whichever you choose, the process begins in the same place. The Blueprint Session assesses everything you have, whether that is a blank page, a drawer full of notes, or a draft you are unsure about, and gives you an honest architectural picture of where your book stands and what it needs.

Question 1 of 13
Your name, current role, and the organisation you work with.

Your answers are saved automatically as you go.

Question 2 of 13
Walk me through your career in a few sentences. What two or three experiences most shaped how you think about your work today?
Not a CV. The moments that changed how you see things. The pivots, the surprises, the decisions that look obvious in hindsight.

Your answers are saved automatically as you go.

Question 3 of 13
In a few sentences, what is this book about?
Don't overthink this. Tell me as if I had asked you at dinner. The rough version is more useful to me than the polished version.

Your answers are saved automatically as you go.

Question 4 of 13
How long have you been thinking about writing this?

Your answers are saved automatically as you go.

Question 5 of 13
What has stopped you from writing it until now?
Be honest. The most common answers are time, not knowing where to start, and not being a "writer." Understanding this helps me design the process around you.

Your answers are saved automatically as you go.

Question 6 of 13
If the book existed tomorrow, fully written and published, what would it do for you and your career?
Think about the doors it would open, the conversations it would start...

Your answers are saved automatically as you go.

Question 7 of 13
Who is the reader? Who picks this book up, and what problem are they trying to solve?
If you can picture a specific person, describe them. What level are they? What are they struggling with?

Your answers are saved automatically as you go.

Question 8 of 13
Is there something you know or believe that most people in your field get wrong? What would you say if there were no consequences?
This is often where the book's real argument lives. Don't soften it here.

Your answers are saved automatically as you go.

Question 9 of 13
Do you have any models, frameworks, or processes you have developed? Even informal ones that do not have names yet.
How do you teach what you know? Is there a structure, a sequence, a set of principles you come back to? Draw it on a whiteboard when you explain it?

Your answers are saved automatically as you go.

Question 10 of 13
Do you have any existing material that could feed into the book?
Presentation decks, articles, blog posts, notes, draft chapters, recorded talks, workshop handouts. Even rough notes or voice memos count.

Drag files here, or click to browse

PDFs, Word docs, slide decks, notes... anything relevant

Max 8 MB total. For larger files, share them via Google Drive or WeTransfer and describe them in the text field above.

    Your answers are saved automatically as you go.

    Question 11 of 13
    Share something you have written that sounds like you.
    A LinkedIn post, a blog article, a letter, an email you spent time on, a report you are proud of. It does not need to be about the book. I use this to understand your natural writing voice so that everything I produce sounds like you, not like someone else.

    Your answers are saved automatically as you go.

    Question 12 of 13
    Is there an existing book in a similar space that you admire? What do you like about it?
    This helps me understand the kind of book you have in your head. Not to copy it, but to calibrate the style and ambition.

    Your answers are saved automatically as you go.

    Question 13 of 13
    Do you speak publicly or run workshops? And what does success look like for this book: commercially, professionally, or personally?
    Success means different things to different people. A bestseller? A business card? A legacy? Knowing this shapes every decision about how the book is built.

    Your answers are saved automatically as you go.

    Optional: but helpful
    Your public profiles
    If you have a LinkedIn profile, website, or YouTube channel, paste the links below. I review these before our session so I can ask better questions and avoid covering ground the internet can already tell me. Nothing here is required.

    Your answers are saved automatically as you go.

    Sending your responses...

    Thank you.

    Your responses have been received. I will review everything before our session so we can hit the ground running.

    I look forward to our conversation.

    The Book Development Service

    Your Session Materials

    Thank you for a brilliant session. The materials you share here feed directly into your Book Blueprint.

    You can upload files, paste links, or describe what you have. Everything is saved automatically as you go.

    Most people take about 10 minutes.

    A note about file sizes

    This page accepts files up to 8 MB total per submission. That works well for documents, PDFs, articles, photos, and short recordings.

    For larger files like presentation decks, video recordings, or lengthy audio files, please share them via Google Drive, WeTransfer, or AirDrop and paste the sharing link into the notes field on the relevant step.

    When in doubt, paste a link. You can always send files separately by email or WhatsApp if that is easier.

    1 of 5
    Presentation decks and slides
    Keynote, PowerPoint, PDF, or Google Slides exports. These often contain 80% of a business book in disguised form. If you have multiple versions of the same talk, send them all. Presentations are often too large to upload here. Paste a Google Drive or WeTransfer link in the notes field below instead.

    Tap to select files, or drag and drop here

    Max 8 MB total. For larger files, paste a sharing link in the notes field.

      Your uploads are saved automatically as you go.

      2 of 5
      Draft chapters, notes, or outlines
      Anything you have already written: draft chapters, rough notes, bullet-point outlines, voice memos you have transcribed, even napkin sketches photographed. No quality bar. Rough is valuable.

      Tap to select files, or drag and drop here

      Max 8 MB total. For larger files, paste a sharing link in the notes field.

        Your uploads are saved automatically as you go.

        3 of 5
        Published content
        Articles, blog posts, LinkedIn posts, or anything else you have published. Paste links below, or upload PDFs and screenshots. These help calibrate voice direction and identify material that is already close to book-ready.

        Or upload small files here

        Max 8 MB total. Links above are preferred for larger content.

          Your uploads are saved automatically as you go.

          4 of 5
          Recorded talks, podcasts, or videos
          If you have recordings of yourself presenting, being interviewed, or running workshops, paste the links below. YouTube, Vimeo, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other platform. Audio and video files are typically too large to upload here. Please share them via Google Drive, WeTransfer, or paste the platform link below.

          Or upload small files here

          Max 8 MB total. Links above are preferred for larger content.

            Your uploads are saved automatically as you go.

            5 of 5
            Anything else
            Photographs, research papers, workshop handouts, data, or anything else you think might be relevant. If you are not sure whether something is useful, send it. I would rather have too much material than too little.

            Tap to select files, or drag and drop here

            Max 8 MB total. For larger files, paste a sharing link in the notes field.

              Your uploads are saved automatically as you go.

              Sending your materials...

              Thank you.

              Your materials have been received. I will review everything as part of the Blueprint production process.

              If you think of anything else after today, just send it by email or WhatsApp. Nothing is too rough to be useful.