Shouldered AI / For independent publishers and small presses
You be the publisher. We shoulder the rest.
You love books, authors and getting good work into the world. Shouldered handles submissions, contracts, royalties and launch marketing, so you can spend your time on the books.
"The submissions pile is months behind."
Tabitha at the Service Desk acknowledges every submission, sorts it by your guidelines, and keeps authors informed.
"Royalty statements take a week every period."
Matthew at the Finance Desk prepares the royalty reports from your sales data for you to check.
"Contract dates and rights are hard to track."
Deborah at the Legal Desk tracks contract dates, rights and option deadlines for you and your counsel.
"Launches need more marketing than we have time for."
Silas at the Marketing Desk builds the launch plan, contacts reviewers, and schedules posts.
Simon and seven desks of Heroes, working for publishers.
Acknowledges submissions and answers author and reader questions.
Prepares royalty statements, pays invoices, and tracks advances.
Tracks contract dates, rights and renewals, with decisions left to you and your counsel.
Plans launches, contacts reviewers and bookstores, and runs newsletters.
Follows up with bookstores, libraries and event hosts.
Tracks editing, design and print schedules for every title.
Simon runs HQ: all the tech and all the brain power, and the one you talk to. Each of the seven desks is run by a Hero, and Simon directs all seven and answers for them. A person approves what matters, and legal, tax, medical and financial decisions stay with you and your licensed advisers.
Simon's note says 22 new submissions are acknowledged and sorted. The spring title's proofs are back from the printer, and a bookstore event is confirmed. Royalty statements are ready for your review. You spend the afternoon editing a manuscript you love.
An illustration, not a promised result.
Start
Start with a Hero for each person at $25 a seat, and the Small HQ (up to 5 seats, 80 hours a month) at $750 a month paid for the year, with a $1,000 onboarding fee once.
Grow
Adding imprints or a bigger list? Grow seats and hours as your catalog grows.
Your Hero is here to improve the human. Your HQ, led by Simon, is here to improve your business.
Two prices, and 50 Founding places.
First, what the work costs you today. A full-time office manager runs most small businesses about $4,000 to $5,000 a month with taxes and benefits, and goes home at five. Every call nobody answers is a job that goes to someone else.
Business coaching often costs $5,000 to $7,500 for one session day. HQ does the work every month, with a coach running the Shouldered Way and workshops included. Already have a coach? HQ works alongside them.
Founding 50: of 50 places left. When they are gone, this price closes.
For you
An assistant for one person: mail, chat, calendar, to-dos and contacts. It learns how you work.
- A seat a month
- $25
- Founding price, first 50 only
- $20
- A seat a month. Cancel any time
- No onboarding fee
- It stops where you stop. It does not run a business
Up to five people
5 seats and 80 hours a month. Onboarding $1,000, paid once.
- Paid for the year
- $750
- Month to month
- $1,100
- Founding price, first 50 only
- $500
- Simon and all seven desks
- Starts the work itself
- About $25 a day, paid for the year
- The six-month guarantee
- Arrives in December. Join the founding list now
Six to twenty people
20 seats and 200 hours a month. Onboarding $2,000, paid once.
- Paid for the year
- $1,875
- Month to month
- $2,750
- Founding price, first 50 only
- $1,250
- Everything in Small
- Room to grow without changing plan
- The six-month guarantee
Prices are per month. Only the first 50 companies (the Founding 50) get the Founding price with a two-year commitment, paid yearly by bank transfer, and keep it for as long as they renew. Pay yearly by bank transfer and take 3% off. Onboarding is $1,000 for Small and $2,000 for Medium, paid once, and free at Shouldered events. It is one 1-hour call: technical setup with our technical team first, then your business with our team. The person who sold you HQ joins your onboarding call. Paid for the year, you get a named person who checks in every month. Month to month gets standard support. Twenty-one people and up is built around you. More seats are $25 each (Founding price $20), and more hours $12.50 each; hours count only while HQ is working, like minutes on a phone plan.
Enterprise and government. For large companies and public agencies. Custom plans start at $5,000 a month. Pilots are paid. We start SOC 2 Type 1 work in 2027. Texas agencies: we are working toward TX-RAMP.
If HQ does not complete at least 40 hours of real admin work a month for you in your first six months (100 hours on Medium), tell us by the end of month five and we refund every dollar you paid for the plan.
The onboarding fee is not refunded. The guarantee asks one thing of you: let HQ do its work. Give it the access it needs and review its work in good faith. If our records show you kept declining or blocking the work HQ set out to do, the guarantee does not apply. If we see that happening, we tell you in writing so you can fix it.
The six months start the day HQ goes live for you. The Founding 50 are included. The guarantee covers HQ only, never coach fees.
Will it judge manuscripts?
No. It sorts by your guidelines and keeps authors informed. The editorial choice is yours.
Does it give legal advice on contracts?
No. We track dates and prepare paperwork. Decisions stay with you and your licensed advisers.
Are author files private?
Your private data stays in your own system.
What if it does not help?
If HQ does not complete at least 40 hours of real admin work a month for you in your first six months (100 hours on Medium), tell us by the end of month five and we refund every dollar you paid for the plan.
When can we start?
The Hero is available now. HQ launches in December 2026, and the founding list is open today.
A Christian-run company, and proud of it.
Churches get free Hero seats. When a member's business joins, its church gets an HQ, free.
Simon is named for Simon of Cyrene, who stepped in and shouldered the cross for another. Shouldered takes no outside funding and is open to everyone. The technology comes from the OurWorld group: ten years of work, 60+ engineers, running in 20+ countries.
Pull up a chair.
Start with your Hero today, take a Founding 50 place for HQ, or just come and ask questions in the community.
Founding list
One of the first 50 places. Keep the Founding price as long as you renew.
Hold my place →Your Hero
$25 a seat (Founding price $20). Available now.
Start with your Hero →Telegram
The front door. Talk with us and with owners like you.
Join on Telegram →Or write to Simon: simon@shouldered.com