Publishing CEOs is a digital coaching program created by Alex Kaplo that teaches people how to build a self-publishing business on Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing without writing their own books. The program focuses on outsourcing content creation and using platforms like KDP, Draft2Digital, and IngramSpark to generate income. If you’ve been wondering whether this program is worth your time and money, you’ll want to know what’s actually inside and whether real students are seeing results.
Publishing CEOs is a legitimate coaching program that teaches self-publishing strategies, though success depends on your willingness to invest time, money, and effort into building your publishing business. The program includes video courses, hands-on coaching, and strategies for finding profitable book topics and managing outsourced content. However, like any business model, it’s not a guaranteed path to quick riches.
This review will walk you through what Publishing CEOs offers, how the coaching works, what platforms and tools you’ll use, and what past students have said about their experiences. You’ll also learn about the program’s cost, refund policy, and whether the investment makes sense for your goals.
What Is Publishing CEOs and Who Is Alex Kaplo?
Publishing CEOs is a digital publishing coaching program that teaches you how to build an Amazon publishing business without writing books yourself. The program focuses on Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) and uses a system called “authorless publishing” to help you create and sell books through outsourcing.
Background and Origins
Alex Kaplo founded Publishing CEOs after spending nearly a decade in the digital publishing industry. He built the program based on his own experience of trial and error in the Amazon publishing world. The system came from years of testing what actually makes books and audiobooks perform well on Amazon.
The program offers what Kaplo calls a “modern 5-stage publishing system” that takes you from idea to published book. Publishing CEOs includes training modules, AI publishing tools, and support to help you avoid common mistakes. The focus is on validation, positioning, and execution rather than writing talent.
Kaplo created this program because he wanted a structured system that didn’t exist when he started. He designed it to give you clear steps instead of scattered advice and guesswork.
Meet Alex Kaplo
Alex Kaplo is a self-made digital publishing entrepreneur who started in a traditional 9-to-5 job. He tried and failed at multiple online ventures before finding success with Amazon digital publishing. His background is built on over ten years of working in the Amazon publishing space.
Kaplo’s approach focuses on reverse-engineering what makes books successful on Amazon. He experienced debt and wrong turns before developing his method. His claim is that he has made significant money on Amazon without selling physical products.
He now runs Publishing CEOs to teach others his system for building publishing assets on Amazon.
Target Audience
Publishing CEOs targets everyday people with little to no publishing experience. You don’t need to be a writer or have technical skills to join the program. The system is designed for aspiring entrepreneurs who want to build a profitable publishing business.
The program works for people from all backgrounds and locations since Amazon KDP is an international business. You can run this type of business from anywhere. Publishing CEOs appeals to those looking for passive income opportunities through self-publishing.
The coaching program suits you if you want structured guidance instead of figuring things out alone. It’s built for people who prefer following a clear system with feedback and support rather than starting over repeatedly.
How the Program Works: Hands-On Coaching and Course Content
Publishing CEOs combines structured course materials with active coaching support to guide you through building a self-publishing business. You get access to training modules, regular coaching sessions, and bonus tools designed to help you publish books on Amazon KDP without writing them yourself.
Program Structure and Approach
The Publishing CEOs program is built around coaching rather than just video lessons. You work through training materials that cover how to find profitable book ideas, outsource content creation, and publish on platforms like Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing. The program also teaches you about Draft2Digital and IngramSpark for wider distribution.
The structure focuses on three main areas: validation, automation, and long-term success. You learn how to test book ideas before investing money, set up systems to scale your publishing business, and build income that continues over time. The training includes methods for ethically repurposing content and outsourcing the writing process.
Alex Kaplo designed the program to work for beginners. You don’t need previous publishing experience or writing skills to start.
1-on-1 Coaching and Group Calls
You get direct access to coaching through both private sessions and group calls. The 1-on-1 coaching lets you ask specific questions about your publishing business and get personalized feedback on your book projects.
Group coaching calls happen regularly so you can learn from other students’ questions and experiences. These calls cover common challenges like choosing the right book topics, working with freelancers, and marketing your books.
The coaching component sets Publishing CEOs apart from typical online courses. You’re not just watching videos alone. You have real people to help you work through problems as they come up in your business.
The Publishing CEOs BlackBox Bonus
The Publishing CEOs BlackBox is a bonus tool included with the program. It provides additional resources and systems to help you run your publishing business more efficiently.
This tool focuses on automation and streamlining your workflow. It helps you manage the process of publishing multiple books without getting overwhelmed by all the steps involved.
Support, Community, and Accountability
You join a community of other students who are also building publishing businesses. This gives you a place to ask questions, share your progress, and get feedback from people who understand what you’re going through.
The community aspect provides accountability. When you’re working on your own business, it helps to have others checking in on your progress and encouraging you to keep moving forward.
You can get support when you run into technical issues or need help making decisions about your books. The combination of coaching, community, and structured guidance creates an environment focused on helping you take action and see results.
Core Strategies: Building a Profitable Publishing Business
Publishing CEOs teaches a validation-first approach where you test demand before investing in content creation, then scale through outsourcing and data-driven decisions. The program focuses on building digital real estate through Amazon KDP while expanding to multiple platforms for maximum reach.
Niche Selection and Market Validation
You start by identifying profitable niches on Amazon KDP before you create anything. The program teaches you to analyze existing bestsellers, study customer reviews, and examine competition levels to find gaps in the market. This validation process helps you avoid wasting money on books nobody wants to buy.
You learn to use real market data instead of guessing what might work. The system shows you how to evaluate keyword search volumes, price points, and category rankings. You check if readers are actively buying books in your chosen niche and whether you can compete effectively.
Key validation factors include:
- Monthly search volume for target keywords
- Number of reviews on competing titles
- Average selling prices in the category
- Quality gaps you can fill
This approach treats self-publishing like a business decision rather than a creative gamble. You only move forward when the data supports your book idea.
Outsourcing Content and Audiobook Creation
You build your publishing business without writing the books yourself. Publishing CEOs shows you how to hire ghostwriters, editors, and cover designers to create professional content. You learn to ethically repurpose existing manuscripts and create original books through managed teams.
The program includes training on audiobook creation as an additional revenue stream. You discover how to find voice actors, produce audio files, and publish through platforms like ACX. This doubles your earning potential from each validated book idea.
You get access to purpose-built AI publishing tools that speed up research, outlining, and quality control. These tools help you manage multiple projects at once without getting overwhelmed. The focus stays on your role as the business owner who validates ideas and manages production.
Launching, Marketing, and Growing Audience
Your book launch formula starts before publication day. You learn how to optimize your book listing with keywords, descriptions, and categories that help readers find your content. The program teaches Amazon’s algorithm and how to work with it instead of against it.
You discover strategies for getting early reviews and building momentum in your first weeks. This includes both organic methods and paid advertising approaches that fit different budgets. The training covers Amazon ads, promotional pricing, and cross-promotion between your titles.
Growing your audience means understanding reader behavior and building a catalog that keeps people coming back. You track which books perform best and use that data to guide future publishing decisions.
Scaling for Six-Figure Passive Income
Six-figure publishing comes from treating each book as an asset in your portfolio. You learn to publish consistently while maintaining quality standards across your catalog. The program shows you how to expand beyond Kindle Direct Publishing to platforms like Draft2Digital and IngramSpark.
You build systems that let you manage multiple books simultaneously. This includes hiring virtual assistants, creating standard operating procedures, and automating repetitive tasks. Your passive income grows as older titles continue selling while you add new ones.
The coaching helps you make decisions as you scale rather than figuring everything out alone. You get ongoing support for pricing strategies, category changes, and adapting to platform updates. This guidance helps you avoid costly mistakes as your publishing business grows.
Tools, Platforms, and Additional Resources Covered
Publishing CEOs focuses on teaching you how to use several key publishing platforms and marketing tools to build your book business. The program gives you access to templates and resources designed to speed up your publishing process across multiple distribution channels.
Amazon KDP and Kindle Direct Publishing
Amazon KDP serves as the main platform you’ll work with in Publishing CEOs. This is where you’ll upload and publish your digital books to reach millions of Amazon customers worldwide.
The program walks you through the entire KDP process. You’ll learn how to set up your account, format your books correctly, and optimize your listings for better visibility.
KDP lets you publish eBooks and paperbacks without any upfront costs. You earn royalties each time someone buys your book, with rates up to 70% for eBooks priced between $2.99 and $9.99.
The training covers important details like choosing the right categories, writing compelling book descriptions, and pricing your books strategically. You’ll also learn how to use KDP’s built-in tools to track your sales and make data-driven decisions about your publishing business.
Draft2Digital and IngramSpark for Wider Distribution
Publishing CEOs doesn’t limit you to just Amazon. The program teaches you how to expand your reach using Draft2Digital and IngramSpark.
Draft2Digital helps you get your books into other major retailers like Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo. The platform is known for being user-friendly and handling formatting automatically. You upload your book once, and Draft2Digital distributes it to multiple stores for you.
IngramSpark opens doors to even more distribution channels. This platform connects you with bookstores, libraries, and academic institutions worldwide. You can publish both print and digital books through IngramSpark, giving you more options to reach different types of readers.
Using multiple platforms helps you avoid relying on just one source of income. If sales slow down on one platform, you still have others generating revenue.
Amazon Ads and Marketing Tools
The program includes training on Amazon Ads to help you get your books in front of potential buyers. You’ll learn how to create ad campaigns that drive traffic to your book listings without wasting money.
Amazon Ads work on a pay-per-click model. You only pay when someone actually clicks on your ad. The training teaches you how to find the right keywords, set appropriate bids, and track which ads are profitable.
You’ll discover how to test different ad strategies and scale up the ones that work. The goal is to spend less on advertising than you make in royalties, creating a positive return on your investment.
PublishingCEOS Exclusive Templates and Resources
When you join Publishing CEOs, you get access to templates and resources designed to save you time. These tools help you skip the trial-and-error phase that often slows down new publishers.
The program includes templates for book descriptions, ad copy, and other essential materials. You can customize these templates for your specific books instead of starting from scratch each time.
You also get access to the Publishing CEOs BlackBox, which provides additional support and resources. This includes updated strategies, community access, and ongoing guidance as you build your publishing business.
The templates are based on what has worked for other students in the program. This gives you a starting point that’s already been tested in real publishing scenarios.
Program Cost, Refund Policy, and ROI Considerations
Publishing CEOs requires an upfront investment that may feel steep at first, but the program backs it with an action-based refund policy and structured support. Understanding what you’re paying for and how the refund terms work can help you decide if this KDP course fits your budget and goals.
Pricing and Value
The exact cost of Publishing CEOs isn’t publicly listed on their website, which is common for coaching programs in this space. You’ll need to book a call or submit an inquiry to get specific pricing details. Most students report the program costs several thousand dollars.
For that investment, you get access to a seven-module video course that covers everything from book creation to scaling your publishing business. The program includes coaching support and feedback, which sets it apart from cheaper self-paced courses. You’re not just watching videos alone. You get guidance as you make decisions about niches, covers, and marketing.
The hands-on approach means you’re pushed to take action instead of staying stuck in learning mode. If you’re someone who needs accountability and direct feedback, the higher price tag may be worth it compared to budget KDP courses that leave you figuring things out on your own.
Refunds and Guarantees
Publishing CEOs offers an action-based refund policy. This means you can’t just ask for your money back because you changed your mind. You need to complete specific tasks and show you’ve put in the work first.
This policy is fair but requires commitment. You have to be ready to follow through with the program steps before qualifying for a refund. If you’re motivated and willing to take action, this shouldn’t be a problem. If you’re looking for a risk-free trial where you can back out easily, this might not match your expectations.
Cost Versus Other KDP Courses
Compared to other KDP courses, Publishing CEOs sits on the higher end of the price range. Many self-publishing courses cost between $500 and $2,000, while this program runs several times that amount.
What you’re paying extra for is the coaching component and structured feedback system. Cheaper courses often give you information but leave implementation up to you. Publishing CEOs includes support as you build your business, which can save time and prevent costly mistakes.
If you have the capital to invest and want a business model that doesn’t require you to write books yourself, the structured approach may justify the cost. If you’re on a tight budget or prefer learning independently, lower-priced alternatives might be a better starting point.
Success Stories, Testimonials, and Third-Party Reviews
Publishing CEOs has gathered student testimonials showing various results, though most feedback comes from within their own community. The program has a 4-star rating on Trustpilot based on 24 reviews, and you’ll find mixed perspectives when looking at independent sources.
Real Student Outcomes
Students in the Publishing CEOs program share their experiences through video testimonials and written reviews. One student named Bert C. reported his first-week results after publishing his first book using the program’s lessons.
The feedback shows people working through the niche selection process and publishing their books on Amazon KDP. Students mention getting guidance on improving existing books rather than starting over with new projects each time.
Most success stories appear on the PublishingCEOS.com website and within their private community. The testimonials come from people with different backgrounds who joined the Publishing CEOs Accelerator program.
You should note that these are self-reported results. The program doesn’t share specific income numbers or completion rates publicly.
External Publishing CEOs Reviews and Ratings
PublishingCEOS.com has a 4-star rating on Trustpilot with 24 customer reviews. The reviews appear on their main review page, though the sample size is relatively small.
Some independent reviewers point out concerns. One critique mentions that outsourcing content on Amazon KDP creates books with weak foundations. Another review notes the positive community feedback but calls for more independent case studies from outside sources.
The platform has listings on various review sites, but you won’t find extensive third-party analysis. Most detailed reviews come from affiliate marketers or the company’s own channels.
Comparing Alternatives
Publishing CEOs focuses on Amazon KDP publishing with outsourced content. Other programs in this space include Puuby and AMZ Discover, which also teach self-publishing strategies.
The Publishing CEOs Blackbox feature provides data and insights specific to their system. This differs from competitors who may offer different tools or approaches to book research.
When comparing options, you need to consider the coaching component. Publishing CEOs emphasizes feedback calls and community support alongside their 7-module video course. Other programs might focus more on software tools or done-for-you services instead of guided coaching.
Frequently Asked Questions
New authors and aspiring publishers often have similar concerns when researching programs like Publishing CEOs. These questions cover how to spot red flags, evaluate contracts, and determine if a publishing service delivers real value.
How can I tell if a publishing company is reputable or a scam?
Check if the company has verifiable customer reviews on multiple platforms, not just their own website. Look for real names, specific details, and a mix of positive and negative feedback.
A legitimate company will have a physical address and clear contact information. They should also be transparent about their pricing and what services they actually provide.
Watch out for companies that guarantee bestseller status or promise unrealistic income figures. Real publishing success takes time and effort.
What are the most common warning signs of a vanity publisher?
Vanity publishers make their money from authors, not from selling books to readers. They often charge high upfront fees for editing, cover design, and marketing services.
These companies usually accept every manuscript without quality standards. They may pressure you to buy large quantities of your own book.
Another red flag is when the publisher owns the rights to your work or charges you to get those rights back. Traditional publishers pay authors, not the other way around.
Which questions should I ask before signing a publishing contract?
Ask who owns the rights to your book and for how long. You need to know if you can get those rights back and under what conditions.
Find out exactly what royalties you’ll receive and when you’ll get paid. Request a clear breakdown of any fees you’re expected to pay upfront or later.
You should also ask about the marketing support included and what promotional work you’re expected to do yourself. Get specific details about distribution channels and where your book will be available for sale.
What should I look for in an honest review of a publishing service?
Honest reviews include specific details about the person’s actual experience, not just general praise. Look for mentions of both positives and challenges they faced.
Real reviews often discuss the actual time investment required and realistic results achieved. They should mention specific course content, support quality, or problems encountered.
Be skeptical of reviews that sound like sales pitches or use excessive exclamation points and hype. Check multiple review sites to see if the feedback is consistent across platforms.
Yes, selling 3,000 copies is actually a solid achievement for a first-time author. Most self-published books sell fewer than 200 copies in their lifetime.
Traditional publishers often consider 5,000 copies sold in the first year a successful debut. The average book in America sells about 200 copies per year and no more than 1,000 copies over its lifetime.
Your sales expectations should match your marketing efforts and budget. Building an audience takes time, and many successful authors didn’t hit big numbers with their first book.
How can I verify whether an online publishing course or platform is legitimate?
Search for the course creator’s name along with words like “review” or “scam” to see what others have experienced. Look for detailed reviews from actual students on independent sites.
Check if the platform has a real business address and clear refund policy. Publishing CEOs, for example, lists a physical location at 330 Ave Avro in Montreal.
Look for evidence that students are getting real results, not just testimonials on the sales page. The course should offer specific, actionable training rather than vague promises about making money quickly.