We were lucky to catch up with Cleveland McLeish recently and have shared our conversation below.
Cleveland, appreciate you joining us today. What do you think it takes to be successful?
There are two very key words that are important to every business owner, whether it is a small or large business. Those two words are persistency and consistency.
You can provide quality service par excellent to every client that finds you, and awe them with your superb customer service, but no matter how well you please them, there is no guarantee that they will return or refer you. So being persistent in your business model, the service you provide, and continually upgrading yourself through education and experience is one key to success. Being consistent is the other. The icing on the cake is my own mantra “Never Give Up.”
I started my business over a decade ago. I provide self publishing services to authors globally. I was actually doing it long before I made it a business because people kept coming to me for help. The negative side to my industry is that we live in a DIY era, so there are people who bash those who provide publishing services and label us scammers because you can publish on your own without hiring anyone. But that is actually not true. If an author takes on the burden of publishing their books, they still need to pay a good editor, graphic designer, and book formatter, so self publishing is really not free if quality and professionalism is what is desired from the final product. I have had to fix many a published book that went through a completely free channel.
You will understand then how persistence and consistency became really close friends of mine. There can be no success with these two things.
Cleveland, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My name is Cleveland McLeish (a.k.a. Author C. Orville McLeish). I am the CEO of HCP Book Publishing, where we provide writing and self publishing services to new and seasoned authors globally. Authors come to us with a finished manuscript, and we take it from there. The services we provide are Ghostwriting. Screenwriting, Playwriting, Editing (copy, developmental, general), Proofreading, Book Cover Design, Paperback and Hardback Formatting, ISBN and Barcode assignment, Book Trailers, 3D Promo Covers, and Publishing on KDP and Ingramspark platforms. We have been in business now for over five years having worked on over 300 projects. I also provide publishing services to other publishers as well.
I wrote my first book in 2012. That was when I started to learn about self-publishing. It was somewhat a pretty new platform then that was on the brink of global explosion in the coming years. I didn’t know anything about self-publishing then, but now everybody who writes book knows that is an option.
The problem I solve for my clients is simple: “I have written a book. Now what?” Or “I have a story to tell, and I have no idea how to write. Now what?”
From the start, I have aimed to produce quality books that are hard to differentiate from a traditionally published book, meaning we adhere to all publishing standards and protocols. It means we must keep up to date with all the new trends and updates so we can apply ourselves accordingly. I am yet to have one dissatisfied customer, so my business has strived with minimal marketing with most of our clients coming on through a referral.
Quality and excellence is our goal on each project, so once you entrust a manuscript to our care, you have nothing to worry about.
Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?
I became a full-time entrepreneur in 2002. Up until that time, I was working a 9-5 job, which I did for over 14 years. Because I wanted my business to mostly be online, the overhead expenses were minimal, so I was able to use the funds I made from my job to fund and establish my business before I went full time. Anyone seeking to make the same transition, that would be my advice.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Sometimes, and I can use the period during and after COVID-19, life gets unaffordable. The bills begin to pile up, the mortgage/rent is late, creditors are looking for you because you are way past due, food prices are high, gas prices are high, and there is just not enough money to cover the basic living expenses. I believe this may be the case for many.
I started to think I needed to get a job with a steady income. I was just not making enough to cover my monthly obligations. But then I had a thought. Do a budget and monitor the income and expenditure. That was a game changer, and it gave me hope and fueled my resilience to not give up but to keep on pushing. Subsequently, God began to open new doors for opportunities for my business, so the future is looking bright.
The feeling to give up usually comes at a point where a turnaround is inevitable. The only thing that can push us through a season like that is resilience.
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