1. What’s included in the publishing fee?
2. What is the difference between traditional publishing and self-publishing?
3. Why should I use Grosvenor House Publishing to publish my book?
4. What exactly is typesetting?
5. Do the typesetters make text alterations?
6. What if my book has a word count of more than your standard 100,000?
7. How much would it cost to publish a short children’s book?
8. Does Grosvenor House Publishing publish just fiction?
9. Does Grosvenor House Publishing just publish books in English?
10. Do I need to provide an ISBN?
11. Does Grosvenor House Publishing offer proof-reading/editing services?
12. Can I publish a colour book?
13. Can I publish in paperback and hardback?
14. Do you want to see my work before you accept me for publication?
15. How do I get my book materials to Grosvenor House Publishing?
16. What if I don’t have cover images?
17. Can I include images inside my book?
18. Will I see proofs of my book as you proceed with typesetting?
19. Do I see a physical sample of my book before it is published?
20. How do I decide on the retail price of my book?
21. Will the book price be printed on the back cover?
22. How many copies of my book will you print?
23. Where will my book be stocked? How will it be distributed?
24. What if I don’t want my book to be made available for sale?
25. Is my book just printed in the UK?
26. Do I need to send a copy of my book to the British Library?
27. Can I also publish my book as eBooks?
29. I’m ready to go ahead. What do I do next?
1- What’s included in the publishing fee?
We at Grosvenor House Publishing have worked very hard to offer you, the author, a comprehensive, affordable and quality alternative to the all too often frustrating world of conventional publishing. We offer the following services to enable you to realise your dream of becoming a published author.
You will receive all of the following:
- Full text typesetting of your manuscript – professional typesetters will manually layout your book in high resolution, ready for print.
- High resolution typesetting of your cover – your book cover front, spine, back, and inner flap text (if dust jacket), will be typeset in high resolution ready for print.
- A pdf proof copy of your book followed by your cover proof will be emailed to you for approval prior to going to print.
- Five complimentary printed copies of your new book – upon receipt of your approval, your book will be sent to press and five books will be with you within 7-10 working days.
- An ISBN number – International Standard Book Number. Your book will have its own ISBN number assigned which will enable you to sell it via any bookstore or internet site.
- Online distribution to all major online retailers and wholesalers for one year which is then renewable for £39.00 for one year or £68.00 for two (includes eBooks).
- Your book will be placed on legal deposit with the six UK National Libraries – not just the British Library.
- Ability to order copies of your book – starting from just one copy! Print on demand (POD) allows you to order further copies of your book with no minimum order. Just let us know the quantity required and we will send you a wholesale printing and shipping quote.
2 – What is the difference between traditional publishing and self-publishing?
A traditional publisher is interested in publishing books that will generate income for both themselves and the author. Their initial costs will be high; they have a full quota of staff to proofread, edit, typeset, Quality Assurance check, review and administer every aspect of the publishing process. They also have sales and marketing contacts that will ensure their books are exposed to a highly competitive marketplace. The author puts their book into the hands of the publisher who may wish to make changes to the book or the way it is marketed that are not in keeping with the author’s original vision, based on what they believe will work best in the marketplace.
Self-publishing allows any author to publish their book and, for a comparatively small outlay, will receive a good quality product which they are free to market themselves. Self-publishing companies place the responsibility with the author for checking each proof as it arrives back from the typesetters, rather than doing this in-house, therefore keeping overhead costs low. This ensures that the author remains in control of their book and its content at all times. Once published, books will be enabled for distribution with major online retailers and wholesalers; ensuring that authors do not need to be involved in fulfilling customer orders, leaving them free to market the book on their chosen platforms.
3 – Why should I use Grosvenor House Publishing to publish my book?
Grosvenor House Publishing (GHP) is one of the most successful self-publishing companies in the UK. Based in Surrey, GHP prides itself on its customer service with friendly ‘real people’ who will gently guide you through the publishing process and help you with any queries you may have along the way. The company was founded in 2006 by two frustrated authors, Kim Cross and Jason Kosbab, who found it very difficult to get their books published in the traditional way. They saw that there was a demand for professional, uncomplicated and inexpensive self-publishing services and started their own company. Since then, GHP has successfully published many thousands of books, a few of which have become bestsellers. Please see testimonials from some of our authors on our website: www.grosvenorhousepublishing.co.uk/testimonials.
4 – What exactly is typesetting?
It is the typesetter’s job to convey the text and images of the document in a visually pleasing form ready for print. This includes making sure that the text is accurately distributed, that the different font sizes are specified in a coherent way, that the correct justification and fonts are selected, etc. The most important aspect of typesetting is the readability of the text.
5 – Do the typesetters make text alterations?
No. The typesetters will use Adobe InDesign to typeset your text exactly as it has been sent to us and will not correct any spelling or grammatical errors. If you feel that this is necessary, you may want to consider having your manuscript copy-edited or proofread first. (See point 11.)
6 – What if my book has a word count of more than 75,000?
We can publish books of 75,000+ words for the following prices:
Word count of manuscript – Publishing price
75,001 – 100,000 £895.00
100,001 – 125,000 £995.00
125,001 – 150,000 £1,095.00
150,001 – 175,000 £1,195.00
175,001 – 200, 000 £1,295.00
200,001 – 225,000 £1,395.00
225,001 – 250,000 £1,495.00
250,001 – 275,000 £1,595.00
275,001 – 300,000 £1,695.00
300,001 + POA
7- How much would it cost to publish a short children’s book?
For children’s books with a high image count and a low word count there are discounts available – please contact us.
8 – Does Grosvenor House Publishing only publish fiction?
GHP publishes books of all genres such as self-help, scientific, reference, religious, autobiography and biography, history as well as children’s books and cookery books to name a few. We will not publish any book that contains pornography or includes any incitement to violence, racism or terrorism.
9 – Does Grosvenor House Publishing only publish books in English?
We have published books in Spanish, Portuguese and French. We will consider any Latin-based language as long as our typesetters have access to the necessary fonts. Sample pages of any foreign language book would need to be sent to us to assess.
10 – Do I need to provide an ISBN?
We allocate an ISBN to your title as part of our publishing package.
11 – Does Grosvenor House Publishing offer proof-reading/editing services and what is the difference between the two?
We offer two optional editing services: proofreading, which starts at £6.00 per 1,000 words (with a minimum cost of £60), or copyediting (which includes proofreading), which starts at £8.00 per 1000 words. Any amendments to the quoted fee will be brought to your attention on receipt of your full manuscript and prior to starting the publishing process. All of our editors and proofreaders are professionals with both qualifications and experience and all will work on a manuscript using Microsoft Word Track Changes. We will return your manuscripts with instructions on how to accept or reject each suggested change along with a ‘cleaned’ version with all suggested changes accepted.
Proofreading consists of checking and correcting the spelling, grammar and punctuation of a written manuscript as well as the consistency of style.
Copy-editing further includes suggesting re-wording to improve the flow of text, checking facts and references and alerting the publisher and author of any possible legal implications. Proofreading is also included as part of the copy-editing process.
Please note that there is an industry standard tolerance of 5-10% for both copy-editing and proofreading, depending on the complexity and quality of the original manuscript, see www.sfep.org.uk/standards/standards-in-proofreading/#text-perfect but our aim is 1%-5%.
12- Can I publish a colour book?
Yes. Publishing in black & white or in colour does not affect the initial publishing cost. However, the cost of printing in colour is more expensive than black & white as a heavier grade of paper is needed. Any book that includes colour inside the book is classified as a colour book. Colour books are digitally printed on 104gsm white paper.
13 – Can I publish in paperback and hardback?
Your publishing fee includes just one binding i.e. paperback OR hardback. If you would like your book published in both formats, there will be an additional charge of £100. This includes a second ISBN, online distribution, copies sent to the six national libraries and one copy sent to you.
14 – Do you want to see my work before you accept me for publication?
Not necessarily, although it is important that both you and GHP are happy with the standard of work that will be put into the public domain. You are welcome to email a sample of your work initially and if we do not think your work is ready to be published, we will offer our advice on how you can improve it.
15 – How do I get my book materials to Grosvenor House Publishing?
Once we have received your contract and payment we will invite you to submit your book materials and will supply you with a link to our online fileshare server. This means that files of any size can be sent. We will give full guidance about this process.
The complete interior text of your book should be in one Microsoft Word document. Any images for the covers should be scanned in at 300 dpi to the size required on the page and submitted in jpeg or tiff format. As before, we will send you a link to a fileshare server where you can upload them. Alternatively, they can be posted to us on CD or USB memory stick.
16 – What if I don’t have cover images?
If you require an image for your book’s cover then, for a small fee of around £10-£30, you can purchase the rights to use royalty-free images from a number of different websites, including the following with whom we hold accounts:
www.iStockPhoto.com
www.123rf.com
If you would prefer us to source an image for you please let us have an exact description of what you are looking for.
If you search elsewhere for images online please be careful. Generally you will usually have to get permission to use them from the copyright holder, which is not always possible, and the resolution of these online images may not be high enough to reproduce in printed format. Stick to approved sites for images and you will be fine.
17- Can I include images inside my book?
Yes you can. There is a one-off fee for placing images in your book. Please refer to our Price List for the up-to-date costs.
Images will need to be uploaded separately and for the typesetters to know where you would like them positioned, you will also need to embed them in your manuscript or provide image placement instructions with your manuscript. If the images require captions these should be sent on a separate Word document along with the image filename to which each caption applies.
18 – Will I see proofs of my book as you proceed with typesetting?
Yes, we will send you electronic proofs in pdf format throughout the process and these can be read using Adobe Acrobat Reader software. If you don’t already have this installed, it can be downloaded from here https://get.adobe.com/reader/.
The first pdf file you will receive will be a sample proof of the first few pages of your book so that you can check that you are happy with the general layout and fonts etc. before the full interior proof is typeset. There will be no charge for making any changes at this stage.
You will then receive the first full proof of the interior. If you have any amendments at this stage, there is a minimum charge of £35, or £35 per hour, to get these corrected and we will send you a revised proof for approval. As soon as the interior proof has been approved, a pdf proof of your cover will be produced and sent on to you for approval.
19 – Do I see a physical sample of my book before it is published?
This is highly recommended but not mandatory. We would normally send your book to press and order your first five complimentary copies. However, if you pick up any errors from these, we may need to charge you a £35 amendment fee (depending on the number of corrections required) and it will cost £70 to upload a revised print file (either cover or interior) to the printers.
In order to avoid these charges, we will encourage you to order an ‘advance copy’ of your book prior to publication. This will cost approximately £31 (paperback books) or £35 (hardback books) and will negate the £70 file upload fee should you need to make any changes.
20 – How do I decide on the retail price (RRP) of my book?
When pricing your book, you will need to consider the cost of printing plus the industry standard 40% wholesaler/retailer listing fee. Deducting these from your RRP will give you the royalty you can expect.
For example, if you decided upon a retail price of £11.99 it would be calculated as follows, based on a black & white paperback with 350 pages:
RRP: £11.99
Minus print cost: £6.12 (£1.92 per cover plus 1.2p per page)
Minus listing fee: £4.80
Royalty: £1.07
**prices correct at 18th March 2023**
21 – Will the book price be printed on the back cover?
We don’t do this as standard since, if the book price is changed, there are costs of £35 to revise the cover proof and £70 to upload the revised proof to the printers. However, we can include the price on request.
22 – How many copies of my book will you print?
As part of your publishing agreement we will print five copies and send these to you at no extra charge. This is regardless of whether you have a paperback or hardback book, colour or black & white. If you have opted to print your book in both paperback and hardback, you will receive one copy of your secondary option. After this your book(s) will be available to order on a print-on-demand basis, both to you as the author and to the retailers and wholesalers who will order directly from the printers when required.
23 – Where will my book be stocked? How will it be distributed?
Included in the publishing fee is one year’s free listing on all major international retail websites such as Amazon.co.uk, Amazon Marketplace (.co.uk), Amazon.com, Waterstones, Foyles and Barnes & Noble. Your book will also be listed with Nielsen Book Data and the wholesaler Gardners. These listings are renewable after your first free year at a cost of £39 for one year or £68 for two and we will email to remind you to renew in plenty of time. If you have published an eBook alongside your print book, the cost of listing the eBook online is included. Should you decide to cancel your print book in the future there is an admin fee of £20 per annum (or £35 for two years) to continue listing the eBook. Otherwise the eBook listings will be removed at the same time.
There will be no physical stock of your book held automatically by online retailers or high street bookshops but it will be readily available as a print-on-demand title and all retailers will order copies in as required by their customers via their wholesaler/POD.
Amazon listings: Amazon may choose to send your book’s data out to more of their international sites, but we cannot guarantee this. Additionally Amazon’s algorithms mean that they will only list POD books with a proven sales record, so may not initially list your book for sale directly from them, although their Marketplace sellers will have it listed. However, when your book starts to sell, Amazon’s algorithms will recognise this (regardless of where it is selling) and will add their own ‘Buy Button’, often ordering in stock to hold in their own fulfilment centres. GHP has no influence over Amazon’s lead times and can only advise on Amazon’s latest listings strategies.
You should note that your book’s metadata (price, ISBN, description etc) will be sent out to all retailers via our distributors Lightning Source. However, this does not guarantee that the individual retailers will list the book on their websites – although the majority do. A full list of Lightning Source’s Channel Partners is available on request.
24 – What if I don’t want my book to be made available for sale?
Just let us know this and we will ensure that your book is only available to order by you, the author, on what is called a ‘Short Run’ basis. If you decide later to put it on general release, this can be easily done free of charge for the first year.
25 – Is my book just printed in the UK?
No, our printers have plants in the UK, US and Australia and Global Connect print partners in many other countries around the world. International orders will be picked up via distribution channels and printed in the nearest available facility.
26 – Do I need to send a copy of my book to the British Library?
No, we will send copies of your book to all six national libraries (The British Library, Bodleian Libraries of the University of Oxford, Cambridge University Library, The National Library of Scotland, The Library of Trinity College Dublin and The National Library of Wales) as part of the publishing package.
27 – Can I also publish my book as eBooks?
We can convert your printed book to eBooks for £195 or publish eBooks only for £495. For published books, we would convert your final approved print files into the format required for all e-retailers (EPUB). Once completed, the eBook files and metadata are sent to Faber Factory for global distribution to all eBook retailers. Please let us know if you require further information.
28 – When and how do I get royalties?
Royalties are calculated twice a year and payments sent out by the end of June and December. We will collect your bank details on your Publishing Agreement and all payments will be made by bank transfer. If this is not suitable for you, you can opt for payment by cheque or PayPal.
Royalty amounts under £30 will not be paid out where the payment method is cheque or PayPal but will be rolled over until they reach the £30 threshold.
If you wish your royalties to be paid to someone else, please email info@grosvenorhousepublishing with the details of the third party and we will set this up for you.
29 – I’m ready to go ahead. What do I do next?
Please complete pages 1, 6 and 7 of our Publishing Agreement and send us two copies of these, along with your payment. If you prefer to do this electronically, please request our eForm or scan the three pages and email to info@grosvenorhousepublishing.co.uk and request our bank details to make a transfer.
Once we have received your contract and payment we will invite you to send us your book materials and will guide you through the whole process from thereon in.
If you have a question which isn’t covered in these FAQs, please don’t hesitate to contact us by phone on 020 8339 6060 or email info@grosvenorhousepublishing.co.uk.