Now let us guide you through the publishing process with the minimum of fuss.

We appreciate there is a lot of information on our website and it probably seems somewhat overwhelming.  But if you like the sound of the services we offer and would like to start a conversation about your book with us then you’ve made the first decision.

We are available on the phone as well as by email, so if you would prefer to have a chat before starting this process click here to get in touch

Thank you!

Step One: sample for review

Once you get in touch we will ask you to let us know the total word count and total image count (if any) of your book.  If you can send us a sample of your book by email then that would be ideal.  Just a chapter or two along with a couple of images, if you are using them, to assess so that we can get a general idea of the content and style of your book.

Email: info@grosvenorhousepublishing.co.uk

Include in your email any other details you’d like us to know, but specifically the final word count and number of images (if applicable).

This will allow us to give you an accurate publishing cost and make any recommendations regarding editing or proofreading and image quality.

  • Click here to find out more about copy-editing and proofreading

Step Two: contract & payment

If you decide that you would like to proceed, please send us your completed contract and payment.  We will have usually emailed this to you, but you can also download a copy from our Publishing Agreement download page here.  Don’t forget to include the extra amount if you are having images in your book (click here for image placement fees – see page 4)

You need to complete pages 1,6 and 7 and return these to us.  If you’re sending them in the post, please send two copies, otherwise scan and email these back to us.  Payment can be made by cheque or bank transfer (please ask us for our bank details).  Our General Manager, Dean Zaltsman, will return one copy of your contract to you, countersigned by GHP.

Step Three: book materials

Once we have received your contract and payment, we will invite you to submit your final book materials. This can be done by email but if the file sizes are too large, we will send you a link so you can upload your files directly onto our server.

  • What format should your files be in?

Please send us your manuscript as a Word document. If your book includes images, please either include placement instructions or embedded images in your manuscript. Our typesetters will also need the image files as high resolution (minimum 300dpi) jpeg or tiff files, making sure the physical size of the images is no smaller than they are to appear in the book.

  •  What is the correct order of book content?

This can sometimes be confusing so we have put together a guide for your reference.  Click here to see the list.

  • What about my book cover image?

If you already have an image you wish to use on the cover of your book, then please send this at the same time.  Again, this should be a high-resolution file as above.  Images can also be purchased from several royalty-free websites, click here for details. We would be happy to source sample images if you can send us a specification of what you have in mind. Our typesetters will then design your cover around this and include the title/sub-title, author name etc. on the front plus the spine and back cover with the text (blurb)/author photo which we will need you to provide.  If you prefer to have a bespoke front cover designed for your book we can arrange this for an extra cost of £250.

Step Four: proofs

If you have decided to get your manuscript copy-edited and/or proofread this will happen first and we will send you instructions on how to go through this and provide us with a ‘final’ manuscript’.

Either way, all book materials deemed ‘final’ will then be sent to our typesetting team and they will start work on producing a ‘sample’ proof.

The sample proof will include the first few interior pages of your book so that you can see how it is going to look.  You should check you are happy with the fonts, size, layout at this stage. There will be no charge for changing anything at this stage and once approved we will produce a full, first proof.

The full proof is the whole of the interior of your book, laid out exactly as needed to produce a printed book.  Do you need to make any changes?  Have you spotted a typo?  Just let us know and we’ll put it right.

Finally, once this proof is approved, we will produce your cover proof.  Again, you will need to check this and make adjustments as necessary.

Please note: All of your proofs will be sent to you by email as  pdf files so you will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer in order to read these. If you don’t already have this installed, it can be downloaded from here https://get.adobe.com/uk/reader/.

Step Five: send to press

Once your interior and cover proofs have been approved by you, we will request  final print files from our typesetters and send your book to press.  This involves uploading these to our printers and distributors for processing, which will take around 72 hours.  After which your book’s electronic data will be broadcast out for pre-sale to all of the major international retailers and wholesalers and within a few days you will see your listing appear on Waterstones, Foyles, Book Depository, Barnes & Noble etc. as well as Amazon sites, both UK and internationally.  Once your publication date is reached (usually one month later) your pre-orders will be satisfied and your book will be fully available to buy by the public, either online or via a book shop, who will order in copies as required from their usual wholesaler.

During this time, your first five complimentary copies will be printed and sent to you for delivery in 7-10 working days.  Once received you are free to order any more copies you need, directly from us at print cost + P&P.

Step Six: marketing

Once your book is listed online and available to buy, you will want to start marketing it.  This is the tricky bit! Your book will look amazing and it will be listed online ready to buy, but unless you let people know then it will be lost alongside the thousands of other titles on book retail sites.  A good marketing campaign will stimulate sales, which will have a positive knock-on effect on any Amazon listings, particularly delivery lead times and keyword rankings.

There are a few tips and tools we can offer to help you with this:

  • We can produce marketing materials such as flyers, posters, postcards, bookmarks etc. that may help you in promoting a book launch or signing. Click here for details
  • Amazon offer a free marketing tool called ‘Author Central’.  If you have an Amazon login and password, you can create a link from your book’s listing to an author biography, photo, video, events and tweets.  You can also use the biography section to market your own website.  Click here to see our pdf with full details Amazon’s ‘Author Central’
  • Engage the services of a specialist book publicist who will put together a bespoke campaign for your book. A Google search will reveal that there are lots of companies out there, so it’s a case of finding one that fits your vision and budget.
  • Amazon’s listings are based on the results of their unique algorithms which will pick up sales of your book anywhere, along with any page hits, reviews and other activity.  Get your friends and family ordering their books and leaving reviews – everything helps!

Step Seven: sales figures & royalties

You will want to know how your book is selling and on a bi-annual basis we will collate your sales figures and send them to you, along with any royalty payment you have earned.  These statements will be sent out in June and December.

Step Eight: listings & renewals

Included in your publishing package are one year’s listings online.  After the first year you may decide to renew or cancel these listings and we will get in touch when they are due, offering you these options.  One year’s renewal will cost £39.00 and two years is discounted at £68.00. 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.

Ready to go?  Click here to download our publishing agreement