The larger self-publishing companies (often US-based) can sometimes seem very persuasive.
It’s unsurprising, as they spend a lot on selling themselves and their packages, and they have plenty of published authors. And for some authors, they feel comfortable with using a large publisher.
But we do get quite a few enquiries from authors who have either fled or shied away from the larger self-publishing houses, so what are the main complaints from those authors?
- The likes of AuthorHouse and Xlibris can be very pushy. They don’t like to take no for an answer, even when the author has decided the process is too expensive for them. Some authors report receiving up to 10 calls within 24 hours of saying no to the offer.
- The pushiness extends beyond publication. Once your book is ready, you’re encouraged to sign up to marketing packages, that you didn’t want in the first place – “high pressure sales team” is what many authors report. The marketing packages are expensive, and mostly don’t lead to a spike in sales – not enough to justify the investment anyway.
- Less transparency with publishing packages. It’s not clear what the individual services cost – for example how much is the cover design (how much time will be spent on it).
- Poor customer service and unresponsive. Many authors report they can’t get hold of someone to speak to, and they don’t receive any email responses or updates. Once they have signed up the communication tends to drop away.
- Setting false expectations. Many authors report being disappointed that they’ve not received what they were promised/what they’ve paid for. There’s a large gulf between what was promised and what was delivered.
- Lack of control. Authors are also frustrated that with the cheaper packages there’s no option for input into the design, so they end up with a book that doesn’t reflect what they envisaged.
- Having to share the royalties. Unless you’re on one of the higher value packages, authors do not take all the royalties from book sales, and some end up with a very small percentage.
At UK Book Publishing we are different because:
- We’re smaller, so we offer a personal service.
- We’re UK-based and available during working hours.
- We’re not pushy.
- We don’t over-promise.
- We don’t take royalties.
- We do want to work with you to create the book you’ll be most proud of.
Don’t just take our word for it. Check our 5-star reviews on Google and Free Index. Here’s a few:
I published my children’s novel ‘Oslo’ with UK Book Publishing and I was very impressed and happy with the service and support from day one. And with the final result.
The team are very approachable, friendly and professional. I felt supported enough in the areas where I wasn’t experienced, but listened to and understood on the points where I did have a specific idea of how I wanted things.
UK Book Publishing provided a professional and high standard service in support of my book. This was an academic book and the end product was totally comparable with traditional publishing in appearance and content.
I can’t begin to explain my emotions when I opened up my book cover and content design that the team had put together. I was utterly speechless. From the moment I approached UK Book Publishing (completely by chance when trawling Google for advice on self-publishing, by the way) they have listened to all my ramblings and ideas, considered every detail of my book as if it’s their own and they did all the heavy lifting in making my idea a reality. They have been fun, kind and patient from the start and most importantly, the content they produce is of the most professional standard (honestly, it doesn’t get any better than this; take my word as a fussy perfectionist!). If you were intending on releasing your own book and are toying with whether or not to use the services of UK Book Publishing, read all the glowing reviews and do it. They’ll change your life.
If you’re ready to publish your book call us on 0191 603 1660 or send us a message.