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Partnership Publishing -
Full publication to test the market

It is obviously very difficult to quote definitive figures without seeing the manuscript. Every book is different, and varying amounts of work will always be required.

The final quote will depend on several factors, i.e. the size of the original manuscript, the amount of editing (and/or typing) required, whether it is supplied digitally or not, if there are illustrations or photographs inside the book, the print & production spec of the book and the size of first print run that the author chooses.

To assess this, we offer a Reader’s Report service which is designed to provide authors with an independent critique of their work as well as guide us on quoting you accurately.

But in order to provide a guideline, we have set out below specification which would cost £1,950 for the complete full publishing package:
  • paperback book B format (198mm x 129mm)
  • up to 80 page novella or children’s story
  • standard copy-editing, typesetting and proofing services
  • cover design in 4-colour (CMYK)
  • jacket text
  • print and bind first run bar-coded ready for retail sale*
  • ISBN and all legal registrations and deposits including copies to the British Library, and national libraries of Scotland, Wales and university libraries of Cambridge, Oxford and Dublin
  • stock to wholesalers including Gardners, Britain’s leading book wholesaler
  • listed with and available for sale via leading booksellers ie. Amazon.co.uk, Tesco.com, Waterstones, Borders, WHSmiths.
  • invitation to one-day marketing and sales seminar
  • creation and distribution of press release, with either covers or review copies
  • follow-up on press releases and review copies issued, as well as any local media coverage
  • approaching local bookshops to stock
  • approaching local venues for signing sessions
  • ongoing support, sales, invoicing, accounting, royalty calculation
  • reprints and storage
*We recommend no more than 300 copies on a first run as we hope to achieve endorsements and reviews to incorporate on the book cover on subsequent runs, which can really help with ongoing promotional work.

SUBMIT YOUR MANUSCRIPT
and start the publishing process

You can either download a pdf version of the submission form, or phone us to obtain a copy of our literature and a form (0845 1080530). If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask as we are happy to chat about our services, and in fact about the book industry generally.

Simply fill out the form and return it to us with your manuscript and reading fee so that we may undertake an initial reading to ascertain the work needed on your book and issue a quote for publication costs. This is a no obligation submission and does not commit you or us to entering into a publishing agreement.

We will submit our Reader's Report within 3-4 weeks together with a quotation for publication to a pre-agreed number of copies. If you wish to proceed, we will prepare a contract which you should read thoroughly. This is a standard industry contract, but is open to negotiation.

HOW IT WORKS:
From Manuscript to Launch

Reader's Reports Pen Press make a small charge of £35 per 30,000 words or part thereof, refundable on contract, to provide authors with an honest, independent and thorough critique of the manuscript. Our reports summarise the key themes in the book, pulling out the positive aspects and making recommendations on possible improvement areas. The manuscript is assessed on overall content, quality of writing and market potential in our view; and will suggest which service level may best suit your needs.

Production & Editing We have an independent team of editors who work under contract to us. The degree of editorial input required will vary from manuscript to manuscript, and charges are made accordingly within our package. Editing is at the approval of the author, and we may go through several stages to get a product we are satisfied with. Our in-house production and design staff will work closely with you to typeset and layout your book and our designer will create a jacket design for your comment / approval. Some authors come to us with a very specific idea whereas others may have a few vague ideas. We will build on your ideas, or design from scratch, to create a relevant cover for your subject matter and a design to be proud of. All stages are proofed to you for approval and we ask you to take your time to go through the text word for word, marking up any comments and changes before returning it to us. Any changes after we have sent it to the printers become costly, so don’t be tempted to rush this. We make the changes and return it to you for final sign off before going to print, with one of our selected printers.

Registrations As per national legal requirement, your book is registered with and copies sent (where necessary) to The British Library, The National Libraries of Wales & Scotland, Oxford & Cambridge University Libraries, Trinity College Library (Dublin), Neilsen BookData (who supply information to the majority of the book trade).

We then commence our Launch Phase and our section on marketing will explain how we can go on to promote and market your book in association with our various distributor and rights partners.

Wholesaling & Distribution Pen Press distribute through Gardners, one of Britain’s largest book distributors. We have accounts with all the major booksellers and are experiencing increasing measures of success getting books into bookshops. Authors should be aware that out of 200,000 new titles published every year in the UK alone, large chain bookstores may choose to stock only 200 of these. Increasingly books are bought online and all Pen Press titles will appear on major UK bookselling websites such as Amazon, Tesco.com.
We also look ‘outside of the box’ for sales opportunities via magazines, clubs, and organisations. Our association with Virgin Atlantic is an example of this.

Library distribution We have established accounts with major library suppliers and advise them of the publication of your book. Additionally, Gardners also promote to the library suppliers and hold accounts with all of them. Specific approaches to local libraries can be made upon request, and we always recommend authors include the local library authority details on their Marketing Contacts Schedule

Publication date We recommend a Publication Date which is at least 2 months after receipt of review copies. This is because it can take booksellers 7-12 weeks to update their databases and consider your book for stock on the day of launch; also, book reviewers for magazines, newspapers, radio and TV need a 12 week lead-time to consider a book for review. Therefore, whilst you have copies of the book to give to friends and family, the official launch or publication date is set to accommodate the needs of the media and booksellers.

Production, printing, sales, marketing and distribution AND WE PAY FOR REPRINTS

Securing extraction rights for New York Times bestselling author Nicholas Davies, Rebel Royals, at the London Book Fair
Pen Press wins the Juice FM charity auction and gets dinner cooked by DJs Sam Walker and Holly Johnston. Pen Press raise £630.00 for charity.
 
 
 
For further information call 0845 108 0530 or email info@penpress.co.uk