Top 10 self-publishing houses in the UK

The United Kingdom is one of the largest literature centers, thanks to the topmost universities like Cambridge, Oxford, and Edinburgh. People living in this country have always expressed their undying love for books and stories, so the market is so dynamic, popular, and growing. Surprisingly, reading books is considered one of the best hobbies of people in this country. Perhaps, that’s why the total sales of books in the UK in 2021 was more than 212 million. 

As more new authors are coming forward with their excellent creations, the demand for self-publishing has surged dramatically in recent years. This is why several existing publishing houses have incorporated this service line. Apart from this, numerous online platforms are also there that allows authors to publish books for a global audience safely. 

What is self-publishing? 

Self-publishing is a technique where authors can publish their boo all by themselves without waiting for confirmation from concerned publishing services. All the writer needs to do is write the manuscripts and edit and draw the final draft they are satisfied with. The self-publishing house will help you create the covers, arrange the pages, and change the overviews on submitting the manuscript. 

Most publishing houses also offer marketing and publicity services. If you upload your creation on their publication portal, the house will take it upon themselves to grow your network and promote the book you have launched. So, instead of going through all hassles of a traditional publishing house, it’s better to collaborate with self-publishing firms. 

Reach your publisher today!

Challenges in Traditional Publishing in UK

Publishing a book traditionally in the UK, while offering several advantages, also presents specific challenges for authors. Some of the key challenges include:

1. Finding a Literary Agent: Many traditional publishers in the UK prefer to work with authors represented by literary agents. Finding the right literary agent who is willing to represent your work can be a challenging and competitive process.
2. Lengthy Response Times: Traditional publishing houses often have long response times, and it can take several months to receive a response to a book proposal or manuscript submission. This extended waiting period can be frustrating for authors seeking timely feedback.
3. High Competition: The UK publishing industry is highly competitive, with numerous aspiring authors vying for limited publishing opportunities. Getting noticed among the multitude of submissions can be a significant challenge, particularly for new and unestablished writers.
4. Creative Control: Authors might have to compromise some creative control over their work when working with traditional publishers. Editors may request changes to the content, style, or structure of the book, which can sometimes conflict with the author’s vision.
5. Royalties and Advances: Authors may receive lower royalty rates and advances compared to self-publishing, especially for debut authors. This can impact the financial returns and stability for writers who rely on their book sales as a significant source of income.
6. Marketing Support: While traditional publishers offer marketing support, the level of marketing and promotional efforts for individual books can vary. Some authors might find that they need to actively participate in marketing and promotion to ensure the success of their book.
7. Limited Publishing Slots: Traditional publishers often have limited publishing slots, which means that even if a book is of high quality, it might not fit into the publisher’s current publishing schedule or list, leading to further delays and uncertainty.
8. Genre Preferences: Some traditional publishers in the UK might have specific genre preferences, focusing more on certain popular genres while being less inclined to take risks on niche or unconventional genres.

Understanding these challenges can help authors prepare and strategize effectively, whether they choose to pursue traditional publishing in the UK or explore alternative publishing options.

Advantages of self-publishing

Self-publishing has a lot of benefits that most authors aren’t aware of yet. According to them, no agency can provide security and safety for their creations like traditional publishers. Perhaps this is why they are so hesitant to explore self-publishing firms. Keeping this in mind, we have prepared a complete list of benefits one can enjoy with self-publish. 

• First and foremost, the author will have complete control over the contents they want to publish. The publishing firm cannot put limitations or constraints on you, provided you have followed all the expected rules and regulations. 

• Authors usually receive 60% to 70% loyalty, much more than traditional publishing houses. This is one of the main reasons why self-publish has become so popular in the market. 

• With the help of self-publishing houses, an author can easily grow their network and earn more readers. 

Time taken to publish a book.

The total time taken to publish a book depends on a wide range of factors, out of which the most important one is the way of publishing the book and the channel where you want to take the job further. For example, if you opt for eBook publication, the time taken will be around 15 weeks, but for the hardcopy printed version, the time will increase further, up to about 20 weeks. 

Steps involved in self-publishing

1. First, you need to prepare the final draft of your written manuscript and get it edited by a professional. 
2. Once you are satisfied with the content looks, you can move to designing and developing the outer cover.
3. After everything is done, you can easily work on publishing the books on online platforms.

Top self-publishing companies in the UK

Lulu Publishers UK

One of the most popular publishing houses for self-publish authors is Lulu. It operates retail channels through both online and physical stores that will help you reach out to more readers with your developed concepts. The best part of this company is the higher loyalty packages. Authors who have opted to print hard copies will receive an 80% royalty, while those who publish books on the online platform will receive a royalty of 90%. Perhaps it has become the most preferred solution for UK-based authors who want to self-publish their creations and create a vast network. You can easily incorporate the eBooks platforms of Barnes & Noble and Amazon Kindle.

Alliance of Independent Authors England

Founded in 2014, this self-publishing house has become the best option for beginners who are yet to step into the book market. Although it doesn’t have a wide reader base due to its growing stage, you can easily start with it for your first book. Here, you will meet authors having individually published books and a couple of members having established author brands. Apart from this, the online platform also organizes different rewards and workshops for budding authors. 

Blurb Publishers in Britain

Eileen Gittins founded the self-publishing platform Blurb in 2005, and since then, the platform has been offering excellent opportunities to writers. Unlike other platforms, Blurb will allow you to publish content either on Blurb exclusively or on other bookstores like Kindle, Barnes & Noble, etc. The most interesting part is the platform is not just for storybooks, fiction, and classic novels. Instead, you can publish magazines and several other non-fiction books also. If you already have your website, use Blurb’s website as the affiliate platform and promote the books you have. 

Kindle Direct Publishing

Every writer demands to tap into the huge pool of authors and members that the Kindle Direct Publishing platform has to offer. It has over 3 million active subscribers, so you won’t have to worry about the popularity of your published content. You can surely gain a huge reader base, provided the content is up to Kindle’s standard. A study of 2021 revealed that Kindle had 6 million eBooks so far, which is perhaps a hefty number that other self-publishing bookstores don’t have. 

Smashwords

The name of this online self-publishing bookstore is justified by its operations. Smashword has redefined the entire publishing and marketing process, so authors now have excellent opportunities to venture into this world and portray their creative minds. Launched in 2008, the platform has several features that make self-publishing much easier and more profitable for authors. As of 2021, the platform had 360,000 published from different genres. 

Author House

Author House is one of the top-rated self-publishing houses based in the UK. This online platform is best for writers, irrespective of the genres they prefer to write on. From the Wall Street Journal to Reader’s Digest, this firm has been featured on several top-notch platforms. This is why perhaps publishing your book here is a profitable decision. Since its establishment, over 70000 writers have published their books and made a huge network. 

iUniverse

iUniverse is a US-based self-publishing house that deals with books of both fictional and non-fictional genres, magazines, and so on. Once you are done with the manuscript, submit it to the editor’s portal, and then it will be published on the website. So, you actually won’t have to grow through all hassles of performing the task by yourself. To know the modus operandi, you can easily go through their author interviews and learn why this publisher has become so famous. 

Xlibris 

Xlibris might be in the nascent stage, but the bonuses and facilities it offers to the authors are exceptional. Having the options for both eBooks and printed versions, you will be able to its a larger network of readers and gain more popularity. The platform offers a hefty amount of loyalty to the authors so that they can easily earn huge revenue after publishing their books here. Xlibris arranges different awards for the authors based on how their book is performing. 

Kobo 

One of the best self-publishing bookstores is Kobo. Even though Kobo is based in Canada, the online store is accessible for UK authors. It has a huge collection of books from different genres, so you have complete freedom to create content of your wish and publish the same on this platform. The maximum time taken for a self-published book to appear on Kobo’s catalog or timeline is 72 hours, much less than other platforms. One of the best features of this wonderful platform is the domain of 32 million active users with whom you can easily grow your network. Books priced more than $3 will give you a royalty of 70%.

Barnes & Noble Press

Another outstanding platform where you can publish books all by yourself is Barnes & Noble Press. Even though it is based in America, the online store is accessible from anywhere globally, even in the UK. This is why authors now have an excellent option to showcase their skills to everyone. Unlike other publishing houses, Barnes & Noble has initiated a marketing campaign portal for authors to promote their works and gain more readers. If you want to enjoy the 65% royalty rating, you need to set the book price between $2.99 and $3.99. 

Conclusion 

Although some of the self-publishing houses mentioned above don’t have UK origin, they serve several other countries also. Besides, these are online platforms for budding authors, so one needs to be very careful because the online competition in the book market is skyrocketing each day. Today, you may find a couple of authors publishing books that are relevant to you. This is why while choosing the self-publishing platform, do show your creative skills and imaginative power. It will become easier to rank as the best seller author in the UK. 

Disclaimer: The list furnished in this article does not indicate any ranking based on quality of services provided by these companies. This is just a collated list of companies operating in this industry. We do not claim any ownership of the accuracy of the data furnished in this article. The readers are requested only to use this as an information for reference and is requested to get in touch with the companies directly to understand their services and service quality. The information provided here is curated based on existing information available on public domain. Any discrepancies in data observed and suggested by readers or the companies directly shall be ammended.