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    Welcome to Shieldcrest Book Publishers

    Time to start your book publishing journey!

    The first and last site an author will ever need!

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UK PUBLISHERS

Looking for a UK Publisher? Using our many year’s experience we will guide you step by step through the process from your precious manuscript to the finished book.
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We want to see your work

As a UK-based book publisher with extensive experience across a wide range of genres, including novels, children’s books, biographies, non-fiction, true stories, and even bold, controversial topics. We are proud to support every author’s unique work.

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Is This Your First Time Publishing?

If you would like to learn more about the book publishing process and how it can help bring your work to life, we recommend taking the tour. However, if you prefer to…

What You Should Know
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Already a Published Author?

If you have published a book with us before, or are a previously published author, feel free to click here to go directly to our submission form.

Submit Your Manuscript

Our Services

Elsewhere on this site, we have shared the facts about the publishing world, including the high expectations some authors have and, in too many cases, the unrealistically high expectations some publishers give.  Read More…
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Publishing Services

  • Featured Author Page
  • e-Books
  • Proof Reading & Editing
  • RRP & Royalties
  • Book Illustrations
  • Book video Trailer
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Marketing Services

  • International Distribution
  • Social Media
  • Press Release
  • Book Reviews
  • Tailored Marketing Campaigns
  • Film & TV
  • Book video Trailer
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Many Book Titles Now
Available at 30%off RRP

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Shieldcrest Book Publishers UK

Take a look at some of our recent independently published titles. To see a more extensive list, visit our bookshop.

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We want to hear from you!

As a recognised and reputable book publisher, we do our utmost to tailor our services to meet your needs. We work across a diverse range of topics and welcome a wide array of submissions.
For advice or to learn more about how we publish your book and bring it to the attention of the public, please contact us today. If your manuscript is ready, you can submit it below.

General Enquiry
Submit Your work
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Choosing The Right Book Publisher

People choose to write for many different reasons.
Some are driven by a deep personal passion which they want others to know, while others may have created something new and innovative which they want to share with a wider audience. The UK publishes more books per capita than any other country, with nearly 200,000 books released each year and over 500,000 books published annually in English worldwide. With such a competitive landscape, getting your work into print takes dedication, persistence, and the right support. That is where ShieldCrest comes in, helping you turn your dream into reality. But a word of caution: many companies claim to be publishers or offer book publishing services, yet outsource most of the work. In reality, you are often only dealing with a front man, not the team who will bring your book to life.

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New Book Publishing Authors

If you are new to publishing, you may be unsure of what you need and require step-by-step assistance throughout the process. As you will see from our author testimonials
, ShieldCrest specialise in supporting new authors through every stage of their publishing journey.

We handle both large and small print runs while keeping costs low. In addition, we offer a special price if you are publishing a book for a local club, church, or business, where global distribution is not required.

The reality is, getting published as a new author can be extremely challenging, which is why most traditional publishers focus their attentions on established authors or celebrity memoirs who have a large following with guaranteed high-volume sales, making the investment low-risk.

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Book Publishing Options

When considering publishing a book, it is important to think about the practical aspects early on. For instance, the size, format and general layout of a book might vary dependinbg on the subject matter and purpose for which the book is going to be used. style.

Whether or not the book should be printed as a paperback or hardback is also something that should be considered. It is recognised that hardbacks are treated more respectfully than paperbacks. Sometimes referred to as coffee table versions.

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What About Marketing?

Once your book is published, the next challenge is getting it into the hands of readers. To assist with this, ShieldCrest offer a wide range of marketing and promotional services to help reach your audience all of which are detailed on our website.

Our most successful authors have all played an important part in helping to market their book(s) and, to assist with this, we provide a bespoke author webpage. This enables authors to feature news updates on what they are doing, such as book signings, local press, radio and TV interviews. It also enables substantial discounts to be offered on their books to encourage sales.

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Additional Services

We also ensure that our authors’ work is professionally presented and free from criticism related to avoidable errors.
Typos, grammatical mistakes, and misquotes can undermine even the best-written book, which is why we offer a comprehensive proofreading and editing service. Where needed, we strongly recommend taking advantage of this service to maintain the highest publishing standards.

After all, there is nothing worse than having a brilliant novel receive poor reviews simply due to spelling errors or weak grammar.

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Children’s Book Publishers

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Childrens Book Publishers
The Grand Race at Cherry Tree Farm by Steven Kent
Childrens Book Publishers
Childrens Book Publishers
The Freeze Theory by Lisa Okello
Online Book Publishers
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Max and George Make New Friends
The Adventures of Big Alex and His Friends by C.A. Graham
Childrens Book Publishers

For many people, their love of books and reading can be traced back to the stories they read as a child. Whether it was the adventures of ‘Just William’, the mysteries of the ‘Famous Five’ or recent additions such as the work of David Walliams, there is something special in the relationship between children and stories they feel have been crafted for them.

What to think about

There are a few factors to consider when writing a children’s book. The first is to consider what ages you are writing for, as this will affect the kind of language you use and the style of narrative. If it’s for toddlers just learning to read then it needs to be very simple, whereas for older readers the plot can be more complex.
This also affects the kind of characters you choose – do some of research on the kind of things kids of that age are interested in as that will make it easier to determine what you can work with. Ideally, you also want something that can tie in with personal experiences as children also tend to know if a story feels like it’s been too obviously crafted with them in mind (as personified in the “How do you do, fellow kids?” meme).
It is also important to remember that children’s books are not “easier” than any other form of narrative. For example for smaller children crafting rhymes with a rhythm that fits and makes sense can often be more challenging than you think.

Another factor is younger readers often favour complete stories as opposed to cliff hangers or ambiguous endings. Even with a series, children tend to want each part to feel complete.

Illustrations

At ShieldCrest we offer an illustration service, using our own team of experienced illustrators. For younger children, it is recommended that the story stick to around 50 to 1000 words, with the illustrations highlighting the main point of the story.
If you are writing a young adult novel then this is different as they are more likely to engage with reading providing the concept is strong enough and sufficient interest created by the writing. For example, you may only want an illustration such as a map to indicate the key locations in a fantasy novel or possibly pictures at the start of each chapter to highlight key events.

Crafting

At the heart of it, crafting a children’s story is the same process as crafting a story for adults. You still need characters that they can engage with, a plot that entertains and for them to be left satisfied by the end.

ShieldCrest can not only publish your work but we also offer proofreading, editing and other services to help get your children’s book out there. We want to see you succeed and we have the tools to help you do it. For more information please contact us today and we will be happy to discuss our publishing packages in more detail.

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What you ought to know about UK publishers

For a lot of people, writing a book is a passion and is something that they have been desperate to do. It is something that can consume them, taking up hours, days, months and sometimes even years, whether they tell the world about it or keep it to themselves,
Eventually, the time comes when the work is complete. After the initial satisfaction that comes with having completed a book, there then comes the feeling of “What now?”
What follows is the difficult part. Here are some things that you should know about UK publishers before you submit your book.

A lot of books get published

One thing that people may not realise is the sheer amount of books that get published. With an estimated one million new titles produced every year worldwide with a quarter of them being in the UK, it is a massive market out there. This means there is a lot of competition and it can be hard.
However, the news is not entirely negative. While there are a lot of books available, there are now a lot of places where books can be purchased and people can read them. Everywhere from independent cafes to networking events are potential places where people could read your books.
Furthermore, the internet has opened this space out even more. International markets that a few years ago would be hard to break are now much more accessible, while social media makes promotion a more level playing field.
What this means is it is not just about the UK publisher you choose but what they have to offer and whether their offer is right for you.

The big names

You have probably seen the typical big name publishers. These will be the ones that sell in supermarkets and airports before eventually ending up on the shelves of charity shops after their time in the sun is finished.
These tend to be the publishers behind the celebrity autobiographies over Christmas or the illustrated children’s books that big name actors, comedians and others want to have a go at.

This is why pitching towards these particular publishers can be difficult if not impossible. To be clear we are not having a go at them, simply telling it as it is.

What is true is the submission process when you approach a larger publisher. If you look up their website, it is very likely that there will be a disclaimer along the lines of “We do not accept unsolicited approaches.”
Now what exactly is an “unsolicited approach?” In simple terms, it doesn’t matter if you give them a fancy covering letter or include a self-addressed envelope. They will not look at your submission, not due to the fact they are looking down at you. Quality is not the issue, it is more about the legal ramifications of looking at something they have not been asked to see.
If a larger publisher takes a look at your work, rejects it and then publishes something that is similar in content to it, there is the risk that they could be sued and this is something that they will be looking to avoid.
They also tend to always work through an agent so may look at your work if you have an agent. Agency representation suggests someone whose work has been approved by the industry. This then raises a further question “How do you get an agent?” You quickly realise that this becomes difficult because they only earn if the book is accepted by the publisher.
Agencies may also have different submission guidelines so this process can also take time.

Smaller publishers

Not all publishers are the same. Others will have more open submission policies and this will allow you to at least have someone look at your work. The process will vary as some may want an initial synopsis or chapter sample before deciding whether or not they want to look at the whole thing.
The downside of this is that inevitably a more open submission process means more competition. The process can change over time too as publishers may be too busy during certain times in the year to look at new submissions.
Another issue with approaching a smaller publisher is that their focus may be more niche than a bigger name. This will mean that they will have to decide if your work is suitable for the particular demographic that they are targeting.

Self-publishing

Self-publishing is another route that people can go down. In the right way, it can offer people more control over the amount of books that they order and how their work is promoted.
The disadvantage of this is that it requires a lot more work on the part of the writer. You have to decide how much effort you want to put in order to help get your story out there.
As with any service, it is important to compare what companies have available and whether or not it is particularly suited to your personal requirements.

Is your work ready for publishing?

It can be a brutal thing to ask an author, but it is also a question that needs to be asked- is your work ready for publishing? This is not just in terms of the content of the story. It is also about how well it has been edited and proof-read, the quality of the cover and the formatting.
The size of the book can also be a factor. If you have an epic fantasy novel and you want to emphasise the grand nature of the narrative, then a hardback bound version can add a little bit of that aesthetic to draw readers in before they’ve even so much as glanced at the cover. However, you have to balance this with the sale price.
Feedback, editing and proof-reading are all important factors. You want to be sure that what you are offering to your readers is the strongest possible version of your story. While you can go over your story yourself, it often helps to have someone independent and objective look over the work.
This is why ShieldCrest offers a quality professional editing and proofreading service alongside our publishing options. Aside from checking over potential typos, we can make it easier for you to mould a narrative that people want to engage with.

The right package

ShieldCrest offers packages to suit different authors. Whether it is a small number of copies for a university poetry anthology or the next big blockbuster young adult series, we can tailor what we have to offer in order to suit your requirements. More details of the packages here.
One example is the print without distribution package. What this means is that we will check that the work is properly formatted and put together. We will provide a digital copy and a proof for you to look over. Once you are happy with that, we can then send out print copies to you. Typically, this will take around 14 working days.
This particular option works best for smaller scale publications. It may be that you wish to target a certain local area. In other cases, this might be your initial approach to see how strong demand is for your work and whether or not it is appropriate for wider distribution.
The wider distribution option is best suited to people who are confident in the quality and marketability of their book. Full distribution offers a range of benefits including a specially assigned ISBN number, allocation in leading high street retailers as well as online retailers and incorporated copyright protection.

Promotion

One of the elements that writers often need to work on is how they promote their work. A good example of this is how they spread the message about the stories they have written on different media platforms.
One of the major benefits of social media is the fact it allows more people to learn about what you do and to spread your message wider than ever thought possible. Nowadays there is every chance that a celebrity might see a post about your book or you may end up getting featured on any number of websites.
While promotion via social media can be positive there are also potential pitfalls. People sometimes make the mistake of oversharing or making self-deprecating remarks about the work that they do. Some people may think this is being modest but it does tempt possible readers to think “If the writer doesn’t believe in their story, then why should I?”
There is also the danger of attracting negative comments from people who haven’t even read the book. There are plenty of those circulating social media.
There is also the other extreme, when a writer will post almost exclusively about what they are doing to the detriment of other authors. This becomes even riskier if they decide to say how much better their work is than other titles, as there is always the danger that someone associated with those titles may see what you post and this could make you look bad.

This is why among other services ShieldCrest offers social media marketing promotion. It is important to strike the right balance between being positive about the work that you do without making it seem that you are overselling either. More details here.

Social media is also not the only type of promotion that is available to you. We provide a press release service which issues details of the writers work written by PR professionals which then is issued globally to all media who have an interest in that book genre. You can read more details of that service here.
Our most successful authors pay a great deal of attention to excite their local media in their work. They are always hunting for local news so this usually gets good response, particularly if you are writing something that has a strong connection to your local area or addresses issues concerning people that live there.
It is also worth noting that there are a lot of markets out there and ShieldCrest offers books globally through their international connections.

Writers may think “Surely what I do speaks for itself?” The reality is that there is a lot of competition so you need to find the angles and promotion that will engage with people.

This does not mean that we encourage writers to chase trends. In fact we would argue the opposite- we accept submissions from a wide array of genres because we know that tastes can change, such as the current fascination with true crime stories.
What we do feel is that once you have completed your story it becomes easier to know the audience it is likely to appeal to. While we would love to say our work appeals to “everyone”, this approach can often mean that the way something is promoted comes off in a vague way.
It is important to learn who takes pleasure in your work and encourage them to share it with others and a big part of that is finding the way to create messages that engage with them.
Finally, we can provide all our author’s books in e-book format which we distribute to over 60 countries around the world as part of our international marketing services.
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