Self-publishing with whitefox

The Publishing Process

Nothing quite compares to the feeling of holding your book in your hands for the first time. Self-publishing is the perfect way to turn that dream into a reality. You will benefit from larger earnings on sales, faster turnaround times and complete creative control.

Not all self-publishing is created equal. As with anything, the finished product is only as good as the talent of the team behind it.

While publishing can seem a daunting and convoluted process, we make it our mission to provide you with the expert guidance, talent and complete transparency that your book deserves. We only work with the very best specialists in the industry and assign every client a dedicated in-house editorial project manager to oversee the creation of their book, so you won’t be going it alone. This is how we create books that people are proud to put their names to.

whitefox Project Management

✓ Ongoing editorial consultancy
✓ Sourcing & coordination of publishing team
✓ Customised project schedule
✓ Integrated quality assurance
✓ Project launch, set-up & handover

There is so much that goes into producing and publishing a wonderful book. Our in-house project management team provides the whitefox magic touch, providing a trusted pair of hands to guide you through the entire process. Our editorial team has a wealth of experience from traditional publishing houses such as Penguin Random House, Faber & Faber, Watkins and HarperCollins, in addition to years of expertise from providing the specialist support required for self-published projects. We offer the same level of quality and care for every book. Our aim is for you to enjoy the publishing process with a whitefox project manager by your side.

Editorial Services

✓ Structural editing
✓ Copyediting
✓ Typesetting
✓ Proofreading
✓ Indexing

The quality, accuracy and readability of your text is integral to producing a first-rate book. whitefox’s trusted network of editors, proofreaders and indexers covers a wide spectrum of specialisms, from politics and business to cookery and children’s illustrated. We understand that no two books are the same and that each one requires bespoke editorial treatment. Our editorial team will advise on the best plan of action for your manuscript and source the best professional pairings for you. Once your manuscript is in the best possible shape, we will oversee the final stages, typesetting and proofreading to ensure that your words sit beautifully on the page.

Design Services

✓ Cover design
✓ Interior page design
✓ Illustration
✓ Photography & set design

Let’s be honest, people do judge a book by its cover. But once they’ve opened it, what’s on the inside needs to look good too, especially with more complex, image-led projects. The look and feel of your book should perfectly represent your story and brand. Design is a complex and intricate process, and producing a professional-looking cover is much harder than it seems. We work with renowned, industry-leading designers who will create a unique and eye-catching cover or jacket design for your book. For larger-scale projects requiring interior page design, whitefox will oversee the entire process, from the sourcing of high-quality images, the organisation of photoshoots, the creation of exquisite illustrations, and anything else needed to ensure a truly beautiful result.

Availability & Discoverability

✓ ISBN registration
✓ Metadata and discoverability
✓ eBook conversion & distribution
✓ Print-on-demand account set-up

Ensuring that your book is properly set up so that readers can discover and purchase it as both physical and digital editions is an essential part of the publishing process. Allow us to use our expertise in metadata and digital discovery to make your book available and categorise it so that a wide audience can find it.

Print-on-demand (often referred to as POD) is a method of digital book printing that allows you to print books when customers make a purchase instead of printing a large quantity in a single run and then holding that stock in a warehouse. whitefox will help set up your POD account so readers can purchase physical copies in a suitable format.

Physical Edition Printing

✓ Guidance on format options
✓ Production management
✓ Briefing and coordinating printers
✓ Deluxe print options

Printing physical copies of your book is the best route for many projects, and committing to a greater number of copies means that better per-unit costs are available. If your project is a more unusual format, deluxe or very image-led, printers will be able to provide you with a far greater range of options than print-on-demand. whitefox has relationships with trusted printing partners across the UK, Europe, North America, the Middle East and Australia. We will consult on format options for your book and source the most cost-effective quotes, then arrange a print run of your book to be printed and delivered wherever you choose.

Additional: Sales & Physical Distribution

✓ Sales representation & sales reporting
✓ UK and US warehousing & order fulfilment
✓ UK, US & international distribution

We live in a world where anyone can utilise POD and eBook options to make their book available online through booksellers such as Amazon. But if you want to see your physical book in book shops and available through other online retailers, you’ll need a significant amount of specialist knowledge. Grabbing the attention of wholesalers and retailers can be tricky; it requires targeting the right vendors, establishing accounts and discount terms, planning ahead for submission deadlines and positioning your book attractively with an appropriate retail price, metadata and a sales and marketing plan. Overwhelmed? Don’t worry, you don’t have to do this alone. We can work with you to devise a customised sales strategy for your book and ensure it is targeted effectively at booksellers and other retailers serving the customers who will be most interested in your project.

Storing and shipping large quantities of books can also be difficult; whitefox can help by taking on the responsibility of storage and distribution while keeping you updated with regular sales reports and quarterly payment of your earnings. Working with our distribution partners in the UK and US, we can oversee the picking, packing, shipping, invoicing, collections, reporting and payment on your sales, all covered under a single service, getting your books where they need to be on time.

Additional: Marketing & PR

✓ Social media & content strategy
✓ Paid advertising & account management
✓ Specialist book publicity

Making your target audience aware of your book is the key to selling copies. There is so much you can do for free when it comes to book marketing and PR. Planning ahead to build up email lists and an engaged following on social media can be the most effective way to sell copies. However, if you do require input from an expert, you will need to consider your budget to cover the cost of their time, and any paid advertising or earned media you hope to run.

Marketing and publicity strategies come in all shapes and sizes. What works for one book does not always work for others. Picking the right activities to promote your book depends on what resources and platforms you already have access to, who your audience is and what your goals are. whitefox has a range of partners available to support you, whether that’s helping you develop a social media strategy, setting up targeted ads to find your audiences or working closely with a suitable publicist who can source relevant media coverage for your book. We will advise you on your options in the context of your book project so that you are investing in the right areas.