How it works

Download our free handy reference guides:

Preparing your manuscript
Submitting, checking and correcting your manuscript

Alternatively, you can order a copy of our editor-in-chief’s new book, How Not To Write A Book – it’s packed with useful advice about everything from what sort of book to write to how to promote it once it’s published.

There are four main stages to the Mereo publishing process:

1. 1. Scoping and quotation
      • Before we can give you a realistic quotation, we’ll need to find out all about your book – why you have written it, who it’s aimed at, whether you hope to sell it commercially. If you want us to write your book for you, we will begin by discussing your project in detail, ideally face to face. Please see ghostwriting for more detail.
      • If you have written or are writing your book yourself, we’ll need you to send us the text, (or a sample of it) so we can advise you on its potential and give you an indication of costs. We will of course treat it in complete confidence.
      • After assessing your requirements, we will send you an itemised quotation which will include the costs for a) checking and editing the text as necessary, b) designing, printing and publishing. We are normally able to respond within 24 hours. Our quoted price will be firm, unless you later add extra material or make significant changes. Printing costs may be approximate at this stage if we don’t yet know how long the finished book will be or how many illustrations it will require.
      • When you are satisfied with our proposal, we’ll send you two copies of a detailed contract. This document clearly outlines the service we agree to supply, the estimated timescale and the expected costs. Please sign and return one copy along with your initial payment, to cover the cost of initial editing.
   2. Transcription and Editing
      • If your manuscript is typed or handwritten, we can still help, but we’ll need to scan or retype the text to create an editable digital document. NB: Scanning typescript often creates typographical errors, which will need to be corrected and may add to the cost of editing. If your manuscript is not of sufficient quality to be scanned, or is handwritten, it will need to be manually retyped to create an editable digital document. You may prefer to arrange for this transcription yourself before sending us your work.
      • When we have finished editing, we will send you the revised version for approval, usually via email. We will recommend an appropriate title (if you don’t have a good one), chapter headings, cover text etc. We may also invite you to add any further sections such as a foreword or acknowledgments if required. You are of course free to make any changes or corrections you require. If this involves the addition of substantial new material, your amendments may incur additional cost to cover extra editing.
      • To avoid confusion, delays and possibly extra expense, please don’t send the manuscript back to us until you are certain that it’s complete and final. If at all possible, please email us the changes rather than sending us a hard copy.
   3. Cover design and typeset text
      • Once you’re happy with the text, we will send you our designs for the cover and text layout (typesetting). We want you to be happy with the final product, so we’ll ask you to check the typesetting carefully. Please indicate any corrections on our author change sheet (supplied via email). We won’t charge for correcting minor errors, but we will normally need to charge if you make any additions or changes at this stage.
   4. Proofing and printing
      • Once you’re satisfied with the design and typesetting, we’ll print a loose proof (an unbound copy) and post it to you for approval.
      • Once you have approved the loose proof, we will print the required number of copies (no minimum quantity!) In addition, we will also print copies for legal deposition at the statutory libraries, including the British Library etc.

We continue to support you after your book has been published

1. • Promoting your book online
     When your book has been published we will list it on Nielsen BookNet, the online book trade information and ordering system. This means that your book can be ordered from any bookseller. In addition, we will list your book on a number of other websites including our own; mereobooks.com and memoirspublishing.co.uk.
   • Conversion to electronic book formats
     In addition to printed copies of your book, we will make your book available in various eBook formats, e.g. Kindle.
   • Purchasing copies of your own book
     We supply high-quality printed copies which are normally significantly better than those printed through internet based print-on-demand channels. To avoid disappointment, we strongly advise you either to order a supply of books from Mereo for resale, or to direct all sales enquiries to Mereo Books.
   • Securing your book’s ISBN numbers
     Every book intended for sale needs an ISBN number, so we automatically purchase one, along with a barcode, for each book we publish. Paperback and hardcover versions require separate ISBN numbers, as does each revised edition. We sort all of this out for you, so you don’t have to worry.
   • Earning royalties from the sale of your book
     When we sell copies of your book directly, we’ll pay you the majority of royalties in full for every copy we sell (less our costs). For sales through other outlets, royalty rates may vary according to the sales channel. We will track these on your behalf and send you a detailed royalty statement every six months. Royalties are usually calculated biannually at 30th June and 31st December. Reports and payments normally follow 4 to 6 weeks after. Because of the way the trade operates, we won’t be able to provide any meaningful information on sales figures until several months after publication.
   • Your copyright is protected
     We guarantee that you will be credited as the sole author of your book and the text will remain your copyright. Mereo Books will undertake not to use or reproduce it without your prior authorisation.Our design and artwork for the book will remain the copyright of Mereo Books and may not be reproduced by anyone, including yourself, without our agreement. We will not withhold permission, as long as you have paid our invoiced charges. You are, of course, free to publish or share the edited text, either in full or in part, without our agreement, but we would advise you to talk to us before so doing.

If you like the sound of what we do, give Toni Tingle or Chris Newton a call today for a free, no-obligation quotation.