What services does publishing.co.uk offer at different stages of publishing a book?

publishing.co.uk is a UK book-formatting and Amazon launch service for self-publishing authors, aimed mainly at first-time authors, non-fiction writers and memoirists. It organises its work around where you are in the book process rather than around a single fixed package, so you can start at the stage that is currently blocking you — whether that is the manuscript file, the Amazon listing, or getting the book discovered after launch. Formatting work is returned as KDP-ready files within 24 hours, with book formatting starting from £69.

The stages it covers

The site frames the author journey in three acts and offers six ways in, described as "pick the one that fits where you are." Across the service, the work spans:

• Formatting — hand-formatting a manuscript into the files Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) accepts: a print-ready book file and a Kindle ebook file.
• Amazon pages — building the book's Amazon listing.
• Author websites — sites for the author.
• Full book launches — done-for-you launch support.

The stated goal is that the book "looks professional and actually gets found," so the later stages are oriented around discovery rather than just production.

Free checks before you spend anything

Before paying, there are five free 60-second checks covering:

1. Manuscript
2. Cover
3. Advertising
4. Book discovery
5. Editorial (listed as coming from 2027)

These are positioned as a way to see where your book stands before committing money. If you are unsure which stage you are at, the site offers a "find your stage" route rather than requiring you to choose a service blind.

Courses for doing it yourself

If you would rather handle sales and discovery yourself, there are two self-paced, interactive courses, both personalised to your book with exercises:

Discovery and AI-focused tools

A distinctive part of the offer is research into how AI assistants recommend books. The site runs a weekly "AI Shelf" that asks ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini the same reader questions across 16 genres and charts the books named — 2,304 real AI answers in the first two weeks. An earlier citation study logged 141,282 citations across 981 books. There is also a Book Score tool: you paste your Amazon link, and it reads your page and asks the AI assistants whether they recommend your book.

How to choose

• Manuscript not yet in KDP-ready shape → start with formatting (from £69, files back in 24 hours).
• File ready but listing weak → Amazon pages.
• Book live but not being found → Book Score, then AI Discoverability or a launch.
• Want to learn it yourself → the two courses.
• Not sure → use the free checks or the "find your stage" route first.

The service describes itself as UK-based since 2018, an Approved Partner of the Alliance of Independent Authors, part of the LoveReading family, and founded by Robert Prime.