ORIGINAL PUBLISHING & DESIGN
Publishing Services
Story and illustration critique
Jacket and page design
Book formatting and prepress
Independent and self-publishing mentoring
Print buying consultation
Nicholas Halliday has a career spanning over 25 years in publishing and includes jacket and page design, formatting, illustration, print buying, packaging and eBooks.
Using this wealth of knowledge, Nick has developed a range of bespoke publishing and design services. Whether you represent a global imprint or are a new illustrator and author self-publishing a single title, or anyone in-between, Nick would be honoured to discuss how you might work together.
Jacket and page design and book packaging
Page formatting
and Prepress
Prepress composition, page layout, formatting and design are areas which require a particular skill requiring attention to detail, consistency and a feel for the reader's eye. For publishers, authors and illustrators Nicholas Halliday will be delighted to discuss all your prepress requirements.
Story and Illustration Critique
Having your work reviewed by a professional author or illustrator is an important stage in your publishing process and can give your work the edge and determine its success. Before you submit your picture book or first three chapters of your novel to a literary agent or publisher, we recommend you submit it for critique.
Authors
Nicholas Halliday will critique any manuscript up to 5000 words. All work submitted is reviewed by Nick personally and will not be passed on to other editors. At all times he will be as honest and constructive as possible. You will, therefore, receive the opinion of a working author, illustrator and publisher who is aware of the importance of every aspect of a successful book.
The critique can take into account strength of storyline and characters, age appropriateness, current publishing trends and prose style. Nick can conduct a second critique of the same work after revision for half the full price paid for the first.
Illustrators
Where images accompany manuscripts, they will be critiqued along with the text with both quality and suitability taken into account. Nick will indicate where changes might be made to improve the relationship between image and text. Nick has a wealth of experience in this area and will be able to judge the quality and suitability and you will receive a full written critique of your work. Where a portfolio is submitted, your work will be judged for its suitability for use within children's publishing.
This all adds up to a comprehensive assessment and will help you take another important step towards seeing your work in print.
Prices
• Stories up to 1000 words £86 (Return read through £43)
• Stories up to 2000 words £146 (Return read through £73)
• Stories between 2000 and 3500 words £196 (Return read through £98)
• Stories between 3500 and 5000 words £246 (Return read through £123)
• Stories above 5000 words. Price on application
• Stories accompanied by illustrations additional £60.00
• Illustrators portfolio critique and review £95.00
Details
• Response within ten working days
• All correspondence will be by email
• Payment must be cleared before any work is undertaken
• Discretion and confidentiality assured at all times
Applying
To apply for a critique, please use our contact form and add your files accordingly. Remember to include your details and state which critique service you require. You should provide a synopsis of no more than 100 words, including the target age and audience. We will contact you to confirm receipt of your files and advise on moving forward.
Independent and
self-publishing mentoring
In recent years independent and self-publishing have changed the face of the industry. Helped by the explosion of print-on-demand and online digital publishing, over 3000 books are released in the UK every week. Having Nicholas Halliday by your side as a mentor, accompanied by his unique inside knowledge, will give your work the very best chance of standing out in this crowd. Simply make contact to discuss how you can work together.
Independent Publishers Pack
We are currently updating our Independent Publishers Pack – a comprehensive resource for independent and self-publishers. This all-new update will guide you through every step of print and digital publishing, from the final keystroke of your book to the bookstore shelf and online retailer. If you would like to be notified of when this invaluable download becomes available, please add your email to the mailing list here.
Nicholas Halliday is a respected designer, known for unique and memorable book jackets, page layouts, publicity and book packaging. He creates book jackets and page layouts for a range of publishers and acts as project manager and creative director for some and advises on print for others. Nick has a careers-worth of experience using the Adobe suite of software and can take on a project at any stage, troubleshoot, advise on print buying and see it through to the bookshelf.
Nick welcomes new authors and publishers of any size and invites you to make contact.
INDEPENDENT PUBLISHERS PACK
THE
COMPLETE
RESOURCE
FOR
INDEPENDENT
AND
SELF
PUBLISHED
AUTHORS
"DEAR NICK ... I WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT SINCE YOU CRITIQUED MY BOOKS, I'VE BEEN TAKEN ON BY AN AGENT AND MY WORK IS NOW BEING PRESENTED TO PUBLISHERS.
THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR YOUR KINDNESS AND HONESTY.
Rachel Quayle
"THE NEWEST BOOKS, ROOTS AND CURRENTS AND THE BREAKTHROUGH CONTINUE TO BE GREATLY ADMIRED."
Ajahn Amaro
Amaravati Publications
"THANKS FOR GETTING THE VISUALS TO US IN TIME FOR THE LONDON BOOK FAIR. WE ALL LOVE THE NEW FIGHTING FANTASY COVERS, BOX SET & COUNTER PACK. YOU CERTAINLY KNOW HOW TO SURPRISE US."
Andrew Furlow
Icon Books
"YOUR [INDEPENDENT PUBLISHERS] PACK WAS SO HELPFUL TO US. WE HAD NO IDEA THERE WAS SO MUCH TO CONSIDER."
Stephen & Mary
Allsopp Publications
Print buying consultation
It's a wonderful moment when you hold your first published book in your hand. Feeling it's weight, the crispness of the paper, the aroma of the ink or the brightness of your illustrations is all very rewarding. However, prepress and printing can be an expensive and complicated business and a single mistake duplicated hundreds or thousands of times is very costly.
Preparing your work for print, choosing the right printer, liaising with a print rep, assessing the quality of dummies, arranging shipping and delivery are all skills which come with experience. Nicholas Halliday has output countless projects and bought print from many printers in several counties. His experience can be a valuable asset if you are just beginning your career as an author or publisher. Please make contact to discuss how Nick can guide you through the print buying process.
