Tricorn Books was set up in response to a frustrated and determined author who couldn’t find anyone to publish her book.  We were designing her book at the time and knew that she not only had a great looking product, but also a very good read with an interesting story. So, we decided to publish the book ourselves, under the name of Tricorn Books.  The business has moved on since then but we weren’t wrong in knowing that others would like her book too - we are on our fourth print run with that title!

Self-publishing offers great opportunities to writers and potential authors, at a time when traditional publishers are looking to prune their book lists and rely increasingly on blockbuster best-sellers.

As you pay a fixed fee based on the amount of work you want us to do plus print costs, you can sell the books and keep all the profits to manage your cash flow. It doesn’t take long before you cover your costs, create a surplus and by that time are ready to invest in another successful title.

For some reason, self-publishing can conjures up images of bad design, poor production values and weak content; at Tricorn books this is not the case. As successful designers with our sister company, 131 Design we have the expertise to produce appropriate and bespoke visuals for the covers and internal pages that will communicate the values of your title. Having years of  experience in the creative industries, also allows us to source and negotiate the best, and most cost effective print production  – whatever the requirement.

Self-publishing also benefits readers and book buyers alike, in that it often serves niche interests and a local market, as well as bringing some otherwise lesser known public figures into the public domain. Areas of unexploited topics include social history, autobiographies, personal accounts of cultural significance, and fictional stories from less orthodox individuals.

Photography and music have long been subject areas where artists and musicians have taken publishing into their own hands; producing, marketing and selling their own titles, which undoubtedly make this market sector dynamic, exciting and contemporary. Stephen Gill is one well known contemporary, photographer who has self-published works such as London Fields, Hackney Wick and Coming Up for Air, all of which have been very well received.

Selling books is another area that has changed radically due to the internet, and increase in the number and diversity of retail outlet opportunities.  Whilst there are still only a limited number of mainstream wholesalers in this country, there are a myriad of other ways to market titles, from social networking sites such as facebook and Twitter, to personalised websites, to community tv and radio, to name just a few.

Please see a selection of articles, news and reviews about self-publishing below, that we will update regularly for you.