Frequently Asked Questions (Self-Publishing and Editing Services)

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Self-publishing can be very tricky and time consuming and we want to offer as much help as we can. We want to help you produce a book that is attractive, easy to read, well-formatted and finished to a high standard. We are as excited and as passionate about your book as you are and want it to be the best book possible. We also want your book to be found and to last for a long time which is why we recommend using ISBNs and depositing a copy of your book with your country’s national library. 

Jumble Books and Publishers will give your book a spellcheck and quick read-through to check (and correct) obvious errors in grammar and punctuation. We will then format your book into three digital versions including a PDF version which some platforms use for print-on-demand options. Formatting includes setting up a table of contents with hyperlinks for easy navigability in your book and we may also help with the development of covers. We ask you to provide a blurb and author biography but can help with those too. We provide three ISBNs as part of our fee and will provide a fourth on request (you need a separate ISBN for each format of your book). These ISBNs will be included in the book at this stage. When the book is formatted, we will return it to you for you to review. We will make any corrections you pick up and return the book to you again for review. When you are satisfied with the book and, on receipt of your full payment, we will register your allocated ISBNs and then upload your book to the two agreed-on platforms, setting up accounts on them for you so you will receive any payments your book earns. We will deposit a digital copy of your book with the National Library of Australia as well. We will send you (via email) the three digital versions of your book with your account details for the two upload platforms (we advise you to change the passwords when you receive these details). 

Our standard flat fee includes a spellcheck and a quick read-through to check for obvious errors in grammar and punctuation but our assumption is that your book is ready for publication. If you would like a detailed edit, please email us (julie@jumblepublishing.com) and we will discuss what you would like and how much we would charge for that. 

Page numbers are not usual in digital books. Because of the differences in sizes of ebook readers including the different settings to alter the size of the font, page lengths (and widths) vary widely. This means most digital books only have fixed page breaks at the end of chapters or sections when a new page is required. Your print-on-demand book will be set up to have page numbers and, if you are reading in a PDF format, the PDF reader will have page numbers in its frame. 

Hyperlinks are used to move around a digital book. Each chapter heading is a hyperlink and these hyperlinks can be accessed either through the Contents page of your book or through your ebook reader’s menu. To use a hyperlink, just click on it. 

An ISBN (international standard book number) is a unique book identifier. It is used by publishers, booksellers, libraries, internet retailers and anybody else involved in supplying a book for publication or sale to identify a book for ordering, listing, selling and stock control. Each version and/or format of any book should have its own ISBN. ISBNs are not a legal requirement to publish a book but are strongly recommended. 

No; ISBNs are international. No ISBN belongs to any specific country and they are universal across countries – so an ISBN allocated in Australia will still be fine for use in a book bought through any other country’s store or website. ISBNs do contain geographic information but that is only where the company registering the ISBN is based. For books published through Jumble Books and Publishers, we supply three ISBNs for three digital versions (mobi, epub and PDF) and, if you opt for print-on-demand, the company printing the book will probably offer an ISBN for the print version. This ISBN is generally only able to be used through their service. Jumble Books and Publishers can provide an extra ISBN if you would like to have one ISBN for the print version across all sites. 

For books published using the ISBNs Jumble Books and Publishers provides, the ISBNs are owned by Jumble Books and Publishers. These ISBNs will identify Jumble Books and Publishers as the publisher. ISBNs are not transferrable so, if you want to be listed as the publisher of your book, you will need to buy the ISBN through the ISBN provider in your country. In Australia and the USA, ISBNs are bought through Thorpe-Bowker. The company that provides your print-on-demand version may offer a free ISBN which will generally only be able to be used on their platform or Jumble Books and Publishers can provide a fourth ISBN which can be used across various print-on-demand platforms.

Books can be published without ISBNs; however, it is strongly recommended to have an ISBN for your book as it makes it easier for your book to be found and to be catalogued by libraries and booksellers.  

You should email the manuscript of your book to us in a .doc or .docx file. You can do this in a separate email or in the same email where you return your Client Forms. 

Books published through Jumble Books and Publishers will be deposited with the National Library of Australia through its NED (National edeposit) service. This will provide the book with a library catalogue entry and will also make sure the book is remembered after its publication date. This will stop your book disappearing into the wilderness of the internet, never to be seen again. If you are an author not based in Australia, we would recommend that you deposit a copy of your book with your country’s national library as well.

We can help you create front or back book covers; however, they will be on the simple side and will only use public domain images unless you provide an image you have the rights to use. If you want something specific, we recommend you commission a cover from a graphic designer. We generally use a mix of Adobe Photoshop and Publisher to make our covers. If you supply covers, please supply them in PNG or JPG formats.

You retain the copyright of your book and a copyright notification will be put in the book which states this. 

An upload platform is the website where your book will be posted for sale (it is uploaded to the website). The most well-known upload platform is Amazon (or Kindle Direct Publishing) but there are other platforms as well (such as IngramSpark, Lulu and Smashwords). We will set up an account for you on these platforms when we upload your book and that account is how you will receive any money your book earns. We advise that you upload to Amazon (Kindle Direct Publishing) and another platform as well. We do not generally upload to Amazon’s KDP Select service (which includes free marketing) as agreeing to this service means only Amazon are permitted to sell the digital versions of your book for a set period of time but will do this if you request. We will pick a second platform for you if you are unsure which platform to use. 

Different ebook readers use different digital formats. As it is very unlikely that every potential reader of your book will be using the same ebook reader, it is recommended to provide your book in a variety of digital formats. The three most common formats (and the ones we provide) are PDF, epub and mobi. A mobi is specific to Amazon’s Kindle. An epub is a more generic format and is the format generally used by non-Kindle ebook readers (such as Nook). A PDF is another generic format and most ebook readers can use it. It is also the format necessary for many print-on-demand services and is usually the format we provide for your reviews. 

To set up your accounts on the upload platforms for your book and make sure you receive any payments your book earns, we need to supply your bank account details and personal information. We are very aware this is sensitive information and purge all our records of it once your book is uploaded. We also advise you to change the password we give you with your account details on these platforms so that you are the only one with access to your accounts when the book has been uploaded. 

Print-on-demand is a service which allows buyers of your book to buy a printed hard copy of it if they want. The buyer will pay for the printing, handling and postage. As books are printed only when requested, it makes publishing more economical and allows more people to publish their books. We will format your book for this option and make sure your book is posted to platforms that offer it. If you want to sell your book in stores or markets, you can have your books printed this way and distribute them to the sellers.  

We will treat your book with the utmost confidentiality and will not share it without your permission. When you give us permission to upload it to the platforms you have chosen, we will also post an image of the cover and your blurb on our website with a link to the platforms where it is for sale. We will also, if you agree, post the same image, blurb and links to our long-running blog as well as our social media accounts. Please see the links at the bottom of this page for more information.

If you are a US citizen for tax purposes, you will need to provide your SSN (Social Security Number) to receive payments as it is a requirement on all upload websites. 

We do not provide marketing services but suggest that you offer digital copies of your book on some book review sites (such as Goodreads and LibraryThing) and request that reviews be posted on the sites where your book has been uploaded. We also suggest you post information about your book on any social media accounts you have with links to where the book can be purchased. 

I am a member of IPEd (the Institute of Professional Editors Limited) which is the professional association for Australian and New Zealand editors. I am also a member of the Australian Publishers Association.