For many years now I have been self publishing my books, but a few years ago, I signed a contract with Rowanvale Books to publish two manuscripts, Aurélie, On the Road, and A Right to Live. Was it a good experience? Yes, definitely. Do I recommend Rowanvale Books to anyone who is looking for a vanity publisher? Yes, wholeheartedly.

A Friendly Face, and Professional

Rowanvale Books is an independent vanity publisher, based in the UK, but they work with authors all over the globe. They aim to give authors the possibility to publish their work without having to pay an arm and a leg. Author satisfaction and control are very important to them, and their values are ambition, efficiency, trust, enjoyment, and energy.

The staff at Rowanvale Books is friendly and professional. Cat, the managing director, welcomes you personally when you submit an inquiry or your work for publishing. I have to say that all my email correspondence was answered swiftly. The tone of every email was always polite and professional. Throughout the whole publishing process I was continuously kept up to date.

A Personal Account Manager

When you decide to publish with Rowanvale Books, you are assigned an account manager who will supervise the process all the way through. For any doubt or issue, you can contact your account manager who replies immediately. She will also inform you of the editing and the book cover design process.

During the time that I used Rowanvale Books, my experience with my account managers was very positive. After the work was done, I was sent a questionnaire in which I could evaluate them. I always gave them an excellent review, because I was always happy with the service.

Editing

Many authors can probably understand the nerves when your edited work is sent back to you. “What is crossed out?” “What remarks does the editor have?” It can be nerve wrecking to watch your manuscript – which took you perhaps a year to write – with lots of words, sentences, or even paragraphs crossed out, and questions and comments added in the margins. It’s like someone took a red pen and corrected what your soul has blurted out. Ouch, that can be tough …

The editors at Rowanvale Books are professional and they thoroughly revise the author’s work. Their comments and questions are to the point, but always friendly and professional. I honestly enjoyed working with Rowanvale’s editors. My manuscripts went through three editing processes, first a book editing, then a proofread, and at last a final quality control check. Nothing was left to chance.

Book Cover Design

The covers for both my books Aurélie, On the Road and A Right to Live were exactly as I envisioned them. For Aurélie, On the Road, I wanted a dark forest and a hole in the ground that would lead to an underground werewolf lair. The cover designer did an excellent job.

For A Right to Live I wanted something special. A Right to Live is about street dogs (and cats) in Los Cabos, Mexico. It’s the real story, not the sugarcoated, sweet, cute doggie tale, but as it really is. Rusty, a female street dog tells her story from her point of view.

This tale is based on my years in animal rescue, and for the cover I had a certain image in mind. I sent the book cover designer photos of two dogs I used to have and who meant a lot to me. They were two sisters (rescue dogs) who looked like twins. I asked him to create a dog that had characteristics of both in them.

I also sent him a photo of a bridge from my hometown, because that bridge plays an important role in the story. The end result brought tears to my eyes. He had created Rusty. For me, it was perfect.

Enough said. Rowanvale’s book cover designers know what they are doing.

Book’s Ready. What Now?

After the manuscript is edited and proofread, the book cover is designed, and the text is formatted, what’s next? Rowanvale Books will upload your book on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and major book retail platforms. A press release will also be issued.

Now, it’s up to you whether you want to market your books yourself or you want to hire Rowanvale’s marketing services.

Prices

Prices are accessible. There was a time when I was strapped for cash, and I was offered a package with monthly payments, to make it more affordable. At Rowanvale Books they will try to make things work for you, which is another reason why I recommend them highly.

Any Other Services?

Let me list here everything that Rowanvale Books offers.

• Writing adviser service (learn how to write a good book)
• Scanning and typing service
• Proofreading and copy editing
• Custom book cover design
• Book illustrations service
• Extensive report service
• Beta readers
• Marketing activities
• Marketing coaching and support

Final Score

I give Rowanvale Books a well-deserved 9.5.

I honestly have nothing negative to say about them. I no longer use their services, but the reasons are not due to them, but because I chose to go on the self-publishing path. If anyone is looking for a good vanity publisher, I will always recommend Rowanvale Books. In fact, a friend of mine published her poetry collection with them.

If you have any more doubts or questions, please let me know. Or you can contact Rowanvale Books directly on their website.