YouCaxton.co.uk Independant Publishers

17/03/2026

FREE EXHIBITION: Discover the enduring legacy of one of the most influential writers of the past century.

Drawing on the vast John le Carré archive held at the Bodleian Libraries, this exhibition offers rare insight into the working methods behind the modern spy novel - from student notebooks at Oxford to drafts written in his final weeks.

Featuring annotated manuscripts of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Constant Gardener, and The Little Drummer Girl, alongside personal correspondence, photographs, and artwork - much of it on display for the first time.

📍 Treasury, Weston Library
🎟️ Free admission, no ticket required

Find out more: https://visit.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/lecarre

17/03/2026

For those interested in the craft of writing, and just how much work it takes to produce a published masterpiece, only on until 6 April but well worth a visit.

FREE EXHIBITION: Discover the enduring legacy of one of the most influential writers of the past century.

Drawing on the vast John le Carré archive held at the Bodleian Libraries, this exhibition offers rare insight into the working methods behind the modern spy novel - from student notebooks at Oxford to drafts written in his final weeks.

Featuring annotated manuscripts of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Constant Gardener, and The Little Drummer Girl, alongside personal correspondence, photographs, and artwork - much of it on display for the first time.

📍 Treasury, Weston Library
🎟️ Free admission, no ticket required

Find out more: https://visit.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/lecarre

17/03/2026

Why have your book copy-edited? Is it just another cost?
It is vital that a book is copy-edited, even a book by an experienced author. Experienced authors know this. Quite small errors cause annoyance to readers, and just one bad reader’s review on Amazon or some other platform is a bad review too many. Bad reviews can be fatal to a book’s success.
The copy-editor will identify errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar, style and usage, but also overuse of italics, bold, capitals and exclamation marks.
They will watch for doubtful facts, weak arguments, clumsiness in dialogue, and gaps in numbering. In fiction, they should also spot errors in continuity: for instance, characters who change their name or hair colour. Bear in mind, the copy-editor is not expected to find all of the errors in the text, particularly if the text is not well written to start with.
The final proof should be checked against the typescript for printer's errors by a proofreader or an experienced reader friend before going to print.
YouCaxton can copy-edit your typescript, ask us for a quote. The price depends on length, complexity, and how well written your work is to start with. https://www.youcaxton.co.uk/

12/02/2026

Famous writers who took the independent self-publishing route include Mark Twain who self-published The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Tolstoy who self-published War and Peace. However, the greatest proponent of this sort of publishing was Edgar Rice Burroughs who established Edgar Rive Burroughs Inc, in 1923 from his Tarzana Ranch. This allowed him to manage his own literary empire, controlling rights and expanding into various other media in particular, films and maximising his profit on such wildly successful titles as Tarzan of the Apes.
Subsequently Burroughs work has appeared in numerous editions from the commercial publishing world, including these Tandem paperbacks, illustrated by our editor Bob Fowke in the 1970s, when cover art was created by painting, not computer-assisted or AI. Bob is also a published author in his own right. YouCaxton is releasing a new edition of his The Real Ancient Mariner, and Bob is speaking about this at Bishop's Castle Arts Festival. https://www.youcaxton.co.uk/contact/
https://bobfowke.co.uk/
https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?26629

08/12/2025

We were delighted to attend the book launch of Alex Craxford's 'In Search of the Blindingly Obvious' at the Josef Koppmann Gallery at the Oxo Tower. Seeing Alex's beautiful work in this stylish setting was a real pleasure. Thank you to Josef Koppmann for enabling this to take place. https://www.instagram.com/alanjohncrax/reel/DR2Jjj1jHpY/

12/11/2025

How YouCaxton Publishing works with you:
We help authors publish professionally by supplying the specific services they need—editing, design, production and distribution—without forcing packages or taking control of their work.
We are a professional publishing services company
We provide the editorial, design, production and distribution expertise required to bring a book to market. You remain in creative control; we make sure the book meets trade expectations and is straightforward to buy, ship and account for.
You retain creative control and copyright
You keep the copyright in your work. Where we need permission to manufacture and distribute, we use a simple, non-exclusive licence limited to that purpose. There is no assignment of rights.
ISBNs & registration with Nielsen: our default (and your option)
• Default: We supply a YouCaxton ISBN free of charge and register the book with Nielsen BookData with YouCaxton as the publisher of record. This lets us manage distribution routes and royalties cleanly and keep your metadata accurate.
• Author option: You may use your own ISBN. In that case you’ll need to register with Nielsen yourself. Even when YouCaxton is listed as publisher, we can register you as the distributor where appropriate.
Find us at: https://www.youcaxton.co.uk/youcaxton-publishing-model/

22/09/2025

Understanding your Printing Options
When choosing how to print your materials, it helps to know the main differences between Litho printing, Short-run digital printing, and Print-on-demand. Each method has its own advantages depending on your needs:
Litho Printing (Offset Printing)
• Best for large quantities (hundreds or thousands of copies).
• Uses traditional printing plates and ink for high-quality, consistent results
• More cost-effective at scale, since the setup cost is spread across many copies
• Ideal for brochures, magazines, books, and professional marketing materials
Short-Run Printing (Digital Printing)
• Designed for smaller batches (from a few copies up to a few hundred).
• Faster turnaround because there’s no plate setup—the file goes straight to the printer
• Flexible: great for test runs, limited editions, or quick reprints
• Typically slightly higher cost per copy than litho, but cheaper overall for small quantities
Print-on-Demand (POD)
• Prints only when an order is placed, even a single copy.
• No need to store stock—each book or item is produced as needed.
• Perfect for self-publishers, online stores, or products with unpredictable demand
• Reduces waste and upfront costs, and is the cheapest method of printing for small quantities

08/09/2025

Publishing Memoirs and Biographies
You’ve decided to write a memoir or the biography of a family member, or perhaps an autobiography. Where to start?
https://www.youcaxton.co.uk/publishing-memoirs-and-biographies/

21/08/2025

What is the difference between self-publishing and vanity publishing?
Often used interchangeably, but not the same.
Self-Publishing
The author
• acts as the publisher, retains control over the publishing process.
• commissions services e.g. editing, design, formatting, printing,and distribution from a firm like YouCaxton; or uses platforms like Amazon KDP, IngramSpark, or Draft2Digital.
• pays for professional services ie editing, design, printing, marketing, but retains all rights and royalties.
• decides on pricing, distribution, and marketing strategy.
• Increasingly respected - many bestsellers today are self-published.
Vanity Publishing
A company
• charges authors to publish their books, often making their money from the authors, not readers.
• may promise editing, design, printing and distribution but often deliver poor quality and limited reach.
• Costs can be high; authors pay thousands for services they could get better/cheaper elsewhere.
• Often retains rights or ISBNs and dictates pricing/distribution.
• Reputation generally negative - seen as predatory, preying on authors
Key Distinctions:
• Self-publishing = you’re the publisher, invest in your book, keep creative and financial control.
• Vanity publishing = you pay a company to call themselves your publisher, they often take your rights, overcharge, deliver little value.
Signs of a Legitimate Service
• You retain all rights.
• Clear pricing pay only for what you need: editing, cover design, printing, etc.
• Royalties are transparent
• ISBN choice is yours. You can use your own or theirs.
• No hard-sell tactics. Provide services, not false promises.
YouCaxton is a self publishing services provider (sometimes referred to as a hybrid model), not a traditional or vanity press.
YouCaxton offers
• Publishing support for self publishers: We provide a full suite of services - editing, design, formatting, ISBN registration, eBooks, print-on-demand, distribution, marketing, and royalty collection/payment - for authors who want to publish independently, and retain control and rights over their work.
• We publish a select number of titles under our own imprint.
• YouCaxton works in memoir, general non-fiction, selected fiction, and art or full colour books.
Founded in the late 1980s in Nottingham, later based in Oxford and Shrewsbury, and currently operating from Shropshire. https://www.youcaxton.co.uk

21/08/2025

'Slates, Zeppelins and Evacuees' by Nigel Jepson tells the fascinating story of a school which, in spite of its rural setting, has not always enjoyed complete peace and quiet. For example, a German Zeppelin air raid attack created havoc in 1916, inflicting extensive damage on the school building.
With World War I, the reader is invited to enter the mind of long-serving Head Teacher Henry Foster. Creating a ‘Roll of Honour’ in his poignant log-book entry of 1914, he respectfully inscribes the names of ex-pupils of the school serving in the nation’s armed forces, all of whom he had taught, adding detail as to the regiments they had joined.
Tragically, many of these same names were fated to appear on the commemorative tribute, erected at the nearby church in honour of those who lost their lives in the conflict. Later the onset of World War II brought challenging times again for the school, including accommodating evacuee pupils and teachers from Manchester.
Often described as a ‘true village school’, Holcombe faced another rude awakening more recently when Ofsted and SATS came to pose a threat of a different kind to the school’s sense of well-being.
Coping with early difficulties adapting to a welter of new Government initiatives, the heartening story is told here of how Holcombe School, while retaining its character as a ‘true village school,’ has enjoyed great success in recent times with the achievements of its pupils, and commitment of its staff, governors and parents. https://www.youcaxton.co.uk/