Ask a few authors what they would change about their first book and the answers sound alike. It is rarely "I should have written more." It is "I wish I had known who to ask, and what to ask them." That matters because money is tight in this trade. The last big ALCS survey, reported in December 2022, put median earnings from writing for professional UK authors at £7,000. At that level, a poor deal does not sting, it sinks.

So here is what authors say they wish they had checked before choosing book publishers in England. Go Publisher House is a services company based in Stockport where authors keep their rights, and the questions below are worth putting to them as much as anyone else.

Six Questions Authors Wish They Had Asked First

Write these on a card and keep it by the phone.

• Who owns my ISBN, and is it registered in my name?

• How long does the contract last, and how do I leave?

• Which shops and wholesalers will actually stock my book?

• Who edits and designs it, and can I speak to them?

• Will I see a proof copy before anything goes live?

• Do I get sales data, and how often?

These are not fussy. In the Society of Authors and Writers' Guild report on paid publishing in 2022, 59 percent of authors said their book was not available in bookshops, supermarkets or other outlets, and only three in ten were told about their right to cancel. Authors who asked early would have heard the answers before paying.

Why Waiting Costs More Than You Think

Most regret is not about price. It is about time. A book that sits in a drawer for a year while its author waits on replies has not earned a penny, and every month of delay is a month of readers who never heard of it. When you compare book publishers in England, ask for a written schedule with dates for editing, design, proofing and release, and ask what happens if one of those dates slips.

• Named dates for each stage

• A proof stage before release

• A written plan if the schedule slips

What Authors Wish They Had Sorted Earlier

Help With the Draft

Plenty of people have a strong story and no time to write it. If that is you, ask about ghost writing services before a deadline forces you to rush. The best ones record your voice, not the writer's, and the credit stays yours.

• Interviews or voice notes in the first week

• A named writer, not a pool

• Your approval after each chapter

A Proper Edit

Authors often say a second pair of eyes would have caught what they could no longer see. Good book editing services work in stages, and each stage fixes a different problem. Ask for a sample on one page of your own manuscript before you pay.

• A structural edit for pacing and argument

• A line edit for clarity and voice

• A proofread for typos and consistency

A Cover That Works Small

Most readers see your book as a tiny square on a screen. Serious book cover design services study your genre first, then test the cover at thumbnail size before you approve it. Ask how many rounds of changes are included.

• Examples from your own category

• Front, spine and back files

• Ownership of the artwork when you finish

Clean Files, Not Just Pretty Ones

A layout can look fine on a designer's screen and fall apart on a phone. Ask how book formatting services handle print and eBook separately, because they are different files and each format needs its own ISBN.

• A print ready PDF at the correct trim size

• A reflowable eBook for any screen

• A proof copy to check by hand

A Plan Before Release Week

The biggest regret on many lists is starting marketing after publication. Sensible book marketing services begin earlier, with plain tasks you can tick off.

• Retailer page copy and the right categories

• A list of early readers for honest reviews

• A first thirty day plan with dates

The Audio Question

Audio is growing, and it is easy to get wrong. If a team offers audiobook production services, ask who narrates, who owns the recordings and where the audiobook will be sold.

• A narrator sample before you commit

• A clear split of audio rights

• A list of stores that will carry it

A Home for Your Name

Readers who like one book go looking for the writer. Ask whether author branding services include a simple website, a newsletter signup and a short bio, and check that you own every account and domain that gets set up.

• Your own domain in your own name

• Full logins handed over at the end

• A bio you can reuse everywhere

Warning Signs Worth Walking Away From

Some things sound small on a call and turn out to be everything later.

• Pressure to decide today

• No dates in writing

• Vague answers about distribution

• Rights described out loud but not written down

Your Next Step

Take the six questions to every call, and notice who answers quickly and who changes the subject. If you want one more voice in the room, Go Publisher House offers a free 30 minute consultation with a senior publishing strategist at gopublisherhouse.com/contact. Ask them everything on the card.

The authors who sleep well after publishing are rarely the ones who found the cheapest quote. They are the ones who asked early.