AOSARS EDGE
Book Publishing Consultancy | AOSARS

Book PublishingConsultancy

The manuscript is yours; getting it into print without looking self-published is the trap. Templated print-on-demand platforms will print whatever you upload, with no developmental edit, no genuine peer review, no design, no metadata strategy and no real distribution, so the result reads as self-published, is turned away by libraries and course adopters, and undercuts your standing at the exact moment your name is on the cover. Our team of editors, subject-matter reviewers and designers produces the finished, credentialed book for you and hands it over.

A full publishing team · A milestone-based engagement · You own the finished book and every right

Why authors publish with us

A publishing house service, not a template.

Getting a book into print is not a single upload, it is nine distinct pieces of professional work, and each one is the reason a book reads as credible rather than self-made. Templated print-on-demand gives you a platform and leaves you to operate it alone; AOSARS gives you a team that does the editing, the peer review, the design, the registration and the distribution for you, and hands back the finished book. Open any panel below to see what that means for your manuscript.

A full production team, not a template

Your book is produced by a real, hands-on team: professional editors, independent subject-matter reviewers and book designers who take your manuscript and do the work. You are not handed a platform and left to operate it alone.

Why this matters: The difference between a credible book and a self-published one is the people behind it. A template cannot edit, review or design a book; a team can.

What this means for you
  • Professional editors run the developmental, line and copy edit
  • Independent subject-matter reviewers validate the scholarship
  • Book designers produce the cover and typeset the interior
  • A project lead coordinates the whole production for you
  • You brief the team and approve the work; we do the labour

Across the service: the same production team carries your book through all nine phases, from assessment to launch.

See the nine phases

A proven nine-phase process

We run your book through the same nine phases a publishing house uses: assessment, developmental edit, copy edit, peer review, design, proofs, registration, distribution and launch. Nothing is skipped and nothing is left to chance.

Why this matters: A book steered to a one-step print platform misses the very phases, the edit, the review, the design, the metadata, that make it credible. The full process is what produces a real book.

What this means for you
  • Every phase a publishing house runs, in the right order
  • Developmental and copy editing before anything is typeset
  • Genuine peer review before the book is registered
  • Registration and distribution handled before launch
  • A clear schedule you approve at the inception phase

The path: the nine phases are laid out in full further down the page, each one produced for you.

See the nine phases

Your approval at every milestone

We do the production between milestones, and at each one, the edit, the design, the proofs, the metadata, we show you the work and you approve it before we move on. You direct the outcome without doing the labour.

Why this matters: A done-for-you service should never take the book out of your hands. Milestone approval keeps you in control of every decision while our team carries the work.

What this means for you
  • You approve the production brief before any work begins
  • You review and sign off the developmental and copy edit
  • You choose between design concepts for cover and interior
  • You approve the final proof before anything prints
  • Nothing proceeds to the next phase without your sign-off

In control: you own every decision the book rests on, and our team does the work behind each one.

See the nine phases

Professional, credentialed quality

The book we hand back is edited to a publishing house standard, validated by an independent subject-matter reviewer, and designed and typeset so it reads as the serious work it is. It is a credentialed book, not a passable one.

Why this matters: Libraries, course adopters and readers judge a book by its editing, its review and its design. Credentialed quality is what stops your title being turned away.

What this means for you
  • A full developmental, line and copy edit by professional editors
  • An independent, documented subject-matter peer review
  • A designed cover and a typeset interior to a print standard
  • Print-ready and e-book files that pass a printer's checks
  • A finished book that reads as professionally published

The standard: every phase is produced to the standard a scholarly publisher would apply to its own list.

See the nine phases

You keep all rights and royalties

You retain full copyright, the ISBN is registered to you, and every royalty from print and e-book sales is paid to you. We are your production team, not your publisher, so the finished book and everything it earns are yours.

Why this matters: A done-for-you service should hand you a book you own completely. Nothing about the rights, the record or the income belongs to AOSARS.

What this means for you
  • You keep full copyright in the finished book
  • The ISBN is registered in your name, not ours
  • Every print and e-book royalty is paid to you
  • You hold the final files and the right to reprint
  • AOSARS produces the book, it does not own it

Yours: you commission the work, you approve it, and you own the result outright.

See the nine phases

Real distribution reach

We do not stop at a finished file. Your book is set up for print-on-demand and e-book sale through the trade channels, and, at the top package, given a bulk print run and library and MARC distribution so institutions can catalogue and adopt it.

Why this matters: A book with no route to a reader earns nothing. Real distribution is the difference between a title on a shelf and a file on a drive.

What this means for you
  • Print-on-demand and e-book distribution set up and gone live
  • Pricing, territories and trade availability configured
  • A printed proof checked before the title is released
  • Bulk print runs for institutions and events at the top tier
  • Library and MARC distribution for cataloguing and shelving

See the packages: Compare the three packages

See the nine phases
A finished book, not a course.

Our team produces your book to your brief, editing, peer review, design, registration and distribution, and you approve each stage. You own the finished result, and every right and royalty that comes with it.

The nine phases we run

Nine phases, from your manuscript to a finished, published book.

Your book is produced through the same nine phases a publishing house runs, and our team carries out each one for you: assessment and inception, developmental edit, line and copy edit, subject-matter peer review, design and typesetting, proofreading and proofs, ISBN and cataloguing, printing and distribution setup, and launch. You approve the work at each milestone. The path below moves on its own from 01 to 09; hover the card or use the pause button to take your time, or select any phase to jump.

The nine phases, 01 to 09

    How an engagement runs

    How your manuscript becomes a finished book.

    The engagement runs as milestones, not weekly sessions. Our team does the production work between milestones, and at each one you review what we have delivered and give your approval before we move on. Here is how a project runs from inception to launch.

    Milestone 1

    Inception and your approved brief

    Every engagement opens with our team reading your full manuscript and agreeing the book it will become: the argument, the readership, the scope and the trim size. We write a production brief and a schedule.

    You review and approve the brief before any production begins, so the whole engagement is costed, scheduled and agreed from the first day. Nothing starts until you have signed it off.

    • We assessThe full manuscript, read and scoped to a publishing standard.
    • You approveThe production brief and schedule, before we begin.
    Milestone 2

    Our editors produce the edit

    Between this milestone and the next, our editors carry out the full developmental, line and copy edit on your manuscript, working in tracked changes against an agreed style sheet.

    You are not editing. Our team does the work and returns the edited manuscript with an editorial memo, which you review and approve before we typeset anything.

    • We editStructure, prose and references, done for you.
    • You reviewThe edited manuscript, and approve it at this milestone.
    Milestone 3

    Independent reviewers validate the book

    We commission and manage a genuine, independent subject-matter peer review. Our team briefs the reviewers, sets the scope and timeline, and works their assessment into a considered revision.

    You approve the reviewer selection and the final revision. The reviewer liaison and the labour stay with us; you receive a documented peer-review record you can show a library or an adopter.

    • We reviewIndependent validation, commissioned and managed.
    • You approveThe reviewers, and the strengthened revision.
    Milestone 4

    Our designers produce the book

    Our designers typeset the interior in InDesign and design an original cover, with complete front and back matter and back-cover copy that positions the title for its field.

    We present design concepts and refine them to your direction. You choose between options and approve the finished look; our team executes every file.

    • We designCover and interior, produced to a print standard.
    • You chooseBetween concepts, and approve the finished design.
    Milestone 5

    You sign off the final proof

    Our proofreaders read the typeset book against the edited manuscript and correct every layout error. We then prepare print-ready and e-book files that pass a printer's and a platform's checks.

    You review the final proof and give the single approval to proceed to print. Nothing is registered or printed until you have signed it off.

    • We proofThe typeset book, corrected to print-ready files.
    • You approveThe final proof, before anything prints.
    Milestone 6

    We register, distribute and launch

    Our team registers the ISBN and metadata, sets your book up for print-on-demand and e-book distribution, and, for institutional clients, arranges the print run and library distribution.

    We produce the launch assets and set the title live to your approval, then hand over the finished, published book and its launch pack. You approve the launch; we deliver the book.

    • We deliverRegistration, distribution and launch, handled for you.
    • You holdA published book, and every right and royalty.

    Plays through on its own. Hover to pause, or click any milestone to jump.

    A view of one engagement. Our team does the production between milestones; at each milestone you review the work and approve it before we proceed.

    Inside every engagement

    What every project includes.

    Every engagement runs the same way against the nine phases, so you always know the stage you are at and what you are approving next.

    Done-for-youMilestone-basedYou approve each stageYou own the bookA full production team
    What you receive

    What you hold at the end: a finished, credentialed book.

    Our team produces every part of the book to a publishing house standard and hands it over. These are the deliverables you receive, produced for you and approved by you at each milestone.

    01

    A fully edited manuscript

    Your book developmentally, line and copy edited to a professional standard, with a style sheet and an accurate, complete bibliography.

    02

    A peer-review record

    An independent, subject-matter peer review commissioned and answered on your behalf, with a documented record you can show a library or an adopter.

    03

    A designed and typeset book

    An original cover and a professionally typeset interior, with complete front and back matter, produced in InDesign to a print standard.

    04

    ISBN and metadata

    An ISBN registered to you, accurate metadata and discoverability keywords, and library cataloguing or a MARC record where your reach calls for it.

    05

    Print and distribution setup

    Print-ready and e-book files loaded to the trade channels for print-on-demand and e-book sale, with pricing and availability configured and a proof checked.

    06

    A launch pack

    Positioning, a description, author-brand assets and a simple launch plan, with the title set live, so your finished book reaches readers under your own name.

    What authors say

    From the authors and institutions we have published.

    I arrived with a finished thesis and a deadline, not the time to learn publishing. AOSARS handled the whole thing, the edit, the peer review, the design, the ISBN, and handed me a finished book with my name on the cover. I approved each stage, and it reads like a real publisher made it.
    Author, History
    East Africa · Published with AOSARS
    We needed a departmental title produced to a standard a library would accept. Their team ran the developmental edit and an independent peer review, and delivered a peer-reviewed book our library could catalogue. The credibility was exactly what we could not produce in-house.
    Institution, Public Health
    Southern Africa · Published with AOSARS
    I dreaded the ISBN, the metadata and getting it onto the platforms. AOSARS did all of it and set the book live, so my title is on sale and findable without my touching a single form. I still own every right and every royalty.
    Author, Economics
    West Africa · Published with AOSARS
    I wanted a printed run and course adoption, not just a file. Their team arranged the print run and the library distribution, and now my book is stocked and being taught. I made the decisions; they did the work.
    Author, Education
    Central Africa · Published with AOSARS
    Publishing packages

    One publishing service. Three packages.

    All three put the AOSARS production team, editors, subject-matter reviewers and designers, behind your book through the nine-phase life cycle. They differ in how far we carry it: Foundations produces the fully edited, proofed and print-ready book; Publish and Distribute adds peer review, ISBN and live e-book and print distribution; and Institutional and Multi-Platform Reach adds a bulk print run, library and MARC distribution and a full launch. You commission the package, then we begin. Most authors choose Publish and Distribute.

    Core: Edited and Print Ready

    Your book, edited, indexed and print-ready
    USD 500

    Your manuscript is edited, proofed, indexed and typeset into a print-ready book, produced for you rather than handed over as a template you run yourself. You review and approve each editorial and design milestone and own every file. This package covers a manuscript up to 90,000 words by default; longer works are arranged.

    • A manuscript assessment and an agreed production brief
    • A full developmental edit, then a copyedit and proofread to a clean standard, for a manuscript up to 90,000 words by default
    • Cover design and interior typesetting to a print standard, with a professionally compiled index
    • Print-ready book files and an accessible, standards-based e-book file, all yours to keep
    • Advice on your book's category, reader and positioning, so the production serves the market you are writing for
    Commission now
    Pay in your local currency
    Most chosen

    Pro: Published and On Sale

    Edited, reviewed, registered and on sale
    USD 1,000

    Everything in Foundations, carried through to a published, on-sale book. Independent peer review is commissioned on your behalf, your title is registered to you, and print, e-book and library distribution are set up and taken live. Two printed proof copies are included by default; larger runs are arranged and printing costs are passed on.

    • Everything in Foundations
    • Independent subject-matter peer review by two reviewers, each returning a written report as advisory input, arranged for you
    • Identifiers, metadata and cataloguing registered to you, including the ISBN and library records
    • Print-on-demand, e-book, and library and aggregator distribution set up and taken live, plus launch assets; you keep full copyright and every royalty
    • Advice on your cover price, your metadata and keywords and your sales channels, so the book is positioned to be found
    • What we do not do: we set your distribution up and hand it to you live, but we do not run or manage it for you afterwards, and no sale, review or retailer, library or aggregator listing is guaranteed
    Commission now
    Pay in your local currency

    Prime: Plus Launch Campaign Clinic

    Everything above, plus a coached launch and reader-review campaign
    USD 1,800

    You receive the fully published, distributed book, and then a coached launch and reader-review campaign clinic: you run your own launch, approach reviewers and gather reader reviews with us coaching each step, and you plan your next title. You keep every file, copyright and royalty and own every output.

    • A coached launch and reader-review campaign: you run your own book launch and reviewer outreach, coached step by step, and you own every result
    • Everything in Publish and Distribute
    • Six months of access to the self-publishing and author-development e-learning programme
    • One-to-one sessions applied to your own launch, wider reach and next title; bulk runs and library reach arranged as needed with printing and incidental costs passed on, and you making every decision
    • We coach and advise on reach, reviews and your next title; the launch is yours to run, and no level of sales, reviews or acceptance is promised
    Commission now
    Pay in your local currency
    Pay in your local currencyPrices are shown in US dollars. Use the selector above to see an indicative amount in your currency; at checkout the exact amount is charged in your local currency by our multi-currency system, with exchange rates updated automatically, so the figure here is indicative. Settlement is by card, bank transfer or mobile money. Not sure which fits, or not ready to commit? Ask us to call you back, or book a fit call below.
    No commitment yet

    Not sure which package fits? Ask us first.

    Two low-pressure ways to explore before you commission: ask us to call you back on WhatsApp at a time that suits you, or book a call to talk it through and review your manuscript and your goals together. Neither commits you to anything.

    • It costs nothing to explore
    • You speak with our team, not a salesperson
    • An honest fit check, with no pressure to commit

    Ask us to call you back

    Leave your details and the time that suits you. We call you on WhatsApp, so it costs you nothing.

    We call on WhatsApp, on the date and time you choose

    Book a fit call

    Pick a slot yourself on our calendar and we meet by video. We can talk it through and, if you like, review your work together.

    Face to face on videoBring your workNo obligation
    Book your fit call
    By video call
    Common questions

    Answers, before you ask.

    The questions authors and institutions ask most before commissioning. If yours is not here, ask before you pay.

    Still have a question? info@aosars.com Chat on WhatsApp: +254 724 800 626

    We answer every enquiry personally, usually within a day, before you commit to anything.

    How long does the whole process take? +

    It runs as a milestone-based engagement against the nine AOSARS publishing phases, not a fixed number of sessions. The Foundations phase, from inception through the full developmental and copy edit and final proofs, typically takes four to six weeks. Publish and Distribute adds three to four weeks for peer review, ISBN and the e-book go-live. Institutional and Multi-Platform Reach adds a further three to five weeks for library and MARC distribution and bulk print-run liaison. We agree the schedule in the brief before any work starts, and you approve each milestone as we reach it.

    What do you need from me to start? +

    Your manuscript, thesis or module content in a finished or near-finished state, in Word, together with a short author bio and a photo. You do not need to have resolved figures, source data or third-party permissions first; our team gathers and clears those with you during the editing phase. All you need to work with us is a laptop or desktop computer, a stable internet connection and a working email. From there our editors, reviewers and designers do the production work.

    Who owns the rights and the royalties? +

    You do, entirely. You keep full copyright, the ISBN is registered to you, and every royalty from print and e-book sales is paid to you. We are your production team, not your publisher, so nothing about the finished book, the rights or the income belongs to AOSARS. You own the finished book and everything that flows from it.

    How many rounds of revision are included? +

    Each production phase includes a review milestone where you see the work, the developmental edit, the copy edit, the design, the proofs, and give your changes before we move on. Each milestone carries a defined revision round so your feedback is worked in, and the brief sets out exactly what each phase and package includes. Because you approve at every stage, nothing proceeds to print until you are satisfied with it.

    Do I get a printed run and real distribution? +

    Yes. Every package sets your book up for print-on-demand and e-book distribution through the trade channels, so readers can buy it. The Institutional and Multi-Platform Reach package adds a bulk print run and library or MARC distribution, so the title can be listed and shelved by institutions and adopted for courses. We configure the channels, pricing and availability, and check a printed proof before the book goes live.

    How do payments and milestones work? +

    You pay to commission the package through secure checkout, in your local currency, by card, bank transfer or mobile money where it is supported. That confirms the engagement and we begin at the inception phase. The work then proceeds through the nine phases, and you sign off each milestone as it is delivered. If you are unsure which package fits before you commit, email info@aosars.com or use the no-commitment options above.

    Is this coaching, or do you do the work for me? +

    This is a done-for-you service. Our team of editors, subject-matter reviewers and designers does the editing, the peer review, the design, the registration and the distribution setup for you, and hands back a finished, published book. You brief us and approve each milestone; you do not do the production work yourself. If you would rather master book production and publish repeatedly under your own hand, our separate book publishing coaching teaches you to do exactly that. The dividing line is simple: here, the labour stays with us.

    How is AI used in producing the book? +

    Our team uses professional tools, including AI assistance, only as an aid our editors and designers direct and verify, never as a substitute for real editorial and design judgement. Every line that stands in your book is edited by a person, checked for originality and, where scholarship calls for it, validated by an independent reviewer. Authorship stays entirely yours, and the credibility of the finished book is what the whole service is built to protect.

    Start today

    Your book moves the day you commission it. Start your book.

    Commission your package today and hand the whole publishing process, editing, peer review, design, registration and distribution, to a team that produces the finished book for you.

    A full publishing team. A milestone-based engagement. You own the finished book. Pay in your local currency on mobile money, card or bank transfer.

    A done-for-you publishing service for authors, academics and institutions. Pay in your local currency.
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