Writing a book takes months, sometimes years. Getting it ready for print or for Kindle should not take that long, and it should not feel like a fight with software. That is where we come in.
Northern Star Press works with authors across London and the rest of the UK who need their manuscript turned into a properly formatted book. We handle the layout, the fonts, the spacing, the page numbers, and everything else that makes a book look like it belongs on a shelf next to the ones you grew up reading.
Some authors come to us after trying to format the book themselves and getting stuck. Others come to us before they have written the last chapter, just to plan ahead. Either way, our book formatting service in London is built to take the stress out of this part of publishing, so you can focus on writing.
Formatting is the technical side of turning a manuscript into a finished book. It covers:
Skip any of these steps, or get them wrong, and the book will look unfinished even if the writing is excellent. Readers notice crowded pages, uneven spacing, and page breaks in the wrong place, even if they cannot always say why something feels off.
No two books need the same treatment. A recipe book with photos is a different job from a 400-page novel. We break our work down by book type so you get formatting that actually fits what you have written.
For novels, memoirs, and non-fiction titles, we format for standard print sizes used by most UK printers and print-on-demand services. This includes chapter openings, drop caps if you want them, running headers, and a layout that reads comfortably over long stretches.
Self-publishing through Kindle Direct Publishing has its own rules. Files need to be built so the text reflows properly on different screen sizes, and the table of contents needs to link correctly inside the file. We prepare EPUB and MOBI-compatible files that meet Amazon's upload requirements, so you are not stuck guessing why a file has been rejected or looks broken on a Kindle.
Picture books and illustrated children's titles need a different approach entirely. Text has to sit correctly next to or on top of artwork, images need to be placed at the right resolution, and the whole thing needs to survive the print process without colours shifting or images being cropped oddly. We work closely with illustrators and authors to get this right before anything goes to print.
“Interior formatting” refers to everything inside the book, as opposed to the cover. This is the part readers spend the most time looking at, so it matters more than most authors expect. It includes the body text layout, chapter title pages, section breaks, footnotes if needed, and any images or diagrams inside the book. Get this wrong, and even a great cover will not save the first impression once someone opens the book.
Manuscripts arrive in all sorts of states. Some authors send a tidy Word document with clear chapter breaks. Others send something pieced together from several files, with notes and comments still in the margins. We can usually work with whatever you have, though a clean Word file with consistent styles for chapter headings makes the process faster and, in some cases, cheaper.
If your book includes footnotes, endnotes, an index, or a bibliography, tell us early on. These elements need to be set up correctly from the start rather than added in at the end, since they affect page numbering throughout the book.
Our clients are not all the same, and we do not expect them to be. We regularly help:
Self-publishing has grown a lot over the last decade, and most of it happens online now rather than through a local printer. If you are publishing through Amazon, IngramSpark, or a similar platform, your files need to meet that platform's specific technical requirements. We prepare files ready for upload, so you are not left troubleshooting rejected files or guessing at settings the platform has not explained clearly.
Not every formatting service is the same, and it is worth asking a few questions before you commit to one, whether that is us or someone else:
A good formatter should be happy to answer all of these without hesitation.
It is easy to underestimate formatting when you are deep in writing and editing. But it affects the reader from the very first page:
None of this replaces good writing. But bad formatting can undo good writing before a reader has even reached chapter two.
You share your manuscript along with any details about how you plan to publish it, print, Kindle, or both. If you already have a cover design or specific trim size in mind, let us know at this stage.
We look at the length, complexity, and any special requirements, such as images or diagrams, and send back a clear quote. No vague estimates, no charges added later that were not discussed.
Once you approve the quote, we get to work on the layout, following the specifications for your chosen publishing route.
Before we finish the full manuscript, we send you a sample of the formatted pages so you can see the style and give feedback early, rather than at the very end.
Once you are happy with the sample, we complete the full formatting and send you the final files, ready for print or for upload to your chosen platform. We also include a short guide on how to upload the files, in case this is your first time publishing.
If a printer or platform flags something after you upload the files, or if you spot something you would like changed once you see the book in print, get in touch. Small fixes after delivery are a normal part of the process, and we would rather sort them out than leave you stuck.
There are a lot of formatting services out there, and it can be hard to know who to trust with something you have spent years writing. Here is what sets us apart:
You will always know what stage your book is at and what happens next, without having to chase us for updates.
If your manuscript needs something before formatting, such as a proofread, we will tell you rather than formatting around the problem and hoping nobody notices.
Print, Kindle, and illustrated books all need different handling, and we work across all three rather than specialising in just one.
We understand UK spelling conventions, UK printers, and the way UK authors tend to self-publish, rather than working from a template built for a different market.
You get the working files, not just a finished PDF you cannot edit later if you need to make a small change yourself down the line.
We built our service list around the real gaps that stop authors from finishing and launching their books. Here is what falls under our roof.
If you are publishing through Kindle specifically, a few things affect what a project costs:
We would rather explain this clearly upfront than give a flat number that does not reflect what your book actually needs.
Writing, editing, design, printing and marketing under one roof. Pick the stage your book is stuck at and we will take it from there.
If your manuscript is finished, or close to it, and you are not sure what to do next, get in touch. Send us a few details about your book and what you are hoping to publish it on, and we will come back to you with a clear next step and a quote. No pressure, no jargon, just a straightforward answer about what your book needs.
It depends on the length of your book and whether it includes images. A straightforward novel usually takes less time than an illustrated or highly technical book. We will give you a realistic timeframe once we have seen your manuscript.
Formatting works on the text as it is, so it is best to have your manuscript edited and proofread first. We can flag anything that looks like it needs another pass, but we are not an editing service ourselves.
Yes. Print and e-book files need different setups, and we can prepare both from the same manuscript.
A Word document is usually easiest to work with. If you have your manuscript in another format, let us know, and we will confirm whether we can work with it.
Yes, including books with illustrations on every page. These need a different approach to text-only books, and we handle image placement and print setup as part of the job.
Yes. The sample stage exists so you can raise anything you would like changed before we complete the full manuscript.
It depends on the length of your manuscript, the format you need, and whether it includes images. We provide a clear quote after reviewing your book, rather than a generic flat rate that may not fit your project.
Whether you have a finished manuscript or just an idea you keep coming back to, tell us about it. We will map out your fastest route to publication, free of charge.
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