Onwards and Upwards Reviews 30

From the time when I uploaded my manuscript onto the O&U website, Luke gave me an honest appraisal of his time availability for working towards publication of my writing which was helpful. Some months later when he was ready to begin and I had signed the contract, he then proved to be a stickler for detail and highly skilled in the final touches regarding choice of font and insertion of photos, all of which has resulted in a book published to a very high standard. As well as inserting my photos in each chapter, I was thankful that the final cover price was less than originally quoted.

Leah is very creative in her design skills and experience and was open to discussion regarding the book cover which has been highly praised by the manager of Hatchards Bookshop here In Cheltenham. Her marketing talk on Zoom was extremely helpful and gave me confidence to go beyond immediate friends and family with the book to approaching local bookshops - both specifically Christian and those stocking books of wider interest.

Highly recommend Onwards and Upwards as publishers. The whole experience was very smooth and thorough, appreciate all the hard work that went into editing and ‘bringing the book to life’. I also massively appreciated the marketing meeting with Leah, I left with so many helpful and great ideas. Thank you!

Luke and Leah from Onwards & Upwards are a pleasure to work with. The skill, expertise and creativity they bring to a manuscript is absolutely amazing! They have brought out the very best in the story I have written, making it easy to read and presenting the book in a contemporary stylish manner. I thoroughly recommend O&U.

Onwards and Upwards have been excellent in all they have undertaken in the editing , proof-reading and marketing, with meticulous care and sensitivity. They 'steered the ship' with understanding and respect throughout discussions with the formatting, and took on board the real 'heart-beat ' of the book and all that was being shared. Response to all communication was very quick, very positive and most helpful.

I would thoroughly recommend anyone who is considering writing a book, not least for the first time, to contact them for their help and advice.

Brilliant! As a first time author I found the service and experience given from Luke extremely helpful. Leah too has been excellent from the design of the cover, I just loved the first draught to the ongoing marketing. I found the team quick to respond and very very helpful. I would whole heartedly recommend Onwards and Upwards.

I am pleased to read so many highly positive reviews of Onwards and Upwards. I contracted with them for the publication of my children’s book, “The King’s Garden - Parable of the Impossible Tree.” The process took longer than expected due to a false start with an illustrator that did not work out, and extensive, detailed illustrations. I also chose to publish a hardbound book, incurring additional cost. Because of these choices, I was required to purchase 250 copies of my book at a price of 15.00/each. This was considerably higher than the contracted amount (200 copies at 12.00 per copy). The significant increase came as a bit of a shock, but was somewhat understandable and I willingly paid in a timely manner. I thought that would be the end to the unofficial changes to the contract. I was wrong.

The book finally went to the printer at the end of June 2023. I was told to expect a six to eight week turnaround. On 31 August the publisher indicated that the books would arrive on the 8th of September. My illustrator then booked her flight from Australia to Scotland for our book launch, scheduled for the 20th of September. The books did not arrive as expected. I contacted Onwards and Upwards, asking for a tracking number. I was told he was going on holiday and that I could call him on the 19th of September if I had not received the books. This created a serious problem, as my illustrator was due to fly on the 17th. We could not afford to risk her arriving for a book launch for which we had no books!

I managed to track down a number for the printer, Imprint Press. They were kind enough to locate the shipment for me and give a definite delivery date. Without their help my illustrator would have cancelled her flight and missed the book launch.

When the books arrived, I noticed that my name was misspelled in the copyright information. I had notified them of the mistake in reviewing the proof. Correction was made for the book’s cover, but was left spelled incorrectly elsewhere.

AFTER the receipt of the books (having paid in full the previous May) Onwards and Upwards sent me a ‘new’ contract, back-dated to the original. There had been NO discussion in this regard. The terms of the contract had been changed post publication! The new contract states “If the author wishes to purchase further copies of the Book, they will cost the Author 11.00 per copy (previously 8.00). A minimum order of 500 applies for hardback books.”

I did not sign the ‘new’ contract. In December, having sold most of my 250 copies, I requested 50 more, expecting to pay the 8.00/each as per the original contract. I was sent an invoice reflecting the amount stated in the ‘new contract’ which I had not signed. Incidentally, I have paid the higher amount, in the interest of being above reproach.

Communication throughout has been difficult. After the confusion regarding tracking and delivery, the publisher refused to communicate with me by telephone, insisting on email only.

In regard to your response below, it is highly misleading, as the revised contract was sent to me AFTER I had paid the adjusted price per book and AFTER I had received the published books. As you pointed out it took far longer to complete the illustrations than we expected, so there would have been plenty of time to revise the contract BEFORE publication.

That said, my more recent communications with the founder of Onwards and Upwards, Mark Jeffery, have been clear, timely and courteous.

As a first time author, Onwards and Upwards have been so supportive, helpful and accommodating throughout the whole publishing process. From expert advice to thorough editing, you can expect a brilliant and personal service. I highly recommend this publisher!

I chose a Christian publisher for my farming journey titled 'Buckets of Porridge' expecting them to be fair and considerate. Their care and patience with a 'first time' author was exemplary. The book was honed and edited in minute detail and exceeded my expectation. Always professional and following a plan to the launch. Thank you Luke and Leah.
Peter Jennings

Often when you write your first book the difficulty is not only in finding a publisher but finding a publisher who has the same passion to further the Christian message as you have. Fortunately, Onwards and Upwards Publishing share that veiw to the highest standard and it has been very rewarding to work with them on my first book. Their care, guidance and help throughout the process has been invaluable and encouraging, providing support along every step of the way and communicating in a timely manner.
Both Luke and Leah displayed professionalism and patience, as well as a friendly manner to put anyone at their ease and I am thankful that I have found the people whom I wish to have a long term association with. Thank you to Onwards and Upwards for all their hard work and dedication, it is very much appreciated. I would highly recommend them to any author.

I'm so grateful to Onwards and Upwards for guiding me through the publishing process. As a first-time author, I found their step-by-step explanations invaluable. Pricing, expectations and timescale were all set out clearly from the outset. Editorial advice was excellent and always sensitive to my preferences. The team patiently worked with me to agree a cover design that both met the needs of the market and represented my ideas.

Throughout my dealings with O&U my queries have been responded to quickly and sensitively, and I have always felt that my book was in good hands. I'd heartily recommend O&U to anyone in search of a publisher.

The decision on which publisher to work with is vital. As an author I was seeking to work with a publisher who shared my values as a writer and appreciated my work. In Onwards and Upwards Publishing I have definitely found the right publisher and they have exceeded my expectations. I hope that we are at the start of a long collaboration.

I was a novice author looking for a publisher who would encourage but also critically review and advise on my work. Luke has been so helpful throughout the editing process, and I learnt so much. He was also very accommodating on late alterations and additions! It has been so exciting actually to see my work in print, and the final product I believe is very attractive.

I was delighted to find a home for my Nautilus Award winning book in Onwards and Upwards. Luke was a wonderful editor and published a very attractive book: Riding Out The Hurricane.
I would sincerely recommend this publishers every time.
Maeve Mc Mahon

Luke at Onwards and Upwards has been a brilliant communicator, encouraging of my book, and quick to respond to queries.
I can't recommend this publishing company enough. They will always be my first port of call.

Salema Cornick

I highly recommend Onwards and Upwards publishing. As a first time author it can be quite daunting taking that first step but the encouragement I received from Luke and Leah really put me at ease. They will lead and guide you every step of the way with their wealth of knowledge and experience in this area. The illustrator they suggested for my children's book was perfect which resulted in a beautiful, high quality picture book that I was over the moon with. Thank you Onwards and Upwards.

So Supportive! From the very first exciting moment to having my manuscript accepted, O&U have been alongside me every step of the way ensuring a professional book publication. In discussions about layout, editing and design, I always felt in control but with the best guidance available. Their wide experience of marketing and publishing is of enormous value to a new author and was especially appreciated throughout the difficulties of lockdowns. I have no hesitation in recommending them and so glad I published my first book with them - and will continue to do so!

As a first time author, my experience of O&U has been very positive. In their business dealings they were fair and professional; in their communications clear and timely; in their customer service friendly and supportive.

Onwards and Upwards has done a thoroughly professional job in publishing our book. Once Luke Jeffery had established that several reliable people had commended its content, he led us step by step through the publishing process. He did not overprice the book and was kind enough to accept so many of our requests for its layout. He was painstaking in his editing, and patient with us as we several times asked for small changes in the text. A separate negotiation with another member of his team led us to a mutually agreed, striking cover. Then, in a lengthy phone call, Luke explained the marketing procedure.

The only compromise we had to make related to the photographs, several of which were over 50 years old. High quality reproduction of them would have led to a substantial increase in costs which we felt could not be justified. For us, the text was of primary importance and the photographs, secondary even if enhancing.

All in all we are delighted with the final product, and can fully recommend Onwards and Upwards to other Christian authors.

The process of publishing my book was straightforward and professional, and the contract was very reasonable. Luke kept me informed throughout the process, and took my input onboard. The books arrived and look great. Thanks very much!

Onwards and Upwards publishing have been wonderful to work with. They have been very encouraging and supportive of my second book that I published through them. I am really grateful for Luke and his team's help. The step by step help that I received and the encouraging feedback I received from them regarding my book Hope Restored. The process was smooth. I have no complaints. Just good things to say. Thank you so much for helping me on this journey of becoming an author for a second time. I appreciate the long hours that you spent on my book. It really means a lot. May God bless you.