Work through numerous rewrites to whip your manuscript into excellent shape before you shop for publishers. Verify facts. Visit sites in, for example, Yorkshire, if your book takes place there to double check the accuracy of your descriptions. Hire a credentialed editor or find an English instructor to vet the galley so the property is tight, error-free and ready for review by London publishers.
Create a marketing pitch. Include a cover letter, 2-page overview of the book’s content and audience research (Is your market teens in Liverpool or women in Manchester?). Describe published books on U.K. lists that are similar to yours and include your biography/publication list. Add one or more chapters to the pitch if the publisher asks specifically for this material.
Pitch U.K. literary agents (see resources) using your marketing package to introduce yourself and your book. Choose agents based on your location and preferences—“Literary Marketplace” or another U.K. literary agency guide will help you isolate the names of agents in, for example, Dublin, Edinburgh or London. Winnow the list down further by genre: find agents specializing in fiction, nonfiction, tabletop art books, resource texts, romance, inspirational and other types of literature.
Approach U.K. publishers directly if you don’t wish to be represented (or have had no luck being signed) by a literary agent. Obtain a copy of “Writer’s Market” to research publishers so you know which U.K. firms are seeking new authors and which refuse to consider nonagented submissions. Pull materials from your marketing pitch in accordance with the wishes of individual publishers and send out multiple queries.
Send your manuscript to a Publish on Demand (POD) house to bypass agents and standard publishers. Check out the top U.K. PODs to choose one: Blurb, Lulu, Booksurge (a subsidiary of Amazon.com), Xlibris, Printondemand, Spiderwise, Imex Print Services, The Book Printing Company (training manuals), Fast Print, Manuals2go, Abramis (academic titles), Cambrian Printers, Dubo, The Choir Press, Pen Press Publishing, Print Resources and In Control Marketing.
Be discriminating when considering U.K. POD publishers—particularly those offering free services. Don’t sign the contract until you have carefully examined the contract you’re sent. Hire a lawyer for legal oversight if you have concerns. Don’t be shy about asking for reduced fees—lots of authors negotiate them with POD houses.