Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd. Omdömen 

I found the editing process particularly useful and constructive. Throughout the publishing process I was kept abreast of what was going on.

I was offered a publishing contract where I had to pay an ‘advance’. Their contract and presentation is impressive and professional looking, but don’t be fooled. They give you a feedback letter from their board which heaps praise on your book, but read it carefully and you will notice that they have simply inserted your main character’s name into a standard template and it’s likely they didn’t even read it. I called their office and the person I spoke to was not very enthusiastic and seemed eager to get me off the phone, quite odd for someone they’ve just offered a contract to. Trust your instincts, they are a predatory sales company feeding on vulnerable new authors traditionally starved of praise and validation.

From the moment my book was presented to the Editors for review, I was kept fully informed throughout every stage of the process. I've just received the 25 complimentary copies of my autobiography 'Aeroplanes and an Angel' and all of the other associated advertising material. A very professional and impressive publishing company. I would recommended Austin Macauley to all budding authors. Well done and a huge thank you.

I decided to publish with Austin Macauley after reading the editors’ detailed report on my submission. Their insights into my poetry were most impressive, surprising even. They have been professional and courteous throughout the publication process. I would work with them again.

My experience with Austin Macauley Publishing Ltd. was very positive, as I received quick responses and good suggestions for the book title during our correspondence. I am also very pleased with the editing and layout of the images in the text. Above all, the co-operation in selecting the title was very fruitful.

My experience is related to actual life. It is the experience of a woman who found herself struggling against terrible forces beyond her will. It is the history of a soul which sought freedom from pressures ,especially the forces of backward , patriarchal society.
Austin Macauley publishers is doing well publishing my book and marketing it to the civilised world so that people there will get to know about women in the orient and notice their sufferings.
I am so grateful to them, I rate them as excellent.

Austin Macauley
I used the hybrid system with this company and must express gross dissatisfaction. They are the worst company I have ever met, unprofessional and untrustworthy.

My book, ‘The Singing Horses’ was written while myself and many other authors were going through three rounds of voting in a competition for the prize of a publishing contract. I thought it was like a horse race and wrote a story as a sideline involving 40+authors who wished to take part. They chose a stall number and the breed of horse they wished to be. After the contest I rewrote it with just the 23 who wished to be involved because we felt it would make an excellent film.

I tried several ways to get into the film industry before publishing it. Austin Macauley came up first in an internet search and appearing as traditional publishers. I emailed explaining how the book had come to fruition, stating that the horses were in description only (we had used internet images for our own purpose and they could not be used as it would be copyright infringement) and would need illustrating by the graphics department, also needed marketing to film industry. Were they able to offer this. The reply from submission was yes. I, naively, assumed it was yes to everything. I was incorrect in that assumption.

I then sent the ms. and was delighted to receive a contract. When I read it, I realised it was hybrid and not traditional. They wanted £2,500. I was still under the impression that they would provide all I needed. It was a road into the film industry and therefore a worth while investment. How wrong was I?

It was a smooth transition from Submission to Production after payment. I received a form requiring details like bio, blurb, photo. Completed and returned. Acknowledged. All was fine. They could get on with it. The illustrations would be done simultaneously with the cover. I waited. I waited. I waited. Six months passed by. I emailed. What was taking so long? The manager assigned to me was on holiday someone else checked and replied. Nothing had happened. It was still waiting for an editor. I was far from pleased, but my email did start the ball rolling.

Next stage the cover and illustrations. At this point I realised there was no continuity between departments. No notes passed on etc. No real interest, feeling or concern for authors or their books. I knew how a suitcase on the conveyer belt felt. Thrown around with neither care nor concern. They refused to do the illustrations which ruined the book.

Eventually, I received the first editing. Again, disappointment. The acknowledgment and appendix were missing. They assured me they would be in with the second editing. No, they were not. Clearly no communication with colleagues or notes. I added the acknowledgments but was unable to add the appendix. It was not published.

After twenty-one months on December 10 2020 the book was live and progressed to marketing. Well, now I would have contact with the film world. No! I would need to go elsewhere for that. What did marketing do for me? Set up a website, put the book onto places like Amazon, Barnes and Nobel, onto the Net by pressing a few buttons and then sat back. What did they do next? Nothing! There was no further help or advice. I did my own marketing.

Royalties? Yes, I received only one payment after six months during the publication period. Impressive. After that they raised the bar from £10 to £50. No payment until you were above that level. My final payment was October 14, 2024 six months after they had taken my book off the market.

It was a total waste of time and money. They claim to be traditional publishers. They are not. Avoid them like the plague.

I have given a 1* because there are no minus figures. Useless.

Austin Macauley has Published my book, a biography titled
"James Maury Esq - First American Consul to the Port of Liverpool 1790 to 1829". The Publication Date was 23rd May 2025. The biography is A4 size, 250 pages with colour illustrations. I would just like to say that the published book is beyond my expectations! It's brilliant, beautifully presented with a lot of hard work from the production team. Thank you again A/M for producing such a good book!
I am now hoping that the A/M promotion team can now produce the results of promoting the biography for the American market! I would love to see my book to sit on every American Library Shelf!

Not great tbh they did nothing to help with my marketing on my book and even when I started with my book and someone from their team designed my front cover I politely asked for a few changes and they were very rude. Complete waste of time just go into self publishing!

I have been working with AUSTIN MACAULEY PUBLISHERS for about a year and it is an ongoing excellent experience. From the very moment I was contacted about the acceptance of my manuscript and all through production (book cover, corrections of the 590 pages, copyrights, etc) they have been patiently there to assist me. When my book was published on 21 March 2025 (THE AIR THAT WE BREATHE Book One “Leicester” by Simon M. Zayas) me and my family were so pleased to receive a beautifully printed book of the highest quality. I STRONGLY SUPPORT working with Austin Macauley Publishers as a very professional publisher who continues to assist me as I write Book Two and Book Three of my trilogy. I completely trust them and am very, very happy to have them as my publisher. Being a first-time published author is scary but they are always there for me and ALWAYS answer my calls and emails. I am happy to have entrusted my writing to them and will do so in future.

I paid 2,300 for a A5 sized book of 96 pages. Although it was for a niche market, and I did not expect massive sales, I had a marketing plan to implement and was encouraged by their comments: "We encourage our authors to be as involved with the marketing process as they feel comfortable, as it is in our experience that the highest levels of success are reached when author and publisher form a collaborative partnership.' Up to the time I paid the money, they were very professional and responsive. Once I had paid, however, the response became minimal and I was unable to collaborate with them on the marketing side. Inevitably, the books sales were poor and AM pulled out from the cooperation after two years. I tried to contact them once again about my marketing ideas but they blocked me. This is my experience. I would add that they are not mentioned in the 2025 edition of "Writers and Artists Yearbook' which lists all reputable publishers and agents in the UK + Ireland, USA, Canada and Australia.

After taking 5300 pounds Austin Macauley butchered the text of my book and delivered a 14 second YouTube video, 7 seconds of which promoted themselves. Their marketing department didn’t lift a finger to help me promote the book and their production department stopped me making improvements 8 months before publication. Run from AMP. Most of their good reviews are from those clients they haven’t screwed yet. Glorified printers and insulting hooligans who left a “ work of fiction” description in the copyright notes ( I removed it myself) of my book which was a reference book based on 300 peer reviewed scholarly articles .
They have a policy of not telling you if the book sales are poor so that you find out 9 months later.
All their “ distribution “ department does is put you on sellers lists of 30 million titles and wait until you fail, giving a deeply referenced book no more weight than a romance short story written in a weekend.
I found them to be deeply dishonest, constantly lying.

I received an email unexpectedly from Austin Macauley a year after I’d sent my manuscript to them - they showed interest in publishing my book and wanted me to sign a contract and pay a high fee for it to be published.
I was unsure about paying but they said I would have book signings and radio interviews as part of the package.
Once I’d signed the contract, the process in getting my book published was very slow - taking about a year! This seemed unnecessary.
They would always remind me in their emails that the book wouldn’t be published until I’d paid the full amount which I did in instalments over a period of time. This could explain why it took so long!
When the book was published I asked about the supposed radio interviews and book signings I was meant to have but they never happened! In fact once they got my money they went all quiet after that.
A very disappointing experience with Austin Macauley and I wouldn’t recommend them - they’re just after your money!!

We are currently having immense difficulties with this publisher. Two years ago they took a publishing fee off my then 78 year old mother and now two years on and 4 shockingly unacceptable proofs later we are still awaiting the finished article.

On 2 occasions in the last three months I have been promised something within a week and yet we still wait.
Since paying her publishing fee my mother has now been given a terminal diagnosis for stage 4 cancer and her only wish is to see this book in print before she inevitably passes and whilst we have had assurances from this company that this will happen we have now written this off as extremely unlikely.

If someone from Austin McAuley genuinely read this feedback and wants to help facilitate the publication of my mums book then I will happily amend this review, however, something tells me this is not going to happen.

AUTHORS—DO NOT USE AUSTIN MACAULEY!

Despite what they promise in writing:

• They do not edit, they merely proof—poorly (my “proofreader” didn’t know the difference in usage between a comma and a semicolon, for example). Instead of polishing they introduced mistakes into my text which I had to correct repeatedly.
• The hardcover books do not have dust jackets. The pages are glued into the spine making the books hard to open, and when opened, the spine breaks.
• They offer almost none of the marketing services that they promised me in writing. They promised “book signings” but offered me only one in two years. They refused to contact or promote my book at my local bookstores, which I requested, that cater to the clientele who would be interested in my book.
• And they play fast and loose with royalties. It is increasingly doubtful that I have been paid royalties on all the books sold through Amazon. And they offer spurious, arbitrary excuses to deny the contractually proffered 25% on export books.

Austin Macauley touts itself as a “hybrid” publisher. Don’t be fooled—it is barely more than a vanity press.

Please, please do yourself a favour and self publish for free on Amazon Publishing then use the money AMPL request in advance to promote and market yourself.

Once AMPL have your large upfront payment they do very little. Proof reading is abysmal. Cover designers don't bother to read the synopsis of the book. Marketing and promotion consists of a couple of social media posts and a generic email to their contacts. That's it. I am so utterly disappointed with them. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and I so wish I hadn't bothered. No doubt this post will get another long diatribe of excuses. They should be utterly ashamed.

Austin Macauley accepted my manuscript but only offered a partnership contract which would’ve cost thousands of pounds. They refused to offer a standard contract, which they actually do offer, despite being incredibly complimentary with their acceptance letter. The acquisition manager in particular tried to gaslight me by claiming the decision was not a reflection on the quality of my writing. This publisher only seems interested in getting your money.

This is my experience with Austin Macauley. I was offered a publishing deal for my first book just when I was starting to learn about publishing. In hindsight, after learning the ropes a better, I regret signing with them. Here is a short list of my experience with Austin Macauley.

- Proofreading is not thorough. The whole manuscript is not read by a person, rather it seems it’s run through a software proofreading tool. They wouldn’t answer my question directly if it was read by a person. The external references were not checked. Obvious grammar errors were not picked up. In all, over 1800 errors were noted, all relating to spelling and grammatical errors. I have since terminated the contract with AM to re-release the book myself. I hired a proper editing service and they noted over 6300 errors, which not only picked up grammatical errors but suggested sentence and structural improvements. You don’t get that level of instruction from AM.
- In the copyright page they mentioned the wrong genre of my book – I specified the genre in my application.
- They cover themselves for oversights by placing the responsibility on you to ensure there are no errors.
- When questioning the way they do certain things, they do not respond. Had to send follow-up emails to chase. Takes them days and in one instance, weeks to respond.
- You have no control of timing and release of your book; you are at the whim of AM timing. You have to wait for them to finish.
- The cover design was incredibly basic and unappealing. Not to the standard of an eye-catching design which I had learned for myself. A novice in design software can create a cover design much better than they provided. And when I look at the other covers they’ve designed, I’m not an isolated incident.
- The book trailer they offer if stock standard, applied to all authors. They change the background and music to make it seem fresh. If you’re a novice in multimedia software, you could do a better job yourself.
- No transparency. You don’t have contact with the creatives working on your book, or liaise with them in any way. You deal with an intermediary, which in my experience has changed three times in the book process.
- A very stock-standard approach is applied. Placing the author in an assembly line of production with other books. I was even told at one point that several books are worked on at any one time, so they don’t give individual attention to your book.

At the start they imply that they invest financially in the publishing of your book, I found this to be false. After one week of AM officially releasing my book, I asked for a termination of contractual arrangements. Thankfully they consented (I would say this is the best service they provided me). The fact that they consented without any fuss, suggests that they did not have any financial investment on my book, otherwise they would have not let me go, so they could re-coup funds. It’s goes to show they over charge.

For anyone considering signing up with AM:

From my experience with self-publishing and discovering the costs involved. I would estimate the AM services to be worth a few hundred pounds. Certainly not the amounts they’re actually charging. So, it's not worth it to sign their contracts.
I would suggest self-publish your book via book aggregates, it’s free and they have great instructions to follow, this way you can give your book the attention it needs and release the book on your terms. In regards to Austin Macauley, I would not waste over a year of your time dealing with them or throwing your money away. There are better and cheaper avenues to release your book.

Austin Macauley replied to my review almost a year after I'd posted it on Trust Pilot. This is about as efficient as when they were dealing with my book. In fact I'm surprised they even replied at all to it and certainly didn't address the majority of my complains, which is exactly how they behaved when they were dealing with my book - ignore you and don't answer questions, then provide excuses for their ineptitude. Their insistence that I need permission from the subject matter to publish photos I hold copyright to is laughable. They even ignored the legal advice of a lawyer who confirmed I had the right to publish the photos. Austin Macauley's lack of understanding on copyright is unfathomable. The people they employ have no understanding of how to edit, layout a book or communicate with authors, do not allow you to call them and have no complaints department. They make the whole process as difficult as possible for the author but are happy to take your money. I even wrote to the 'Director' of the company at his home address and his family pretended he didn't live there. Avoid like the plague!!!

I have just been informed that my contract has been terminated with this company. I wanted my $2500.0 money back for them publishing a book i wrote. They are not qualified in any way to publish anything. They do not market your book, they do not distribute your book, they do not understand English and I had to edit it 3 times myself before it was passable. They spent 2 years twiddling their thumbs doing nothing. I did the illustrations myself and could have digitised them on adobe photoshop in a week. The end result was a book
that was pathetic, that i wouldn't give to my worst enemy. There is no upside to this company. They have not paid me any royalties either. Please steer clear of these hybrid publishers, all they do is put up an image of your book on Amazon. They only print one book at a time and the price is extortionate. This practice puts the customer off, as they then have to wait 3 weeks or more get a book. They would rather pop into kmart for a $5 book. It is a Sc-m pure and simple and i was duped. Please dont risk it. Thank you