In 2009, New Forest Books began in New Hampshire as a home-based business run by Todd Richardson and his wife, Eibhlin (aka Aisling D’Art).
At that time, this was an innovative concept. As far as we could tell, our business model was unique.
We charged nothing for our editing and pre-press services. Our fee was 10% of the cover price (or $1 per copy, whichever was less) for each book sold. If our authors didn’t earn money, we didn’t earn money.
That worked well for the first few years. Then, our priorities shifted as automation and software made publishing less confusing.
In 2017, we changed our business model and became a co-op. Since then, a new management team—Joe and Mary Fabella—have overseen most of our day-to-day operations. They’re assisted by friends and freelancers, such as Jane Christmas, who helps with New Forest Books’ marketing.
Today, we’re still an indie author co-op. We work with a limited number of authors and illustrators by invitation only.
Here’s what we do, as a co-op
- Brainstorm book ideas.
- Encourage each other through the writing process.
- Proofread and edit final drafts. (We recommend Grammarly for initial editing by our authors.)
- Help friends work with book cover designers. (We’re cautious about using AI, but it’s often a good option.)
- Talk new authors through their first books for publishing in print and digital formats.
- Help them upload their books to B&N Press, KDP, Draft2Digital, and other distribution options.
FAQs
Where does the name “New Forest Books” come from?
New Forest is one of our favorite areas in southwest England. We also like the tree reference since our publishing focus includes digital books, especially Kindle and Kobo editions that save paper and trees.
Why did many of your books say CreateSpace publishes them?
CreateSpace was among the publishing names used by Amazon.com. Today, most people recognize the service as KDP.
Those Amazon services make it easy for us to transfer books to our individual authors—at no charge—when they’re ready to become fully independent.
What other authors have you published?
Past friends and associates have included photographer Steve Wells, ghost excavator John Sabol, medium Lesley Marden, and fine artist Marcus McAllister. We were honored to work with them early in their publishing careers and value their continued friendships.
Are you looking for new authors?
Not at this time.
If you’re ready to be published and need formatting help, we recommend Draft2Digital.com. They’ll work with you on a commission basis—no up-front fees—and submit your books to various worldwide outlets.
We’re also fans of Atticus.io, created by our friend Dave Chesson, and his other projects, including Publisher Rocket.
In addition, Joe and Mary manage a consulting firm for author services.
That’s separate from New Forest Books, and made available to authors who want a more concierge service. Though we recommend the Fabellas, you should feel no obligation to hire them.
Here’s what Joe & Mary can do for you as consultants.
- Help new authors establish an online presence:
- Secure domain name rights – usually one for the author’s name and one for each major book (or series) he or she writes.
- Host, create, and maintain their book-related websites for the first year.
- Set up social media accounts for marketing and create a maintenance hub when possible.
- Make connections for guest blogging, radio interviews, and YouTube podcast appearances.
- Schedule book giveaways and other specialized promotional activities.
- Introduce authors to publicity and marketing professionals for offline visibility.
- Arrange in-store and library book signings.
- Brief new authors on conferences and speaking opportunities related to their books.
- Encourage them to write their next books as soon as possible. Momentum is essential!
To contact the Fabellas about these services, write to them at FabellaPublishing@NewForestBooks.com
(As of late 2024, the Fabellas have a long wait list and are not accepting new applications.)