01
Editorial & Proofreading
- Full human proofread by a UK Senior Copyeditor — every line read by a person, never a machine.
- Comprehensive 10-page Structural Assessment Report covering argument, sequence, and commercial position.
The Entry Trade Imprint Package
Establish Your Industry Authority with a Physical Book That Belongs in Waterstones.
The complete, professional publishing setup for founders and experts who need a pristine trade paperback and global distribution without giving up a single penny of their royalties.
Twelve manuscripts accepted monthly · 100% royalties retained · Zero AI assembly
Trade Specification
Everything Included in a Vanguard Commission
02
Bespoke Interior & Cover Craftsmanship
- Custom cover design tailored to modern UK non-fiction standards. No generic Canva templates, ever.
- Custom interior typesetting in Adobe InDesign, set to a readable, elegant grid with trade-standard margins.
03
Global Trade Distribution
- Registration of an official UK ISBN under the Grosvenor & Guild Press imprint.
- Worldwide distribution via IngramSpark, Gardners UK, and Amazon KDP.
- Listed across Waterstones, Foyles, and Blackwell's online retail catalogues.
04
Author Rights & Commercial Control
- 100% copyright retention. The work remains yours in perpetuity.
- 100% royalty payouts, paid direct to your account by the retailer.
- Author-cost print ordering — order physical copies at raw manufacturing cost.
The Hard Truth
Why Self-Uploading to Amazon Destroys Your Authority
A book is a physical object placed into the hands of the people who decide whether to engage you. It is examined the way a suit is examined. Nobody articulates the judgement, and everybody makes it. Upload a manuscript to a retail platform yourself and you accept whatever the defaults produce — and the defaults were designed for volume, not for a consultant charging five figures a month.
Misaligned margins
A gutter set too tight forces the reader to break the spine. Every corporate buyer who has held a trade title knows the difference within three seconds of opening the book.
Default font choices
Times New Roman at 12pt with single spacing reads as a memorandum, not a book. Trade non-fiction is set in a considered serif on a measured grid, and that decision alone signals a publisher was involved.
Template cover design
The stock image, the centred sans-serif title, the drop shadow. Procurement teams and event bookers have seen the same template a thousand times, and it prices you accordingly.
No imprint of record
A title with no publisher behind it invites the question you never want asked in a boardroom: who decided this was worth printing?
The corporate client does not think, "this typography is poorly kerned." They think, "this person is not at my level." The book you produce to raise your standing quietly lowers it, and you never learn why the enquiry went cold.
Return on Commission
The Math of Authority
A book is not a retail product for an expert; it is a business development instrument. Judge the £1,995 not against royalty income but against the value of one engagement it opens. Most Vanguard authors recover the commission before the first print run is exhausted.
One consulting retainer
£6,000
A single mid-size engagement secured because the book arrived before you did.
One corporate speaking fee
£3,500
Event bookers commission authors. The book is the credential that shortens the pitch.
One enterprise client
£25,000+
A published authority does not compete on price during procurement review.
The Calculation
One retainer at £6,000 returns your commission three times over. One speaking fee at £3,500 returns it nearly twice. A single enterprise client makes the question of cost irrelevant — and the book continues working for a decade, in bookshops, in search results, and on the desks of people you have not yet met.
Reserve Your Slot
The Debut Vanguard Commission
£1,995
One payment · ex VAT · settled in full on slot reservation
Production begins the working day after payment clears and your assessment is returned.
Reserve a Vanguard Production Slot (£1,995)Schedule a 15-Minute Intake Call with an Editor
Direct line 0203 8388 771 · All manuscripts held under NDA · Strictly twelve commissions per month
Require hardcover, audiobook, or publicity? Compare the full imprint tiers.