Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd. Reviews 643

An elderly friend of mine who I’ve supported for years contacted this company about his book and got very excited about their projections of a million copies at £x each. He has been trying to get his book out there for many years. This was well over a year ago that Austin Mc said they could help him. He’s heard nada since. Zero. Zilch. Nothing has materialised. He keeps on hoping. I am worried he’s being made a mug of.

THEY STEAL YOUR ROYALTIES!!!! Do not publish with them!!!!

When Austin Macauley accepted my manuscript for publication, the editting team boosted my self-confidence and I knew I could work with the publishing company through the various stages. I am not a computer whizz, but Austin Macauley guided me successfully at each stage. The design team realised my vision for the cover.

I believe that Austin Macauley and his team are the best bublishers, first, they provide support ;second, they help the authors motivation ;and third, they pave the way to achieving the goal.
Austin and his team helped me achieve my heartfelt dream, with their support and assistance, reach what I wished for.

I learned how to deal with the different steps from formating to publishing. Very useful !

From start to finish my experience with Austin McCauley Publishers has been great! I have been highly impressed by the communication level there is between the author and staff. I would highly recommend this publisher to any author or new author.

I have found Austin Macauley Publishers a pleasure to work with. They put me at ease in terms of the process and steps involved. The journey consists of stages and they liaised with me throughout to reach our mutual goal of publication.

Thus far, Austin Macauley have been wonderfully supportive, and it is very much appreciated.

I published this review on 3/25/24. On 6/16/25, Ganesh Koumar of their marketing department offered some new approaches, but only if I would remove the review.
I removed it. Nothing happened. So I am reposting the review, with some edits.
This was my second book, so I thought I knew what to expect from a publisher - an editor who would push me to make my writing communicate effectively and a marketing department that would get the book noticed in all the right places. And I found some good reviews for Austin Macauley, so I signed the contract hoping for the best. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Austin Macauley's editing - what there was of it – seemed not to have been done by a live editor. Except that an AI edit would have done a better job. It changed correct grammar to incorrect; in one case it even reversed the meaning of the sentence. I wound up doing all the proofing and editing myself, with no help from a series of about six "Production Assistants" who came and went without noticeable effect.

They did finally publish the book, more than two years after getting my signed contract. Their “Guide to Marketing” promised that I would receive my complimentary copies and other marketing materials within two weeks of publication; it took ten weeks and multiple emails with my new “Senior Marketing Lead,” who agreed that this was unacceptable but admitted she couldn’t do anything about it. That was my first clue about the marketing department.

They listed the book on Amazon and other book websellers in paperback and e-book format. But they didn’t ask me about how to describe the book on those websites, and what they posted trivialized the book. I finally got that improved, although not fully satisfactory, after appealing to Amazon. The holiday season was arriving and my book would be relevant then, so I asked what they were doing to market it and waited to hear from them about press contacts, featured stories, etc.

They weren’t doing anything. They wanted me to construct a website for the book. They wanted me to pay to advertise it in Publisher’s Weekly. They wanted me to market it on social media. Their entire marketing effort consisted of sending a “pitch” to bookstores, libraries, and newspapers prior to publication. I asked to see the “pitch” but never got it. I emailed repeatedly for more information and got no response. Finally I called hoping to speak to a real live person but all I could do was leave a voicemail. That did finally produce a response from my Marketing Lead telling me that all their marketing was done prior to publication but that they might send another “pitch” after six months had passed. It was obvious that their marketing was nearly non-existent.

Austin Macauley “published” my book, in the sense that they got it printed and available for purchase on book websites. That, I suppose, is worth the small fee they charged me, which would hardly cover the cost of preparing and printing. But they stand to lose more than I do if the book doesn’t sell, so I don’t understand why they won’t market it. I have now engaged a professional marketer to do that for me; I’m hoping the extra cost will be covered by a significant increase in sales.

It’s also interesting that the reviews of Austin Macauley are either wonderful (61%) or terrible (24%) with hardly any in between. How does such a love/hate evaluation happen? I can only imagine two possibilities. One is that they make a conscious decision to do nothing for one book out of four. The other is that the positive reviews are phony. Either way, your book faces at least a 25% chance of an unhappy outcome like the one described in my earlier review. Go figure.
I put a lot of effort into my book. I wish I had chosen a publisher who was worth it. If you are an author in search of a publisher, look elsewhere.

Definate Vanity publishers. I have had 2 books published by them of which I know some sold as family and friends bought copies that I signed personally yet when the time came for royalty payouts they said my sales were zero which is not correct. I outlaid £10,600 to get the top level of service yet have received absolutely nothing but excuses so AVOID at all costs

Austin Macauley Publications were very patient with me through the editing process of my first publication. I am truly grateful to every department for their hard work in bringing this publication to fruition.
I highly recommend this company, more so for those who have never been published before and whom need guidance and reassurance.
Thankyou so much.
Denise Le'Anne.

Accurate and detailed about the procedure. Keeping me informed, very kind and willing to explain, adapt, etc.
As this was my first experience, I learned that after the second preview of the draft it isn't possible to make further changes, while there were still certain details that needed to be adjusted. So I learned from that as well. Thank you all very much for a wonderful experience and for your great work!

Very professional and helpful.
excellent service.

Austin Macauley has been open, friendly and very professional throughout the journey of editing, producing and marketing my first book. They clearly want only the best for their clients and have always been amenable to email or telephone conversations, without problem. Every department I have had contact with has been keen to support and offer advice when needed. I highly recommend Austin Macauley as an accomplished and experienced publishing company.

Austin Macauley is, in my opinion, a highly professional publishing company and one which upholds exacting standards in all departments.

Throughout the whole publishing process, from the original submission of the manuscript of my novel, ‘Dark Runs the River’, through to the actual publication, I cannot speak too highly of the professionalism, creativity and friendliness of everyone, without exception, with whom I have dealt. In one instance only, where I expressed a concern, this was dealt with immediately and entirely to my satisfaction.

The finished publication, I believe, to be exceptional and the supporting advertising material equally so.

I very much look forward to working with Austin Macauley with, hopefully, a second novel.

What made my experience great was how friendly the staff members were when I submitted my manuscript and the journey throughout the editing process all the way up to the publication date

My experience with Austin Macauley Publishers has been very exciting!
Their precision, accuracy and professionalism are the basis of my work with them.
I highly recommend them, for their incredible performance in every aspect of true literature.

Austin Macaulay have been excellent in their execution of every stage in the process of printing my book. Everything has gone on schedule, and it has been so easy on me. I am truly grateful for their services.

they published my book in the quickest way possible and through the process offered their support and kept us updated on what was happening, the staff are very lovely and make it a positive experience

I do not believe this company at all, from start to finish it has been a complete shambles, once you hand over your hard earned money communication ceases. They promise to promote your book through media stations etc ( rubbish) editing was a shambles, 3rd time they got it right my 15 year grandson did a better job. They have basically done nothing to promote my book, I’m embarrassed to say I fell for for this dishonest company and will now be asking a refund for the stress they have caused .