Here’s what the authors have to say!

Tim Atkins, author of Best Friends – Go Camping (2024): Proofreading and formatting (for paperback & ebook).

“Very happy with services provided. Would definitely use Heddon Publishing again. Kath was very friendly and helpful throughout the process.”

Paul Fenton, author of God’s Good Air: Medical Misadventures in Tropical Africa (2023): Formatting ebook, print book and cover design plus consultancy service.

“Very happy with services provided. Would use Heddon Publishing again except I can do most things myself now.”


Jayne Lockwood, author of the Closer than Blood series

“I’ve known Katharine and Heddon Publishing for a while but this was the first time I had used their proofreading service. Katharine is a delight to work with, very intuitive and professional. I had no doubt she would do an excellent job and I was really pleased with the result.

In a sea of dodgy sites dedicated to prising money from self-published authors, Heddon Publishing stands out as a trustworthy and reliable beacon and I will definitely use them again and again. A great resource for independent authors.”

Michael Hill, author of Llywelyn:

“If you are requiring a book proofread I strongly recommend Katharine Smith, of Heddon Publishing. She has just finished proofreading my novel ‘Llywelyn’ and has done an excellent job. She is extremely professional in her approach and completes the work quickly in a meticulous, skilful and thorough manner. She is very open to discussion and explanation and is friendly and approachable. She is also willing to go the extra mile and I suspect is as reliable and competent at copy editing and other book services. In my case she made a list of oversights and lapses that had not come through in the copy editing and I was able to rectify these. In future I will hope to use Katharine for copy editing and proofreading and all other areas in book  publishing as she is very knowledgeable and helpful. But I know she is also very busy.”

Christopher Hart, author of Lost Children, Sunday Times journalist, author of the Harvest and Rescue me, and also writes as William Napier:

“Katharine has been absolutely brilliant at advising and overseeing my first foray into the sometimes daunting world of hybrid publishing. There are so many possibilities now for independent authors to sell straight to their readers via the net, but initially, at least, professional guidance is invaluable with book design, preparing ebooks and so on. This is especially true of writers who aren’t that tech-savvy (e.g. me!) I couldn’t have done it without Kath, she has always been prompt in replying to my queries, and I can’t recommend her services highly enough.”

Rose Donovan, author of the Ruby Dove mystery series:

“Katharine provides warm, supportive, flexible, and impeccable proofreading services. She obviously enjoys reading the story, so she was able to point out a few key plot inconsistencies in the book as well. A major bonus! I’d recommend Heddon Publishing’s services without hesitation.”

Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar, author of The Migrant Report and No Place for Women:

“Every writer needs the support of an editorial team and this is even more true when self published. Working with Katharine is like having a professional editor on your team. Her comments are detailed and insightful. In short, your manuscript could not be in better hands.”

Chris Wadsworth, author of Life Class: The Memoir of an Accidental Gallerist (published by Prospero Press):

“Dealing with Katharine has been a treat. She is super efficient, conscientious and certainly knows her way round publishing. This was my first venture into self-publishing and her guidance was invaluable. I will use her for the next book with no hesitation.”

Nelly Harper, author of The Girl of Two Worlds and The Jet Necklace (published by Goblin House):

“I used Katharine at Heddon Publishing to proofread my first novel, I will use her for all my future work now. I found her to be professional yet extremely friendly and encouraging. I was a bit apprehensive about letting someone else work on my manuscript but she was careful and extremely thorough. At no time did I feel I was losing my work to someone else’s hand. Not only that, she was also happy to answer any query I had, no matter how trivial (and I had a lot). She never made me feel as though I had to pay for every second of her time, in fact I am sure she did far more than she charged for. Altogether I found working with her a delight and a big boost to my confidence. I cannot recommend her highly enough.”

Paul Harris, author of Raising Freedom’s Banner (published by Aristotle Lane Press):

“Katharine Smith did an excellent job copy editing and formatting my history book “ Raising Freedom’s Banner – how peaceful demonstrations have changed the world”. Her work was intelligent, knowledgeable, painstaking – and very fast. I can strongly recommend her services to any author.”

Here is what some of our authors have to say about their experience with Heddon Publishing:

Jan Pryor, author of After Alexander: The Legacy of a Son

“Katharine has been absolutely wonderful to work with as an author. She is encouraging, informed, and consistently helpful. Thanks to her I have a lovely book published world wide. I recommend her highly for anyone including those not in the UK.”

Michael Clutterbuck, author of the Steaming Into series

“I came across Heddon Publishing when searching on the Internet for a publisher to consider a book I had prepared. Katharine Smith, the editor, provided me with the kind of service I had not experienced with the many other publishers I had approached. Her appraisal of my manuscript was both honest and speedy, and her charges were very reasonable. Since accepting my manuscript for publication as an e-book, her continued work in editing and marketing has been nothing short of excellent. As a direct result of her efforts, the book has had gratifying sales figures. She has also undertaken the preparation necessary for producing the book as a hard copy. All in all, she has constantly kept me in the picture regarding sales progress, and I consider myself exceedingly fortunate to be involved with her company.”

Peter M. Clutterbuck, author of The Downunder Kid, My Crazy Uncle Walter and Chalk It Up

“I was introduced to Heddon by my cousin Michael who had written a successful book, Steaming Into the Firing Line. Although this kind of publishing is new to me I have found it to be an excellent and secure way to have your book published. The Editor, Katharine Smith, is herself a talented author so is well able to provide you with a realistic assessment of your manuscript and give valuable advice and assistance to ensure your publication is of highly professional nature. From the moment your book is accepted, Katharine provides personalised service and editorial advice, yet you remain firmly in control of your story at all times.”  

John P Gibson, author of Dead Next Tuesday

“Excellent service and a keen insight to the industry, Katharine Smith and Heddon Publishing bring with it the expertise one expects in such a competitive business. I was more than fortunate to have been introduced through a friend here in Portugal. Our relationship has grown and now become very comfortable when dealing with the finer points of the literary world. Without the help of Katharine I would have been lost in the maze that the publishing world has become for a novice as myself. ‘Dead Next Tuesday’ my first book with Heddon Publishing has been getting great reviews and I owe it all to Katharine and her expertise in her field. I look forward to getting more of my books to her for her artistic flare in the near future.”

Sheila Hayes, author of Stanley Gets a Guinea Pig

“For all new authors – if you need expert professional advice and help I strongly recommend you contact Katharine Smith who owns Heddon Publishing. I have just written my first children’s book and I was helped all along the way by Katharine. My book was proof-read and the layout and some suggestions were made which greatly added to the quality of this book. Then came the presentation and beautiful fantastic illustrations she arranged via a professional illustrator colleague. She turned my little book into the most eye catching and attractive storybook. Most important the price was affordable unlike a lot of online Publishers I had contacted along the way, whose price one could never afford in the gamble to get started. She is always there to help with any queries and is a pleasure to work with and learn from. I hope our working relationship continues for a long time to come.”

Phil Phoenix, author of Jet!

“As a struggling author, (aren’t we all) I signed up with Heddon some months ago, and as a company, they must be among the top few that are capable of carrying out a seamless operation. To my amazement, and delight, during the processing of my novel JET!, Kath Smith has done what I can only describe as a masterpiece of publishing. I am very pleased with what Heddon have done so far. Being cost effective is another accolade. I’ve had offers from other publishers between three and five times as much as Heddon have charged me, so you can see for yourself that Heddon’s pricing is very reasonable. Would I recommend Heddon to others? Without hesitation, yes!”

Roderick Shaw, author of No Picnic for Sam

“Katharine Smith’s editing and formatting of my work proved invaluable and brought my manuscript to life. Her enthusiasm, and dedication to the task was top quality and I would be glad to recommend her to any writer.”

Claudia de Verteuil, author of Paradise Plums and Cocoa Beans

“Heddon Publishing ticked all the boxes for me with my publication of Paradise Plums and Cocoa Beans. I received the right combination of advice and support through the whole process and felt that every effort was taken by Katharine Smith, the editor, to ‘get it right’. I was consulted and included in every decision and felt part of the process from start to finish. The editing, formatting and visual presentation was spot on. I feel very happy to recommend Heddon Publishing to other aspiring authors.”

Alan Scriven, author of The Longmynd Adventure Camp and Me

“I considered that my “book” (which it wasn’t at that point. It was merely a dream I had clung to for a few years) was complete. All the hard work researching my subject – a registered Childrens Charity, and my own life throughout the time I was involved with it – was over……… or so I thought! I contacted Heddon Publishing, chosen purposely because a friend of mine told me that a mutual friend had had his work published by them, and was glad that he had. In no time at all I received a reply from Katharine Smith. It was a very professional response, but I detected a ‘warmth and sincerity’ in her words of encouragement. She said she would be delighted to have a look at my work with a view to publishing. My “dream” was sent via Drop Box immediately. A few days later Katharine contacted me again, saying that she considered my work would make an excellent book. She then made several suggestions regarding the editing and re-hashing of it and asked if I would like her to “have a go” at it, then return it for my perusal and consideration. I agreed, and Katharine got to work. The finished manuscript was amazing!! I was delighted, to say the least. I am indebted to Katharine Smith for her hard work; commitment, and professionalism in getting my book ready for our agreed publication date. I couldn’t have done it without her……..Thank you Kath, again. I will always be grateful. In closing, I would just like to say that although she was (and is) working with many other authors (because that’s what I now am), Katharine Smith made me feel like I was the only one. I absolutely recommend Heddon Publishing to anyone who is thinking about getting their work published.”