Troubador Publishing Reviews 

From manuscript to publication was effortless; such a good team keeping me informed at every step along the way. Brilliant.

The publishing experience was a bit daunting for me, largely because I went into it with so little understanding of how it all worked.
I looked at the range of self-publishing options and decided that Troubador occupied a happy middle ground between those who simply produce a book (viable if your project is something just for a family and friends) and those who are closer to the conventional publisher in operation, except that the author pays (they would have done more than Troubador on the promotion, but I thought the cost prohibitive).
Working through the process, I dealt with about 5 different people at Troubador, all of them friendly, efficient and professional. And I was very pleased with how the final book turned out. Having said that, I was surprised how much input I made on real basics, like the cover appearance and the page layout (font and margin sizes) possibly because they’re less geared to books such as mine (specialist non fiction). They also didn’t add as much to the marketing as I'd hoped, I imagine because of the specialist nature of the book.
My main regret was on the launch: the book was ready well in advance of the formal publication date, so I launched it then (November). But Amazon, who are a law unto themselves, did not make it available until the publication date (end-January). That meant my reasonably successful publicity efforts did not easily translate into sales. I think Troubador might have provided a better steer on that point.
I do think Troubador were the right choice for me and I would definitely recommend them.

It was a pleasure dealing with an efficient company with high standards. I particularly appreciated how easy it was to get in touch with whoever was dealing with an aspect of the publication. They answered phones quickly and replied promptly to emails. I am delighted with the finished product.

My book 'Tsushima: Japan's Trafalgar' was published in May 2022. The cost was worth every penny and I was 100% happy with the result. The layout and printing font/style etc. were very professional in appearance. The team was extremely helpful every step of the way and gave me much-appreciated advice, answering every query. In choosing to do my own proof-reading, due to the extra cost of using a professional, there was a risk of various errors slipping through, but this is no reflection on Troubador's work, which produced a book that was better than I expected. For any author considering self-publishing I have no hesitation in recommending Troubador.

If, like me, you are looking to publish your first book, I strongly recommend Troubador. From their very first email, I found them professional, helpful and reassuring. They explained each step of the process, answered all my questions, of which there were many, and made me feel at ease from start to finish.

Having now received copies of my book, The Whispering Wall, I am really pleased with the quality of production. The books are printed on high-quality white paper and feel like a premium product.

I felt that they genuinely cared about my book and making it the best it could be. If you are in any doubt, this is a very easy company to work with, and one I highly recommend.

I recently published my novel 'The White City' through Troubadour, and like many people was initially apprehensive about the process of 'self-publishing' and the product I might end up with. I'm pleased to say that the experience has been both satisfying and seamless, and I'm delighted with the finished book. Several local bookshops have agreed to stock it and I've found the various events and blogs Troubadour offer to be especially useful in helping not just with the initial production but also with the follow up marketing and promotion. The highest praise I can give is that if I ever get round to completing a second novel I won't even try to pursue a traditional agent/publisher route, but will definitely follow this process again.

I have just read ‘Hazelgrove’ by Janet Beacom. I hope this is the right place to review it. It is a great book in the Maeve Binchy tradition and is well worth the read. the story is heartwarming and fulfilling. The production quality is excellent.

It's been said that everyone has at least one book in them. Having it in you is one thing... getting it out of you is another thing altogether. But even if you have managed to dedicate the hours, days, weeks, months or in my case years of hard work to get it out and onto paper or these days your memory stick, getting it into print is a whole new challenge. That is where the folks at Troubador Publishing come in. The staff at Troubador are all professional and dedicated to making your book the best it can be. The editing, design, eBook creation, final printing and supporting web design are all one hundred percent, gold-standard top-notch services, and once you are in their system they take you safely and securely through the final journey into print and into your potential readers' hands in a way that really helps your work shine.

I can't thank them enough for helping me realise my dream of bringing my invented inner world into the real world with my Sci-Fi novel, Advances in the Art of Being. From my first contact with them to actually holding the printed book in my hands, and skimming through the website they have designed for me, the experience has been nothing other than rewarding and exhilarating in equal measure.

If you are a budding author dreaming of getting your book out of you and into print, and wondering whether to trust them with your manuscript, wonder no more and start working with them to turn your dream into reality. Trust me, you will not regret it.

I found Troubador to be a great experience by making me fully inclusive in all of the decision making. So much faster than the traditional route. This is the second time I have used the company. The first time was when I created an eBook some years ago, and I was so impressed by their standards, I have now followed with a second novel creating another eBook and a paperback.

Writing Fragments of Silk, my first work of fiction, was a daunting and lonely business. Having an excellent publisher who took care to support me was a dream I didn't expect to come true, but it did. I thought long about looking for an agent. I have been down that way before, but what attracted me to Troubador was their clarity in pricing each step of the process and the support they offered. The book looked wonderful when printed in its beautifully designed cover, and everything was done with great attention to detail and quality.

Troubador are a pleasure to work with. After many years of writing non-fiction for various publishers I was delighted to find such a supportive publisher for my first novel.
The whole process was straightforward, easy to understand, and highly professional. I have just recommended them to a friend, and that is a sign of how good they are.

This is my answer after the replay from Troubadoor Publishing:
"One more reason not to buy from Troubador.
It remains to be clarified why only your shipment required customs duties, differently from the other publisher and the 61 books purchased from the UK in the last two years.
Italy is a Country devoted to Culture, and custom fees are excluded for the books provided that it is clearly indicated by the publisher (the technical term is "Pieghi di libri").
But this is because you did not indicate that it was a book, only "sales of goods" and the title (the other publisher indicated "Book" instead of the title).
Maybe you are optimist? Our custom officers are not so trained to understand that a half title named linguistic modell (please, verify the Custom Declaration) without brackets is a title of a book, and the good was considered an instrument for modeling...
The mistake was yours, and deserves at least a refund of the customs duties; but, evidently, the UK is no more the Country of Gentlemen, nor the one of marketing competencies.
That's all,"
===
Shame! A book purchased for 16 pounds was shipped for 22 pounds plus, arrived weeks later, and the total of 38 pounds was increased by a €7 customs fee (unforeseen and unannounced by the publisher).
While another book, identical in weight, number of pages, and courier, purchased the same day from a different publisher in the UK, was shipped for half the price and had no customs fees.
As the purchasing manager for my course at Sapienza University of Rome, I will cancel all requests for orders to Troubador Publishing.

Prof. dr. Maurizio Quagliuolo

A very personalised and bespoke experience when publishing my first book. I was involved throughout the process and felt part of a large family of friends. Troubador's professionalism with all aspects of my journey was well rewarded when my book "All About Boughton" was published very recently.
Judy Shephard

This is my first entry into the world of self-publishing. The fact that Troubador wanted to read the manuscript before agreeing to publish this with me was reassuring to me. From that point on everybody that I worked with was helpful, polite and friendly. Everyone was knowledgeable in their own field, but also knew when to ask one of their colleagues if they were unsure. They all offered sound advice and were willing to listen and help me understand the process. I am very pleased with the professionalism of the whole team at Troubador, and with the finished book that we have produced together. I would wholeheartedly recommend them to anyone considering self-publishing.

From the moment I contacted Troubador (through a recommendation but unknown to me) I was given such wonderful service; thoughtful, kind and enthusiastic, that it made working with the company an absolute delight. I couldn't have believed how smooth and easy it was to go from "Here's my manuscript." to responding to a flurry of press interviews to launch the book. Yes, of course there were one or two hiccoughs to sort out; placement of sketches for instance but nothing that wasn't sorted out with total patience and consideration. Thanks to all, especially, Lauren, Lauren, Jonathan and Emily and the designer of the cover too. That was perfect from day one. Most impressive. I have been singing the praises of Troubador ever since and the company and its staff definitely deserve a full five stars.

They were very quick to respond. Always well briefed and polite. A good customer experience at every level.

Writing my two Napoleonic novels was easy. But I had no idea how to get them published. I met Troubador at the London Book Fair and was very impressed. It’s a sort of halfway house between selling to a Publisher & total Self publishing. From the very beginning the whole journey has been a delight. And the efficiency! Two books in paperback form in less than 9 months! Nothing seems to be too much trouble and even my silliest questions have been answered speedily. They have given me two of the special moments in my life, there is nothing like holding your own book in your hand, just as you imagine. And as for seeing it on a bookstore shelf and then watching a stranger paying to read it.. well!

I knew nothing about publishing and right from the beginning they were very helpful and answered many questions about the process and checked in with me frequently before each stage. Mine was a small project but quite an emotional project for me - publishing my late husbands poetry and they were always very kind, mindful and professional. I would highly recommend them.

This is my first book to be published. It is an exciting but sometimes stressful experience, which would have been much more difficult without Troubador's help. The communication and practical assistance have been excellent throughout, professional, friendly and encouraging.
The book, Straad, will be launched in a couple of weeks. If Troubador's marketing is to the same high standard, then I'm sure it will be a huge success.
Many thanks,
Ken Cairnduff

Troubador is packed with professional people who are friendly, keen and do everything in their power to make the process of self-publishing a streamlined one. It's been an absolute pleasure working with these guys.