About Us
At BubbleCow, we are dedicated to providing bespoke and tailored editorial feedback that empowers authors to realize their creative visions. Our mission is rooted in the belief that storytelling is an art and writing is a craft. We pride ourselves on delivering the highest possible quality of service by deeply understanding both the author and their book. This allows us to offer the most insightful feedback and guidance, ensuring each writer can elevate their work to its fullest potential. With our transparent 'cost per word' pricing structure, we ensure clarity and fairness, enabling authors to focus on their craft without unexpected costs.
Our Story
In 2007, Gary Smailes was frustrated by the quality of editorial feedback available to self-publishing writers.
He had worked extensively within the traditional publishing space for several years, and he understood that though there were many great, professional editors, they often had no understanding of how to 'translate' the kind of feedback they provided to the self-publishing space.
The result was that self-publishing writers were mostly only able to access expensive, low-quality editorial feedback from editors that had little, if any, understanding of the true requirements of self-publishing writers.
Gary was aware that most writers were working to a budget and that editors needed to provide a new, cost-effective service if these writers were to receive the type of feedback their books required.
In the traditional publishing industry, it is common for editors to quote prices based on the length of a manuscript, the complexity of the prose, and even the genre. The result was that it was often impossible for a writer to receive an accurate quote for editing at the project's outset. This meant that not only were writers forced to jump through several hoops to get a quote for this book but, often, this cost would be incorrect, with the final cost spiraling as the editing dragged on beyond the initial assessment.
Gary understood that if a self-publishing project was to be successful, then writers needed to be aware of all the costs at the outset, and these costs needed to be set in stone before the editing started. Only this way would a writer be able to accurately assess the budget required to publish a book.
To solve this problem and provide transparent and straightforward pricing for editorial feedback, he developed a much fairer 'cost per word' price structure. It was at this moment that BubbleCow was born.
Gary Smailes
Gary Smailes has more than fifteen years of experience in the publishing industry, working as a researcher, writer, and editor for both small publishers and the Big Five publishing houses. He has also served as a publishing consultant, providing expert advice and guidance to aspiring authors and established writers alike.
Throughout his career, Gary has championed the cause of small authors, believing that the publishing process should be democratic and accessible to all. He feels that every book deserves a voice, regardless of its marketing budget, and that the best stories and ideas will naturally rise to the top. This conviction has driven him to dedicate his career to giving smaller authors a platform to share their work.
Gary has a diverse background, having worked as a writer, historian, editor, and researcher. He holds a degree in biology and a post-graduate degree in military history from Liverpool University. His academic background is as eclectic as his professional experience.
He has authored several books, including the Brave Scot series, the Modern Hero series, and the BattleBooks series. With more than twenty titles in print with various publishers, his work has reached a broad audience. He also collaborated closely with the successful author Terry Deary as a researcher for the popular Horrible Histories books and TV series.
Gary fundamentally believes in the independent publishing process and sees the digital publishing revolution as a cornerstone for empowering thousands of authors to find their readership. He continues to write for both children and adults, with several books slated for publication. Represented by literary agent Andrew Lownie, Gary also frequently speaks publicly about publishing, the writing process, and self-publishing.