Free Services for Self-Published Authors

Professional publishing support at no cost—helping you avoid common mistakes and make informed decisions about your picture book project.

1. Free Manuscript Rating

Get an honest, professional rating of your picture book manuscript—from exceptional to Significant Challenges—with a brief explanation. No strings attached, just straightforward publisher feedback to help you understand where your story stands.

Request Rating

Response within 2 business days

2. Free Pagination Service

Receive a professional page-by-page breakdown showing how your manuscript could be structured across picture book spreads. Available to Manuscript Development Programme clients.

Request Pagination

For Manuscript Development clients only

3. Free Print-Ready File Check

Have your low-res PDF files reviewed for common technical issues before printing. We'll provide a simple checklist identifying potential problems with dimensions, bleed, spine width, text placement, and more.

Request File Check

Response within 2 business days

4. Free Printing Quote

Get transparent, no-obligation pricing from a publisher with over a decade of printing experience. Real published rates that give you a realistic benchmark—even if you don't print with us.

Request Quote

Response within 2 business days

Ready to Get Started?

Click any service button above to send your request, or email us at
authors@starfishbaypublishing.com with questions.

Over the years, we've seen many self-published authors pour thousands of dollars into their picture books, only to discover issues that could have been identified long before printing.

The disappointment isn't only financial. It's realizing too late that a wordy manuscript won't fit a 32-page format, that page turns fall in the wrong places, that the print file setup isn't set up correctly, or that the final books don’t look comparable to those on bookstore shelves.

We can't guide every self-published author through the complexities of children's book publishing, but we can offer targeted help where it makes the biggest difference. Our free services are designed to catch the most common structural, design, and technical problems before you invest substantial time and money—not after a flawed plan has already taken shape.

Sharing this knowledge is important to us. A quick review from our team can often spot issues immediately—things that might take authors hours of research to uncover and even then may still lead to avoidable mistakes. If you’d like support, simply send us your project and let us know which free service you’d like to request. We’re not here to sell anything; we’re here to make sure you get the right foundations in place.

Please note: These services provide publisher-level insight focused on industry standards, story structure, pagination, technical specifications, and production requirements—areas that many freelance editors, designers, and illustrators may not cover. They are one-time professional consultations intended to highlight key issues. We can’t provide ongoing discussions or follow-up coaching. For creative development or detailed revisions, please continue working with your own editorial, design, or illustration team.