publishing.co.uk

Robert Prime — Author, Founder & Editor at publishing.co.uk

16 May 2026 2 min read Updated 16 May 2026

Last reviewed by the publishing.co.uk team — May 2026

TL;DR: Robert Prime is the founder of publishing.co.uk, co-runs the LoveReading network, and is a self-published author with 25+ years in eCommerce and digital publishing. UK-based, with first-hand experience of the KDP rejection / formatting / launch cycle UK authors actually face.

Robert Prime

Founder, publishing.co.uk · Co-owner, LoveReading network · Self-published author of Google. Panic. Repeat.

UK-based · 25+ years in eCommerce and digital publishing · Writes here about UK self-publishing, KDP formatting, and the things authors only find out the hard way.

At publishing.co.uk we work with UK indie authors across every stage, so this guide reflects what we’ve actually seen succeed (and fail) rather than recycled advice.

What I do

I run publishing.co.uk — a UK book-formatting service for self-published authors using Amazon KDP. We turn DOCX manuscripts into KDP-ready paperback PDFs and reflowable Kindle EPUBs in under 24 hours, from £69. Every file is audited against the same 30+ check KDP pre-flight before delivery.

I co-run the LoveReading network — a UK book discovery and reader-recommendation platform. We work with both traditional publishers and indie self-publishers to surface books that match readers’ actual tastes.

I founded MrPrime — an Amazon strategy consultancy for UK brands doing £200K-£3M in annual Amazon revenue. I’ve spent 20+ years inside Amazon’s marketplace ecosystem and seen the patterns repeat.

I write the guides on this site myself. They draw on what I’ve learned formatting 500+ self-published books, building eCommerce businesses on Amazon, and self-publishing my own work.

My book

I self-published Google. Panic. Repeat. in the early days of my eCommerce career — a frank account of building, scaling, and breaking digital businesses. Going through KDP’s upload-rejection-fix cycle for that book is the reason I now know exactly where most UK self-publishers trip up. Half of what’s on publishing.co.uk is rooted in mistakes I made on that file.

What I write about here

I write about the practical, UK-specific edge of self-publishing that most online advice misses:

  • UK copyright — what’s automatic, when registration helps, how to evidence ownership. Start here.
  • KDP formatting — margins, gutters, fonts, embedded metadata, the things KDP rejects you for without explaining. Run the free Readiness Score.
  • UK-specific obligations — ISBNs, legal deposit, VAT on books, the bits American guides skip
  • Amazon marketplace mechanics — categories, keywords, ad strategy, why launches succeed or stall
  • The honest economics of self-publishing — what’s worth paying for, what’s not, when £200 gets you better output than £2,000

If you read one thing first, the copyright guide is probably the highest-leverage. If you have a manuscript ready, run the free 60-second audit before you upload anywhere.

How to reach me

If you’ve spotted a factual error on a guide here, or have a UK self-publishing question that isn’t answered elsewhere on the site, send me a note — those questions are what shape the next round of guides.

What I’m not

I am not a UK copyright solicitor, not a tax adviser, and not a literary agent. The guides on this site are practical operational guidance based on lived experience and verified sources. For specific legal/tax/contract questions, the Society of Authors (whose members get free initial legal-query support) or a qualified UK IP solicitor is the right call. I link to primary UK government sources throughout my guides so you can verify everything I claim against legislation.gov.uk, the IPO, the British Library, and Nielsen directly.

Selected work and credentials

  • Self-published author — Google. Panic. Repeat. (multiple editions, Amazon KDP)
  • Founder — publishing.co.uk (2025-present)
  • Co-owner — LoveReading network
  • Founder — MrPrime Amazon strategy consultancy
  • 25+ years in eCommerce, including early-stage startups through enterprise-scale Amazon operations
  • 500+ UK self-published books formatted via publishing.co.uk to date
  • Fix-free on formatting — if KDP rejects a file we’ve delivered for a formatting reason, we correct it at no cost

Last reviewed and updated: May 2026. If anything on this page is out of date, please tell me — hello@publishing.co.uk.

Robert Prime — Founder of publishing.co.uk

About the Author

Robert Prime

Robert Prime is a best-selling self-published author, veteran eCommerce strategist, and the founder of publishing.co.uk. With over 25 years of experience in digital business he brings a battle-tested perspective to the publishing industry. After experiencing firsthand the archaic, headache-inducing process of formatting a KDP-compliant book for his own best-seller, Google. Panic. Repeat., Robert built publishing.co.uk to solve the problem for other authors. He is also a co-owner of the LoveReading.co.uk network (the UK’s leading book discovery platforms), founder of the Amazon growth agency MrPrime.com, and a member of the Forbes Business Council.