Case Study

A Good Scrap I Fear

By William Ireland

William Ireland came to us with a story about a family-run Devon hotel, decades of hospitality and a hard-edged campaign for fairness, sparked by an email revealed via a Freedom of Information request (“We shall be in for a good scrap, I fear.”).

The brief: publish professionally in print and Kindle, keep the memoir’s warmth and humour, handle all the technical work, and build a website for direct sales, press enquiries and the wider campaign.

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Copies of A Good Scrap I Fear by William Ireland standing in a row
Copies of A Good Scrap I Fear lying stacked

Book and author

A memoir rooted in life at The Cottage Hotel

The book celebrates the “invisible craft” of hospitality and calls for greater accountability in public life, blending human stories with documentary evidence. It is positioned as a personal tribute and a wider “case study” about fairness, community and resilience.

William grew up in the family hotel business. He wrote the book partly to complete work begun by his late mother, Janet, building on her diaries and notes.

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WHAT WE DELIVERED

Full production and launch

Designed to feel like a traditionally published book:

The process

How we worked on the book

  1. Discovery and a plan

    We began with a consultation on goals, timeline and what “professional” needed to mean for this project, then mapped the workflow so there were no late surprises.

    Here the story and the infrastructure (formats, files, listings, website, printing) had to work together from day one.

  2. Editing that protects the voice

    With memoir, the line between “polished” and “over-edited” is thin. Editing focused on clarity and pacing while keeping William’s tone, so the humour, including the lived reality of hospitality, stayed authentic.

  3. Formatting for print and Kindle

    We formatted separate interiors for:

    • Paperback (print-ready layout)
    • Kindle (optimised for e-readers)

    That avoided the “one file fits all” problem behind messy Kindle conversions.

  4. Cover design

    Consultation, concept development, a custom front, a print-ready wraparound (spine and back), a Kindle-optimised cover and multiple proof rounds.

    The finished cover works as a small online thumbnail and is fully print-spec compliant.

  5. Amazon KDP launch

    We prepared and submitted the paperback and Kindle editions on KDP, so the book could be sold through major online shops, including Amazon and Waterstones.

    The KDP account is William’s, so he keeps control and royalties go directly to him.

  6. Book website

    The website supports:

    • Direct sales, with signed copies
    • Clear positioning: memoir and accountability narrative
    • Press and contact routes for the campaign

  7. Print strategy

    We combined:

    • Amazon POD, for steady availability without warehousing
    • Printed stock where needed, with bookshop-quality production, tailored specs and delivery.

RESULT

A fully professional release

  • Paperback via Amazon print-on-demand
  • Kindle edition
  • A dedicated book website supporting direct signed sales and communications

All delivered through a personal, consultative process: “human-first, not platform-first”.

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William Ireland came to us with a powerful, very specific story: a family-run Devon hotel, decades of hospitality life, and a hard-edged campaign for fairness sparked by an email revealed via a Freedom of Information request (“We shall be in for a good scrap, I fear.”).


The brief was clear: publish professionally in both print and Kindle, preserve the warmth and humour of the memoir, handle the technical publishing workflow end-to-end, and create a book website that could support direct sales, press enquiries, and the wider campaign.

Case Study

A Good Scrap I Fear

By William Ireland

About the book and author

A memoir rooted in life at The Cottage Hotel

The book: A memoir rooted in life at The Cottage Hotel—celebrating the “invisible craft” of hospitality while calling for greater accountability in public life. It blends human stories with documentary evidence, and is positioned as both a personal tribute and a wider “case study” about fairness, community, and resilience.


The author: William Ireland grew up in the family hotel business and wrote the book partly to complete work begun by his late mother, Janet—using her diaries and notes as a foundation.

What We Delivered

A full production and launch package

Start-to-finish publishing build—designed to feel traditional-publisher quality while keeping the author in control:

Editing

voice-preserving clarity + flow

Proofreading

final “professional eyes” pass



Interior formatting for print and Kindle

professional layout, consistent typography and structure

Bespoke cover design

print wrap + Kindle-ready front

Amazon KDP

files, settings, checks, troubleshooting

Website Build

author platform + discoverability

Print Support

alongside POD for authors who want stock for events/ signings/press, with bookshop-standard production and flexible quantities

What We Delivered

How we take a complex book from manuscript to market

We began with an initial consultation focused on goals, timeline, and what “professional” needed to mean for this specific project—then mapped the workflow end-to-end so there were no late-stage surprises. This reflects our wider approach: tailored advice, plain-English communication, and author-led decisions.


This matters with books like A Good Scrap I Fear because the “story” and the "infrastructure” (formats, files, listings, website, printing) need to work together from day one.

Discovery → a clear roadmap

With memoir, the line between “polished” and “over-edited” is thin. Editing focused on strengthening clarity and pacing while keeping William’s tone intact—so the humour, including the lived reality of hospitality, remained authentic.


Proofreading then provided the final professional quality-control pass before publication.

Editorial work: protect the voice, raise the standard

We created properly formatted interiors for:

  • Paperback (print-ready layout)
  • Kindle (a separate version optimised for e-readers)

This avoided the common “one file fits all” problem that leads to messy Kindle conversions and poor reader experience.

Formatting built for two reading experiences (print + Kindle)

Cover design followed a structured process: consultation → concept development → custom front cover → print-ready wraparound (spine/back) → Kindle-optimised digital cover → multiple proof rounds.


This ensured the cover worked everywhere it would be seen—especially as a small online thumbnail—while remaining fully print-spec compliant.

Cover design: professional, platform-ready, and collaborative

We prepared and submitted the paperback and Kindle editions via Kindle Direct Publishing, so the book could be listed and sold in major online shops (including Amazon and Waterstones).


Crucially, the KDP setup is designed so the author retains control—DPC supports the process while the author owns the account and royalties flow directly to them.


This “author stays in control” principle is core to Dave’s philosophy—shaped by his own experience of how hidden clauses and unclear publishing arrangements can reduce an author’s control.

Amazon launch: KDP setup + upload (POD + Kindle)

Publishing is only half the job—discoverability and credibility matter long after launch. DPC’s website work is built around creating a professional online presence that supports sales and brand-building.

For A Good Scrap I Fear, the website supports:

  • Direct sales, with signed copies available via the author’s site
  • Clear book positioning (memoir + accountability narrative)
  • Press and contact pathways aligned to the campaign elements
Website build: direct sales + press + longevity

We combined:

  • Amazon POD (to keep availability consistent without warehousing), and
  • printing support for physical stock needs where appropriate (bookshop-quality production, tailored specs, and delivery).
Print strategy: POD + printed stock
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Let’s Create Something Beautiful

We’d love to design a cover that does your story justice.  We’ll include pricing and timelines with no obligation to proceed.

Smartphone screen showcasing book publishing services: copywriting, cover design, printing. Trusted by authors.

Result

A fully professional release delivered across

  • Paperback via Amazon print-on-demand
  • Kindle edition
  • A dedicated book website supporting direct signed sales and communications


All delivered through a collaborative process designed to be personal and consultative—“human-first, not platform-first”—with the author in control at every stage.