Founded in 2014, Navigator Graphics is a book design and publishing consulting firm run by authors for authors. With over 20 years in graphic design and publishing, we are well-versed in everything the independent author needs to take their project from final draft to finished book.

The team at Navigator Graphics is here to assist independent authors in bringing their book to fruition as envisioned. With the emergence of print on demand models, the publishing industry is evolving. Self-publishing doesn’t hold the stigma it once did. Deciding to take an independent route is often the best choice for many projects. Unlike the traditional publishing track where authors lose creative control over their books and sign over the majority of the profits to the publisher, self-publishing allows an author to craft their book to suit their vision and keep the profits for their years of work.

Explore the services we offer below.

info@navigatorgraphics.net • 860-574-5847 • Postal Box 1442, Pawcatuck Connecticut 06379

Independent Authors: We can advise you on everything from title placement within the market, to outlining campaigns that include media and blogger relations, to the nitty-gritty details of printing, ISBN, copyright, and metadata. We can help you navigate author branding, cover design so your title can compete with the bestsellers in your genre, choosing a printer and printing model to suit your vision and your budget, how to acquire your ISBN and CIP numbers, launch timing and pricing strategy, insight on acquiring reviews from authors and trade journals, crafting compelling back cover copy, the etiquette for reaching out to indie bookstores, and overall approaches on how to build a successful platform.

Entrepreneurs Contemplating Starting a Small Press: Ready to dive into the world of publishing but want insights from those who have taken the same path? We can help you because we’ve taken that plunge ourselves. Together we can explore any topic (or all of them) so that you can make informed decisions as you build your press. Together we can explore different business models, the process of filing state and federal certificates, how to decide on a printing model (short-run, print on demand, ebooks, audio books), deciding on a publishing model (tradition, hybrid, or author-subsidized), different distribution methods, branding, website design, social media platform, taxes and licenses, book design, editorial, metadata, Bowker, copyright, contracts, Library of Congress CIP filing—everything you will need to forge ahead successfully, we can provide expertise and insights gleaned over years of cutting the trail ourselves.

I founded Homebound Publications in 2011 as a vessel for my own work. I soon found dozens of fellow writers who, like myself, had produced quality works that didn’t fit neatly into a box of wide marketability and were therefore not given attention by larger publishing houses. I expanded my vision, formed a traditional publishing house and opened to unsolicited submissions. At present, Homebound Publication is thriving with 4 divisions and nearly 100 titles in print (over a third of which are award-winning). However, there was still a gap. Due to our modest budget and a small staff, I routinely find myself rejecting quality manuscripts, not because they shouldn’t be published but simply due to the press’ limitations. I founded Navigator Graphics as a means to bridge that gap and offer authors a chance to claim their independent voice and publish their book. While Navigator Graphics isn’t a traditional publishing house with an editorial process, we are the next best thing: a springboard for those writers determined to carry the banner for their work and be heard.

Leslie M. Browning, Founder Navigator Graphics

Calling All Indie Authors: Don’t wait on the gatekeepers of publishing. We are here to help you to become your own publisher.

Our services include: Interior Layout/Typesetting • Cover Design • eBook Design • File Preparation for Both Print and eBook Formats (so you’re ready to go to the printer).  • Website Design  • Media Kit Design • Guidance on Securing your Copyright and ISBN Number(s) •  Finally, we offer insight on marketing your book and choosing which printer/distributor is best for you.

Write Us

Are you ready to bring your manuscript full circle? Drop us a line, tell us about your project and the services you’re interested in, and we will get started! As a first step, we will guide you through securing your copyright and speak with you about the indie printer best suited to your project. (For print, we highly recommend Lightning Source, the world’s leading print-on-demand service, for its POD solutions or CreateSpace, Amazon’s self-publishing solution.) Worried you can’t afford to set up an account with Lightning Source or Create Space? Let us break down the costs for you.

Send Us the Manuscript

Once we’ve agreed on your chosen package and printer, it is time to send us your final draft at which point you will arrange a conversation with your book designer so that he or she can get an idea of your sensibilities and how you envision the book’s final appearance.

Mockup Review

We take our cover and interior designs very seriously because, we know that despite the old adage, people absolutely judge a book by its cover. Our Director of Design, Leslie M. Browning, comes to us with over 20 years experience in graphic design, the last 10 of which has been spent focusing solely on book design. After gathering your impressions of what you’d like the book to look like, our designer takes your vision and merges it with the latest trends in marketability to create something that simultaneously meets your expectation and will sell well within the market. We will design 3-5 mock-ups for the cover and 2-3 for the interior then send the PDFs to you for your review. At this point, we can polish the mock-ups to suit your vision (or you can send us back to the drawing board for another round of mock-ups). While the design is a commissioned process (i.e.: you’re in charge) and we want more than anything for you to love your cover, we also like to weigh in on this process to make sure we’re giving your book its best chance of success in the current marketplace.

Cover Design

Once you’ve approved the cover mock-up, your designer sets about the task of creating the final hi-res coverspread–front, back, and spine.

Interior Design

After we’ve finalized the cover and you’ve approved the interior mock-up, your designer takes your manuscript and typesets it. With an arsenal of typefaces and flourishes and seasoned design sensibilities, our designers are equipped to create an original interior to elevate the experience for your reader.

Review of Final Designs

Once the cover and interior are complete, we will send you PDF proofs for your review to you can make sure everything appears as it should. Whether you take 2 days or 2 weeks it doesn’t matter to us. Once you’ve reviewed your files, we can make the necessary edits to clean up lingering errors.

File Preparation 

With the final revisions made, we bring together your entire book package to ensure you have all the files you need to get your book into print. All files are upload-ready to suit your chosen printer’s specifications.

Your Upload Your Book and Start Printing

After we give you your files, you upload them to your chosen printer and order a printed proof. (We have videos and instructional memos to help the upload process go smoothly for you, and our staff is here to guide you in your decision.) For print, we highly recommend Lightning Source or IngramSpark, the world’s leading print-on-demand service, for its POD solutions or CreateSpace, Amazon’s self-publishing solution. Both of these outlets charge minimal fees for set-up and distribution (well under $100. Learn more here). Once you’ve reviewed your printed proof and reviewed the final appearance for your book, you approve the title for distribution and you’re in print!

Marketing Brainstorm 

While you’re waiting for the printed proof of your book to arrive, you can arrange a phone or skype meeting with a senior member of staff to ask all those questions stored up inside of you regarding the publishing industry and what you can do to make your book as successful as possible. Whether it is Amazon reviews, social media networking, which awards to enter, the etiquette for setting up bookstore events, etc. we can give you insights so you can hit the ground running.

The Safety Net

We give all our authors a 6-month safety net with regard to revisions. Meaning, if you find a couple little things you need to revise in your book down the line, we will complete a set of revisions for free and prepare you a set of updated files.