services

Book Design

Cover design, typography, illustration and page layout. Prepress and file preparation.  

Website Design

Beautiful and functional WordPress and Squarespace websites with ongoing support and maintenance options.

Branding

Let’s chat about your branding requirements, whether you’re launching a new brand or revamping an existing one.

Publishing Services

I work with Wai Ako Books, an author-led publishing service with transparent pricing and flexible packages to support you through the self-publishing journey.

The Process

Step 1: Let's Chat

My clients are from all over the world and we often only get to “meet” each other online, however our relationships are always based on mutual trust and understanding. Let’s talk about your project and see if our values align, and how I can best support you. After an initial consultation I will provide a cost estimate and action plan in writing.  

Step 2: Concept

Once the parameters of your project have been communicated and agreed on, I will present you with design concepts to mull over. This is an exciting collaborative process and we might have some back-and-forth discussions to tweak or revise the design to get a result that you absolutely love. 

Step 3: Delivery

When the final design is signed off I will provide print- or screen-ready files and be available for ongoing support through implementation, whether that’s sending the job to print, publishing online, or applying your brand across channels. I want to see your project flourish so let’s stay in touch!  

Design Services

Book Design

My portfolio spans commercial and educational publishing (including cookbooks and lifestyle titles, literary fiction and non-fiction), annual reports, self-published books and classroom resources. I design book covers, typesetting and page layout, children's illustration, technical diagrams and infographics.

Website Design

My clear and user-friendly digital aesthetic ensures that your WordPress or Squarespace website will elevate your online presence on any screen. I offer ongoing or one-off tech support and maintenance packages and integration with your blog and social media.

Publishing Services

I work with Wai Ako Books to provide wrap-around support for self-publishing authors without all that shady, hidden-cost rubbish. Wai Ako is author-led publishing: YOU are actively involved in the creative process and YOU keep 100% of the profits. Simply choose the service modules that suit your budget and enjoy a mixture of DIY and Done-For-You publishing that delivers your bespoke book on your terms.

Branding

I help businesses of all sizes communicate their values, personality, and mission to their customers. Branding is not just a great logo, it's about curating a consistent and evocative visual presence across print and digital media.

Full suite publishing packages

Basic

The Little Prince
$ 1799
  • Discovery call/briefing
  • Publishing admin
  • Full cover design
  • Internal page typesetting
  • Supply of print-ready PDFs

Professional

The Medium Is The Message
$ 2999
  • Everything in the Basic package PLUS:
  • Print broker/liaison
  • Checking of print proofs
  • 6 social media graphics
  • Supply .epub files
Popular

Premium

Great Expectations
$ 4999
  • Everything in the Professional package PLUS:
  • Custom website
  • Wai Ako Books imprint
  • Set up and management of Amazon KDP account
  • Library copies and PLR registration
  • Warehousing and distribution on orders over 100

Prices exclude GST (15% unless you are a non-resident outside New Zealand during our project timeline)

Other services include:

  1. Fully illustrated children’s book, 32 pages plus cover
  2. Full colour illustrated non-fiction such as memoir, history, cookbook

Get in touch today to talk about the unique requirements of your book. Prices for these projects are by negotiation and will be dependent on complexity and length of book. 

common questions

Rather than an hourly rate, I charge a set amount per project. Together we can talk about the scope of your project and your specific design requirements and I will provide a comprehensive cost estimate along with a proposed action plan for executing your project.

For self-publishing authors working with Wai Ako Books, we have a transparent price list for each service. Authors can purchase as many or as few services as they need. Visit waiakobooks.com/prices

Yes, you need to provide the text and images along with existing brand logos, typefaces and colour palettes. If you don’t have this content we can work together to create it.

Sure, no problem. I can accept manuscripts in the following formats: .doc, .docx, Google Docs, .rtf, .txt

You don’t need to format the text before submitting it but you can use style sheets to indicate bold, italic, indented quotes, etc.

Yes. You may know someone who is able to edit your manuscript before submitting it for design and layout, or you may opt to use Wai Ako’s editing service. Either way your manuscript has to be in tip top shape before we typeset it (fixing typos after pages have been laid out is more time consuming than doing it at the beginning of the process!). 

After the pages have been typeset I highly recommend engaging a copy editor to proof read the text for typos before sending the book to print.

I’ve been freelancing as a graphic designer since before I graduated university and design school nearly 20 years ago… gosh that makes me feel old! I’ve worked for major publishing houses Penguin Random House, Reed, Scholastic and Pearson both in-house in their studios and as a contractor since 2007.  

Head on over to the Contact page or drop me a line at 
healey.s@gmail.com

Call or text 0210732283

See my socials
Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and Bēhance  

Yes! Most of the books I help self-published authors produce are in both printed format and eBook. We use Amazon KDP for our epubs and I provide either fixed layout or variable layout .epub files for your book contents and cover. 

Print runs under 1000 copies are done in Auckland where we have a list of trusted book printing specialists. If you require a larger quantity please get in touch.

Our Wai Ako publishing services include promotion and marketing support. We can create social media content for your book so that you can take it from there if your strategy leans more towards DIY or you might choose to take advantage of our full Done-For-You package that includes a website and social media channels for the book, plus advice on publicists and getting reviews.