1 reviews | Active since Nov 2013
You're treated like a number in the book queue.
When I approached Reach, I had three books and paid upfront for their Gold package. From the beginning, I requested that one of these books be a priority. However, I soon discovered a major bottleneck in their process and a lack of responsiveness.
The following will give you an indication of what you can expect:
Book 1: Word count: 57,000 Editing duration: 78 days (2.6 months) Total time to publication: 147 days (4.9 months) Including Takealot upload: 6.5 months.
Book 2 (Priority Book): Word count: 75,000 (Reduced by me to 55,000 after Stage 1 editing) The book sat in the queue for 37 days before editing began. Once it started, editing took 89 days (2,9 months). Total time to publication: 170 days (5.6 months) Including Takealot upload: 6.8 months.
Book 3: Word count: 40,000 Editing duration: 83 days (2.7 months) Total time to publication: 177 days (5.9 months) Including Takealot upload: 9.4 months.
Overall Averages (across all 3 books): Average word count: 50,000+ Average cost: R25,000+ Average editing duration: 2,8 months Average time to publication: 5.5 months With Takealot upload: 7.6 months.
There were consistent delays throughout the process, either in editing or layout. Even after reaching out to management twice, it became clear that their actions didn’t match their words. Expect to do 70–80% of the work yourself. Unless your editing skills are sharp, you will likely be disappointed by the number of missed errors. In my experience, you're treated like just a number in the queue—without genuine passion or care.
Although the Gold package included a website, I waived this so their focus could only be on completing the books. While Reach may not control Takealot’s upload timelines, they initiated the process and should follow up with their supplier to reduce the delay. Be cautious of the "5 free books" offer—if you use their courier service, they charge R700+, which essentially covers the cost of those "free" copies.
The only positive aspect of the entire experience was the cover design—it was handled with care and turned out beautifully.
I’m currently documenting my 17th book. If I had gone through Reach for all of them, it would’ve taken over five years to get them published. From this experience, I’ve learned the importance of adapting and rather use “AI” writing tools to streamline the book creation process. I now edit and publish a book in under six weeks—start to finish—rather than six months.
Regarding the timelines you mentioned, we strive to ensure each book receives the careful attention it deserves. The editing and publishing process often involves multiple rounds of revisions, which can extend timelines — especially when authors request to prioritise or re-prioritise different m****cripts during the project. In your case, we followed your directions on which book to focus on at various stages, and we also incorporated extensive feedback and revisions to ensure the final products met your vision.
We also appreciate that you noted the quality of the cover design. It’s wonderful to hear that this aspect of the project was handled to your satisfaction.
As for the "5 free books" offer, we have always made it clear that the courier and delivery fees are separate and for the author’s account — this is standard practice, and we’re sorry if there was any confusion here.
Our team of editors is dedicated to upholding high standards of accuracy and quality. We always share the m****cript back with our authors multiple times throughout the editing and layout stages to ensure any final adjustments align with the author’s expectations. This collaborative process ensures that the end product truly represents the author’s voice and vision.
We appreciate your kind words about the cover design and your suggestions for improvement. We also wish you all the best in your future publishing projects and thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us.
Regarding the timelines you mentioned, we strive to ensure each book receives the careful attention it deserves. The editing and publishing process often involves multiple rounds of revisions, which can extend timelines — especially when authors request to prioritise or re-prioritise different m****cripts during the project. In your case, we followed your directions on which book to focus on at various stages, and we also incorporated extensive feedback and revisions to ensure the final products met your vision.
We also appreciate that you noted the quality of the cover design. It’s wonderful to hear that this aspect of the project was handled to your satisfaction.
As for the "5 free books" offer, we have always made it clear that the courier and delivery fees are separate and for the author’s account — this is standard practice, and we’re sorry if there was any confusion here.
Our team of editors is dedicated to upholding high standards of accuracy and quality. We always share the m****cript back with our authors multiple times throughout the editing and layout stages to ensure any final adjustments align with the author’s expectations. This collaborative process ensures that the end product truly represents the author’s voice and vision.
We appreciate your kind words about the cover design and your suggestions for improvement. We also wish you all the best in your future publishing projects and thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us.