About Us
At The Book Shelf®, we’ve been bringing nonfiction to life since 2018. Our team of bookworms have 70+ years collective experience and have worked on over 1,500 books with authors around the globe… from first-timers to New York Times bestsellers, and non-native speakers.
Our beliefs
We believe that everyone has a book in them, and that’s why we’re here to guide you from draft to bookshelf. We also believe that great nonfiction books make the world a better place, so we specialise in nonfiction; from philosophy to self-help, business to wellbeing, and more.
Our impact
We’re proud to have helped our authors become bestsellers, land TED talks, and win awards. And we protect 10 acres of rainforest for every sale, with over 600 acres protected to date through the Rainforest Trust. We are partnered with a UK-based, independent, ethical printing house. This ensures that we are supporting our local economy and small businesses, as well as championing high quality printing and a reduced carbon footprint.
Our mission
Our mission is to make the publishing industry more sustainable, accessible, impactful, and diverse (well-said!) because the creation of books shouldn’t negatively impact people or our planet. We want to ensure that the publishing industry is for the many, not for the few, and better for our planet too. We hope you’ll join us on our journey.
our accolades (humble brag!)
Who are we?
Niall Burgess
COO & Creative director
Niall has over 8 years’ experience in design & management roles, along with fine art and design qualifications. At The Book Shelf, he has combined his eye for design with his love of nonfiction to create products, websites, and book covers. As an autistic person, he enjoys using his diligent nature to keep The Book Shelf’s operations running like clockwork.
Ameesha Green
Founder & director of Editorial
In her 15 years in publishing, Ameesha has worked in-house for a tech publisher, as a freelance digital nomad, and as a strategy consultant for the UK’s biggest ghostwriting agency. She is the top-ranked philosophy book coach in the world, a head category judge for the Business Book Awards, and a voluntary mentor. She has over 2.5 million answer views on Quora and ADHD.
Shelby Jones
Editorial Executive
Shelby is our diligent full-time line and ghostwriter, and she loves helping authors around the world on their journey. She has a Master’s degree in Literature and Culture from the University of Birmingham. Shelby is also in the process of becoming a project manager, and supporting authors on their journey.
Kyle Albuquerque
Lead Designer & Marketer
Kyle has been designing layouts for over 15 years. Having worked for multiple book publishers and magazines, Kyle is our on-hand layout, typesetting, and formatting expert. Want your book to look slick and professional? Kyle is your guy.
Gabriel Both
Book Marketing Consultant
Shaun Hand
Editor & Ghostwriter
Shaun is an author of Amazon bestselling fiction and nonfiction books, as well as being a ghostwriter for many award-winning books. He has a first-class degree in creative writing and is a member of the highly respected Room 204 writer development programme.
Geoff Leigh
Cover Designer & Illustrator
Geoff is a digital fine artist with a BA in Design for the Entertainment Industry. Following a career in education including art therapy, he’s combining his art and design skills to create exciting cover art and his eye for layout and detail brings authors’ ideas to life.
Gemma Rowlands
Proofreader & Quality Checker
Gemma is an experienced proofreader from North West England. She has been a part of the industry for 12 years since graduating with a BSc in Psychology, and has worked with a number of authors and businesses on a variety of publications.
Lola Brown
Editorial Intern
Lola is our editorial intern, who also works freelance as a beta-reader. She is currently an English Literature student at the University of Birmingham, and is gaining experience in editing.
The Pets
Tophat
Head of HR
TopHat is pretty Stoic; she spends a lot of time napping and contemplating the important questions in life, like turkey or salmon. She’s virtuous and gentle, never hurting people, and she likes to sleep on Ameesha a lot, especially during working hours.
Jada
Finance
Jada, Birmingham’s softest fur-baby, is wide-eyed and whimsical. Her facade is clever because deep down, Jada is afraid of everything; the vacuum, shoes, being pointed at, and cuddly toys. Bizarre as she is, if you stop the cuddles, she’ll hit you to show her displeasure, which is also what she’ll do if you approach her first.
Bagheera
Waste Managment
Bagheera is a critically acclaimed sleeper with a Bachelor of Purrs in eating, a Master of Snuggles in cardboard boxes, and over three years’ experience in eating paper. You will find him snoozing in his favourite spot by the fireplace when he’s not fine-dining on a hardback novel.
Sid and Robin
Edipawrial Quality
Sid and Robin are the esteemed heads of editorial quality control, making sure our critiques are purrr-fect. You can find this pair snoozing in the sun, listening to their Dad’s vinyl collection.
Pollyanna
Pawdiobook Narrator
Pollyanna is our number one audiobook narrator! She is the most vocal pup around, specifically at the local park chasing squirrels. Her expertise in narration comes from a lifelong passion for howling in the car.
Partners
We offer internships and mentoring for the University of Birmingham, and mentor on the NatWest Accelerator. We offer opportunities for disadvantaged young people through the Sport 4 Life charity.
