Regional publisher DC Thomson has made an investment in a new start-up business designed to enable more authors to self-publish.

Reedsy aims to provide a suite of tools and services to allow for the creation of high-quality e-books.

DC Thomson Ventures and Seedcamp have each made an investment in the new business.

Reedsy co-founder Richard Fayet said, “In the long run, our objective is to transform the way the publishing industry works. With a bit of help, self-publishing shouldn’t be the exception anymore, but the normal path to publishing a bestseller.”

DC Thomson Ventures executive Nick Verkroost added: “Consumer reading habits are changing. In the UK alone, self-publishing accounts for 20pc of all ebooks and as barriers to entry come down the market is only going to accelerate.

“This new approach to reading needs a new kind of publisher – we believe that Reedsy could define the next generation of publishing.”