Self-publishing with Solopress: ‘FUN Times Tables Rhymes!’ by Helen Eaton

We recently produced FUN Times Tables Rhymes!, a self-published educational book developed by former primary teacher Helen Eaton. Drawing on years of classroom and tutoring experience, the book addresses common challenges around times table recall in a way that builds confidence in young learners.

From the classroom to a problem worth solving

Helen Eaton spent years working as a UK primary teacher, education consultant and tutor. It was during one-to-one support sessions that a familiar pattern began to stand out.

“I noticed that many children understood multiplication conceptually, but fell down when it came to recall,” Helen explains. “They knew what they were doing, but the times tables just would not stick.”

Rather than viewing this as a lack of aptitude, Helen saw it as a shortfall in traditional approaches that fail to consider different learning styles. While rote-learning and repetition work for some pupils, they leave others discouraged and disengaged.

“That frustration can really knock confidence,” she says. “Once a child thinks they are ‘bad at maths’, it becomes much harder to move them forward.”

Rethinking how times tables are taught

Helen began developing alternative ways to support recall, drawing on classroom experience and what she saw working in practice.

“My approach needed to be playful, memorable and reassuring,” she says. “Something that met children where they were, rather than pushing them through drills.”

The result was FUN Times Tables Rhymes! A multi-sensory resource that combines short story rhymes, memory hooks and visual supports. Each table is reinforced using tools children already recognise from the classroom, including maths arrays and bar models.

“I wanted the book to help children remember the tables they find hardest,” Helen explains. “But just as importantly, I wanted it to help them feel more confident while doing it.”

Writing and shaping the content

Once the concept was clear, Helen began turning classroom ideas into a structured book.

“It was about translating what worked in tutoring sessions into something a child could use independently,” she says. “The language had to be friendly, the visuals clear, and the progression logical.”

Self-publishing via her company Eaton Consultancy Ltd, Helen was keen to retain full ownership of the work, selling the book via her own Foldable Fun online shop.

“My late grandad always said, ‘If you are proud of something, you should put your name on it,’” she says. “So I did.”

Choosing how to print and bind the book

With the content complete, the next step was finding a printer that could deliver a professional finish without compromising on colour or clarity.

Helen chose Solopress for the production of her paperback books.

“The print quality is exceptional,” she says. “I was genuinely blown away by how vibrant the colours look and the overall finish.”

For illustrated educational books, consistency matters. Colour reproduction, paper choice and binding all affect how usable the final product is, particularly for younger readers.

“I needed the visuals to be clear and engaging,” Helen explains. “Solopress delivered exactly that.”

Helen also found the pricing competitive for the specification she required, giving her confidence to move ahead with self-publishing at scale.

Receiving the finished books

Seeing the finished product for the first time was a defining moment.

“There is something very special about holding the book in your hands,” Helen says. “All that work, suddenly real and tangible.”

For Helen, the physical book reinforces the care that went into creating it.

“It feels like something children can be proud to use,” she adds. “And that matters.”

Turning ideas into print

Helen’s experience shows what is possible when subject knowledge, careful preparation and professional print come together.

“I created this book because I knew it could make a difference,” she says. “Seeing it printed properly has been incredibly rewarding.”

For anyone considering self-publishing, early planning makes a real difference. Understanding how your manuscript will be prepared, how it will be bound and how design choices affect readability can help avoid revisions later in the process.

Our Ultimate Guide to Self Publishing and Printing Your Book covers each stage in detail, from preparing files to choosing formats and finishes. It is a useful reference whether you are planning your first print run or refining an existing title.

Books like FUN Times Tables Rhymes! are commonly produced as Perfect Bound paperbacks, offering a clean spine and a professional finish that suits educational titles, manuals and fiction. You can explore specifications, page counts and paper options on our Perfect Bound Books product page.

FUN Times Tables Rhymes! is available now from the Foldable Fun online shop, with further formats planned as the book reaches new readers.