AST Authors
AST Authors is a UK-based professional technical writing firm providing instruction manuals, O&M manuals, and project handover documentation for manufacturing, construction/infrastructure, software, and data centre clients using MadCap Flare authoring on a project-based services model.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1967
- HeadquartersStevenage, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What AST Authors does
AST Authors Limited is a UK-based technical documentation services firm headquartered at the Business Technology Centre in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, with a registered office in Letchworth Garden City. The company traces its origins to 14 April 1967 as Author Services (Technical) Ltd and operates with a headcount of 1-10 employees under directors Russell Austin and Fraser McLaren, having transitioned from family ownership to a management buyout in 2021.
The business delivers professional technical authoring, document design, management, translation, and delivery of instruction manuals, user guides, O&M manuals, and project handover documentation across four primary segments: manufacturing and consumer products, construction/infrastructure/engineering, software and technology, and data centre operators. All authors hold MadCap Flare Advanced Developer certification, producing output in HTML, Word, and PDF formats and complying with CE, UKCA, BSRIA, BREEAM, and ISO standards. The firm is ISO 9001:2015 certified, SSIP-accredited, a Construction Line member, Citation H&S-accredited, and an ISTC business affiliate.
AST Authors operates a sales-led, project-based professional services model with custom quote-based pricing and multi-year contract billing. Distribution is direct and UK-domestic only, supplemented by a vetted sub-contractor network that provides flexible capacity scaling without proportional fixed-cost expansion. Specialized offerings include Building Services O&M manuals, Data Centre Documentation, sub-contract technical writer sourcing, and after-sales manual update services.
AST Authors firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- AST Authors
- Legal name
- AST Authors Limited
- Website
- https://astauthors.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1967
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- AST Authors is a UK-based professional technical writing firm providing instruction manuals, O&M manuals, and project handover documentation for manufacturing, construction/infrastructure, software, and data centre clients using MadCap Flare authoring on a project-based services model.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
AST Authors industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Technical Documentation Services
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (513130), Document Preparation Services (561410), Translation and Interpretation Services (541930)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Editorial & Production Services (Copyediting, Proofreading, Formatting, Typesetting) (MPAJAJAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Author Service Marketplaces & Aggregators (Vetting, Bundled Services) (MPAJAJAB), Self-Publishing & Author Platforms (BPAMAJAF)
Keywords
Where AST Authors is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Stevenage
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
AST Authors business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Technical Documentation Services: Professional services revenue from technical authoring, document design, management, translation and delivery of instruction manuals, user guides, and technical documentation for various industries and project sizes.
- Sub-contract Technical Writer Provision: Sourcing and providing sub-contract technical writers from in-house staff and contractor network to meet client requirements.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Project-based custom pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
AST Authors product offering
Product offeringCore offering
AST Authors provides professional technical writing and documentation services, producing user guides, instruction manuals, operation and maintenance (O&M) manuals, and building handover documentation for manufacturing, engineering, construction, software, and data centre clients. The company authors, designs, manages, translates, and delivers documents in Word, PDF, and interactive HTML formats, written to applicable standards such as CE, UKCA, BSRIA, BREEAM, and ISO, using the MadCap Flare authoring platform.
Product overview
AST Authors provides professional technical documentation services delivered by a core authoring team supplemented by a network of vetted independent writers. The company offers two primary service lines: Product Documentation Services for manufacturing, consumer, and software products (user manuals, guides, and instructions); and Project Documentation Services for building, infrastructure, and engineering projects (O&M manuals, building handover packs). Specialized offerings include Building Services O&M Manuals for facility management, Data Centre Documentation for mission-critical environments, Sub-contract Technical Writer Sourcing for staffing needs, and Manual Update Services for keeping documents current. Documentation is produced in multiple formats including Word, PDF, and interactive HTML, written to applicable standards such as CE, UKCA, BSRIA, BREEAM, and ISO.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Product Documentation Services Technical authoring of user guides, instruction manuals, and product information materials for manufacturing, consumer products, and software clients, written to applicable standards and designed to enhance end-user experience.
- Project Documentation Services Installation, operation, and maintenance manuals for construction, infrastructure, and engineering projects, including building handover documentation and O&M manuals for complex multi-stakeholder projects.
- Building Services O&M Manuals Operation and maintenance manuals for building services covering safe operation, efficiency, and regulatory compliance for facility management teams.
- Data Centre Documentation Specialized technical documentation for data centre facilities covering operation, maintenance, and safeguarding of mission-critical infrastructure environments.
- Sub-contract Technical Writer Sourcing Provision of vetted sub-contract technical writers from in-house staff and contractor network to meet client project requirements, with vetting for right to work, insurance, and legislative compliance.
- Manual Update Service After-sales documentation update service to keep user manuals current with product developments, standards changes, and customer feedback.
Quantifiable outcome
- Prevent product damage or personal injury due to misuse, incorrect installation or maintenance
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use AST Authors
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
AST Authors technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
AST Authors partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- MadCap SoftwarecoreMadCap Flare is the primary technical authoring platform used by all AST technical authors. The company maintains Advanced Developer certification status with ongoing training and skill development in the platform.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
AST Authors competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Tekom Europe: European technical communication association and community that includes consulting and authoring services across Germany and continental Europe. Comparable in technical communication focus but operates as a regional industry body / consultancy rather than a single-firm competitor in the UK.
Others
- Institute of Scientific and Technical Communicators (ISTC): UK industry body for technical communication of which AST is a business affiliate. Not a commercial peer but represents the broader ecosystem of UK technical authoring practitioners and consultancies.
- MadCap Software: Vendor of the MadCap Flare authoring platform that is AST's core technology. Enabling relationship as AST is an Advanced Developer partner, but MadCap also competes indirectly by enabling clients to bring authoring in-house.
- Paligo:
Direct peers
- Scriptorium Consulting: US technical writing and structured authoring consultancy specializing in DITA, XML, and content management implementations. Comparable to AST's structured authoring expertise (MadCap Flare, HTML/PDF output) for enterprise documentation teams.
- Comtech Services: US-based technical documentation and content strategy consultancy serving manufacturing, software, and engineering clients. Comparable service offering around technical writing, structured content, and documentation strategy, though operating primarily in North America.
- Cherryleaf: UK-based technical writing and documentation services firm offering similar professional authoring, user guide, and technical communication services. Closest direct competitor given shared UK base, B2B technical writing focus, and comparable service portfolio.
- Progressive Information Services: Technical writing and documentation services firm offering product manuals, online help, and API documentation. Comparable service scope to AST's product documentation line for technology and manufacturing clients.
- Precision Content Writing Solutions: Technical writing services firm producing user guides, reference manuals, and procedure documents for regulated industries. Comparable in deliverable scope (manuals, instructions, procedures) and target buyer (enterprise documentation managers).
Broad incumbents
- Adobe (FrameMaker / RoboHelp): Long-standing structured authoring and help-authoring tools (FrameMaker, RoboHelp) used across the technical communication industry. Comparable as enabling technology but Adobe operates across a much broader product portfolio.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
AST Authors compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance6 records
AST Authors financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
AST Authors leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
AST Authors funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
AST Authors M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about AST Authors
What does AST Authors do?
AST Authors provides professional technical writing and documentation services, producing user guides, instruction manuals, operation and maintenance (O&M) manuals, and building handover documentation for manufacturing, engineering, construction, software, and data centre clients. The company authors, designs, manages, translates, and delivers documents in Word, PDF, and interactive HTML formats, written to applicable standards such as CE, UKCA, BSRIA, BREEAM, and ISO, using the MadCap Flare authoring platform.
Is AST Authors a public or private company?
AST Authors is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was AST Authors founded?
AST Authors was founded in 1967. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is AST Authors based?
AST Authors is headquartered in Stevenage, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does AST Authors make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Technical Documentation Services are the primary driver. The others are sub-contract Technical Writer Provision.
Who are AST Authors's main competitors?
Tekom Europe is listed as a regional player. Others are Institute of Scientific and Technical Communicators (ISTC), MadCap Software and Paligo. Direct peers are Scriptorium Consulting, Comtech Services, Cherryleaf, Progressive Information Services and Precision Content Writing Solutions. Adobe (FrameMaker / RoboHelp) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does AST Authors have an API?
No public API is recorded for AST Authors.
What industry is AST Authors in?
AST Authors's product category is Technical Documentation Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAJAG, Editorial & Production Services (Copyediting, Proofreading, Formatting, Typesetting), with a secondary code of MPAJAJAB, Author Service Marketplaces & Aggregators (Vetting, Bundled Services). Its NAICS code is 513130 and its SIC code is 2731.