ASPECTS OF PUBLISHING
Cover Design
Each
cover is individually designed to your specifications and the theme of your
book. Most people have an “idea” for their cover but need a graphic designer or
illustrator to convert the idea into a cover design. It's a good idea to put a
synopsis of the book on the back cover because most people will turn a book over
expecting to find a description of the book. Sometimes it is also appropriate to
put the author's bio if it is particularly relevant to the book.
Book
layout
Print
ready layout is the most important key to a professional looking book. We layout
your book to include margins, gutters, chapter starts, headers, footers, table
of contents, and all the professional nuances that high quality books contain.
Your layout can be unique for your book but there are certain industry standards
that make for attractive books. It is always recommended to have a professional
layout artist set up your book, but if you decide to go it alone, remember to
add margins, a gutters (so that the text is not too close to the spine and
unreadable), chapter starts on odd pages, headers, paginating, copyright page,
table of contents and a contact page. A common font size is 11 to 12 pts
(children's books can be larger). If your font size is less than 11, your book
will be difficult for most people to read. If your font is 14pt or larger, it
can make it look juvenile and also not hold the readers attention. Spacing
between lines is generally single space plus a bit more. This seems to be the
right spacing to keep your reader involved.
ISBN
ISBN
stands for international standard book number. It is like a social security for
a book. All bookstores require that your book or book like product have an
assigned ISBN number for identification purposes. One ISBN is assigned per title
and is used for all the books printed under that title. If you decide to create
your book in another format, the additional format(s) will need a separate ISBN
to identify it. We acquire and manage the paperwork for your ISBN.
Barcodes
Also
known as EAN barcodes. Barcodes are simply digital representations of the ISBN
number so that stores can scan your book and read your ISBN number with their
scanners. If you have chosen to put a price on your barcode, the scanner will
also read your price. Your barcode should go on the back of your book cover and
can be inserted graphically as part of the cover design.
Binding
When
choosing a binding type, it is important to think about the type of book you are
creating and the overall costs of book printing. Today most books are perfect
bound because it is a very attractive binding and the cost is very economical.
If you are wondering what a perfect bound binding is, just go to your local
bookstore and you will see that 80% of the books are perfect bound (it is a
paper back binding with a glue spine). If your book is under 32 pages, the best
option is a saddle stitch book. If your book is a manual, workbook or journal
type book, you might want to think about a spiral, comb or wire bound. We
suggest you visit your local bookstore and look at all the different options.
Editing
Quality editing is available. Be confident your book is edit ready.
Printing
Today
virtually all short run (under 1000 copies) book printings are digitally
printed. Digital printing is sharp and crisp and will almost always duplicate
the digital book files exactly. It is also the most economical way to print
smaller quantities of books.
Marketing
With a
little perseverance and a lot of enthusiasm, it's very easy to market your book.
You will always be the best seller of your book because you know the gifts it
will offer your readers.
