I Need a Book Designer?

Seven years ago, when self-publishing was just beginning to take off, I talked with author Jane Kimball, who had recently learned from a book printer that the services of a book designer were required before her book could be printed.

Thus began our nearly year-long association to design her masterwork, Trench Art: An Illustrated History, a 400+ page, full-color book featuring more than 1,000 items from her personal collection of war souvenirs. These artifacts, collectively known as trench art, were meticulously crafted by soldiers from spent shell casings and other materials beginning in World War I.

“I didn’t even know there was such a thing as a book designer!” she quipped.

“That’s alright,” I replied. “I didn’t know there was such a thing as trench art!”

I relate this story because at the time I was taken aback by Jane’s comment. Until then, every customer who came to us already understood what we did. It wasn’t necessary to explain our services. The landscape, I realized, had changed, and it remains so to this day.

In subsequent conversations, Jane taught me that book design and production is a very scary subject to many first-time authors, who worry that hiring experts will cause them to lose control of their “baby.”

What follows is a brief description of a typical book design project that will hopefully put your mind at ease. Far from losing control of your book, you’ll actually collaborate closely with experts every step of the way to make your book the very best it can be.

6 Steps to a Quality Book

Step 1: Cover Design

The first task in preparing a book for publication is Book Cover Design. The designer will ask for a synopsis of your book and ask about your goals and your intended audience. He/she will then find appropriate images and fonts, and create a design that is in line with similar bestselling books on the market. This ensures that your cover will look as good as, or better than, the competitive titles that will displayed alongside it online. A good cover is absolutely essential to the success of your book. Cover design is not the place to save money. Most designers will adjust their services to your budget, if you ask.

Step 2: Manuscript Editing

The benefits of Professional Editing, offered by an experienced book editor, cannot be overstated. When we read our own writing, we know what we mean to say, so our brain fills in the gaps. The fresh eyes of an outside editor will find and correct these gaps for a smoother reading experience, without changing your style or your voice. Authors can always decline the editor’s suggestions, but most are pleasantly surprised at the skills an editor brings to the table.

Step 3: Interior Layout (aka Typesetting)

When editing is complete, the next step in book production is Book Interior Layout, also known as Typesetting. Designers usually show one or more sample interior designs to give the author an opportunity to compare different type fonts, type sizes, chapter openers, sidebars, and other decorative elements that may be employed to enhance the appearance of the text. Once a sample chapter has been approved, the rest of the book is typeset to match. You’ll be amazed at how much better  your text looks, compared to the original Word document, when it is designed by a pro.

Step 4: Proofreading

After Interior Layout, the next step in the book production process is Proofreading. Proofreading should always be done after the book is typeset (as well as before). Those pesky typos, extra word spaces, and unnecessary tabs that escaped detection in Word stand out like a sore thumb in typeset text. Many self-publishers unfortunately decline this service, thinking it’s not needed, to the detriment of their book. I can attest that we have never once proofed a book without finding errors, sometimes hundreds of errors, even when the manuscript was previously edited.

Step 5: Corrections and Final Review

Once Proofreading is complete, and the errors identified by the proofreader are fixed, it’s time to read the book from start to finish one final time. Yes, I know, you just can’t stand to read it one more time . . . but you must. There’s an old saying in publishing, “You don’t complete a book; you declare an ending.” The proofreading and correction process never really ends, but at some point you just have to go to press.

Step 6: Digital File Prep

The final step in the production process is to prepare the digital files for printing. You can relax at this stage, because this behind-the-scenes geeky stuff is entirely the responsibility of your designer. This final step ensures that your book will print successfully.

So, How Long Does All This Take?

It’s always good to schedule far more time than you think you’ll need for book production. I recommend at least 2 weeks each for steps 1-5 above, though some services, such as cover design and editing, can be worked on concurrently. If you must have books in hand by a specific date, be sure to tell your designer, so the two of you, along with the eventual printer, can create a schedule with milestones to make it happen.

How Much of My Time is Required?

That depends on your experience, your personality, and your available time. Many authors relish the “hands-on” approach and enjoy the prospect of talking with multiple providers. Others prefer to hand the project over to a company that will manage the entire project for them. Fortunately, providers are available to suit every preference.

Experts = An Enjoyable Process and a Better Book

The fear of losing control prompts many first-time authors to adopt the “do-it-yourself” approach, or to sign up with huge “self-publishing factories” who produce terrible work for very low fees, but both of these approaches are usually a mistake. Experts abound in every area of life, from medicine to pest control. Their knowledge and experience, even in areas that may seem low skilled or mundane, enhance our lives and give us far better products and services than we can ever hope to produce on our own. Book design is no exception.

If you’re about to enter one of the most brutally competitive industries on the planet, I hope this post has helped to clarify the process so that the book design process is an enjoyable one and the book you eventually offer to the public will be the very best it can be, and one that you will be proud to market.

1. Not recognizing you’re going into business, you’re not just writing
2. Being undercapitalized (examine the basic costs, $5-10K)
3. Not knowing the last 10% is 90% of the job; you don’t finish, you declare an ending
4. Failure to write a one liner, one graf and one-page description prior to completion
5. Failure to market early and get advanced orders
6. Forgetting you don’t have to write ’em to sell ’em—and not offering a line of books
7. Using small artsy cover text instead of a large and easily readable title
8. Using a local printer instead of a book manufacturer (insufficient margin, do math)
9. Using POD instead of making inventory, limiting (eliminating?) profitability
10. Not identifying your audience carefully in advance
11. Going after general audiences instead of target-rich ones
12. Designing the cover by yourself instead of working with a pro
13. Working in isolation (as in, without your industry’s groups)
14. Picking the wrong cover price (too much or too little)
15. Keeping acknowledgments short instead of recognizing all supporters
16. Forgetting to overrun the covers for promo use
17. Putting out literature, instead of handing out literature
18. Failure to give away books like mad
19. Failure to get Kremer’s book, 1,001 Ways to Market Your Books
20. Failure to have books and promo with you at all times
21. Failure to put your book out where people can see it everywhere you go
22. Failure to inform any interviewer of your one-liner bio and website
23. Failure to write and issue “White Papers” to establish your expertise
24. Referring to your book without using its title
25. Waving your book or failing to hold it next to your face during video interviews
26. Running out of business cards
27. Not having a ready-to-go bag for appearances
28. Not having extra books, promo and biz cards in your trunk always
29. Having no name badge made from your book cover, spare in car
30. Having to fumble to get to a business card
31. Stumbling on your elevator speech, or not even having one
32. After initial-release announcements, make all PR s/b subject not book oriented
33. Remember to get spine width from printer, and use all the real estate for your title
34. Stack book cartons at home in tight piles, wrap in cloth like gifts, use as furniture
35. Get TextExpander and conserve your time and fingers

This list is generally framed as mistakes publishers frequently make. It can easily be reversed and framed positively, as things you should do to help ensure your success. Trying rewriting it mentally, it’s a beneficial exercise.

Alan Korwin
BLOOMFIELD PRESS
“We publish the gun laws—word-for-word, and in plain English.”
4848 E. Cactus #505-440 • Scottsdale, AZ 85254
1-800-707-4020 Orders • 602-996-4020
info@gunlaws.com
GunLaws.com

Do you have a book inside you? Are you wondering where to start and how to get published? Come find answers at the Arizona Book Publishing Association introduction-to-publishing conference on Saturday April 16, 2011, from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. at the Fiesta Resort in Tempe.

Called Manuscript to Marketing: Publishing in the 21st Century, the day-long program offers step-by-step advice from experts in editing, cover design, book layout, production and promotion. Join other aspiring authors and prospective publishers who are looking for tools to guide them in the constantly-changing world of books, e-books, apps, and online reading communities.

Eight information-packed sessions will provide an overview of the complete publishing process, drawing on the expertise of the 100+ members of the Arizona Book Publishing Association. Topics will include:

• What Is Your Book/Who is Your Audience?
  Does your idea need tweaking? How do you get organized?

• Writing and Editing Your Manuscript
  Do’s and Don’ts of getting your manuscript ready for publication

• Cover and Interior Design
  Where to splurge, where to save

• Brainstorm with Experts (lunch program)
  E-mail your questions in advance for the lunchtime session

• E-Book Basics
  Digesting a big topic by taking small bites

• Printing and Distribution
  Moving your books to readers

• Website Essentials
  What you need first, what your future goals should be

• Marketing to the Media and Your Audience
  Getting the buzz going and keeping it humming

Plenty of time will be available for meeting vendors of publishing services. Bring your idea, draft or manuscript for expert reviews. Space is limited to 60 attendees, so sign up now.

The conference will be held at the Fiesta Resort, 2100 South Priest Drive, Tempe, with sign-in starting at 8:15 on Saturday morning. Cost is $75.00 for members of the ABPA and $95.00 for non-members, until April 4. After that, registration is $90.00 and $110.00 respectively. To register, pay online at www.azbookpub.com or call 480-777-9250.

Register

Members Register Here

Nonmembers Register Here

About APBA

Founded in Phoenix in 1992, the Arizona Book Publishing Association’s mission is to advance and promote successful book publishing in Arizona through education, community involvement, cooperative effort, peer recognition, industry advocacy, and the support of first amendment rights.

1106 Design works with authors, publishers, business pros, coaches, consultants, speakers . . . anyone who wants a beautiful book, meticulously prepared to industry standards. Top-quality cover design, beautifully designed and typeset interiors, manuscript editing, indexing, title consulting, and expert advice. All available from one convenient source. All offered with our most important service, hand-holding. Attractive pricing choices to fit almost any budget. Prompt, personalized service. Satisfaction guaranteed. We’ll take better care of you and your book than any “self-publishing company.” How may we help you? Post your comment here or email us at office@1106design.com

For the record, even though I haven’t seen the manuscript yet, I think this book could have “legs” in a variety of markets. I truly hope this author heeds reliable advice, whether from me or someone else, because he’s clearly heading in the wrong direction, and my heart already aches for him. Here’s our conversation:

Author: My problem I have is my title — I find it catchy, but it doesn’t convey well what the purpose of my non-fiction book is all about.  A dilemma!

Me: Catchy isn’t enough. A title must be specific…a promise to the reader, telling them what your book is about. It’s tough (maybe impossible) for an author to take a step back into the mind of someone who has never seen or heard of the book before. Why not post your title here and test it with me?

Author: Here’s the title: Jack’s Fish Bones. Of course, you can’t figure out from the title that it’s actually a book that teaches children how to read, and write in Chinese.  On my mock-up I follow that with ‘A fun step-by-step guide for writing and reading Chinese.’  But that will have to move to the back cover. See the dilemma?

Me: I think your subtitle must be on the front, in this case. Without it,  your book sounds like any other children’s story. Remember, not everyone will read the description online or turn the book over to find out otherwise.  You told me in your message that the book teaches children, but your title and subtitle don’t say that. I  recommend working with a professional title consultant for this book, so that every word on your front cover speaks directly to the folks most likely to buy your book, and tells them what it is about.

Author: I think you’re right. I might re-title it ‘Jack and Ivy and the Mysterious Chinese Code’ or something of that nature. But I like short and catchy titles.

Me: Just my opinion, but that may be too long, and it sounds more like a novel.

Author: I will just have to let the name issue percolate in my brain for a while. I still have to connect with someone to do the illustrations — maybe in the process of doing that part of the book something will leap out at me.

Me: Yes, there are so many decisions to be made to launch any book. I wrote a blog post about children’s book illustrations that may be helpful: http://1106design.com/finding-an-illustrator-for-your-childrens-book/ Have a nice weekend! (In this post, I recommended a good site to find qualified children’s book illustrators, and explained why why a book designer should be hired BEFORE an illustrator is retained. I wrote this post because authors often bring terrible illustrations to designers, to the detriment of the final product. )

Author: Thanks for the tip — I had already checked Society of Children’s Book Illustrators, but got tired of searching through the gazillions of illustrators, ha!  (Will find time to look again). Since I’m a newbie, my book production idea is simple. I have made Word files which contain clip art. I convert these into PDFs, and voila! that’s my book! So my next step is, I find an illustrator with the right style, who creates and converts their original art work into ‘clip art’ which I can pull into my Word files. For me identifying exactly how many pieces and what to draw is no problem – it’s already by and large in the draft.  I negotiate on a price per piece, delivery dates, payment terms, etc.  Easy! Of course, this all may sound very naive to anyone with some real experience like yourself in the book publishing business.  Any comments?  What am I leaving out? Thanks, Michele.

So ended our conversation (at least as of this moment).

What is he leaving out? I’m not sure where to begin, but let’s start with this:

It’s amazing to me how many self-publishers judge their own work in isolation and not against the competition in the real world.  Even a casual trip to a bookstore will reveal that the  children’s book section is filled with top-quality books. If this author took his mockup to said bookstore, and objectively compared his efforts with any book on the shelf, I’m certain he would immediately see the difference.

It might be helpful to describe how a “real” publisher achieves this difference. First, they’ll research the market to determine if there is a demand for the book and how strong that demand might be. Part of this research involves a look at competitive titles and how well they are selling. If, and only if there is a demand, will a publisher move to the next step: determine the costs to professionally write, edit, illustrate, design, and market the book. Once these expenses are tallied, the question becomes, “can this book be sold at a price point that will attract consumers?” If not, the project ends right there. If so, the wheels are set in motion, and when the final product finally hits the store shelves, it is a masterpiece. More importantly, it is what buyers have come to expect when they shop for children’s books.

This process is far different than that taken by most self-publishers, as my conversation so far with this author reveals. Stay tuned.

What do you want to know? What topics should we explore together? How can we help you along your publishing journey? Everyone here at 1106 Design wants to help. Post your comment here or email us at office@1106design.com

So, I’m going to tell you my own story about  how packaging really does work, and if you observe your own behavior the next time you go shopping, you’ll be able to add a similar story of your own.

Dry winter air being what it is (even in Phoenix), I was shopping for lip balm this weekend. The usual selection of wax-filled stubby tubes was on display. Most were labeled “lip balm”; a few were labeled “lip therapy.” Some packages were pastel-colored to reflect the flavors inside (oddly, tropical fruit flavors, perhaps to distract us from winter). With minor variations, I’d seen all of them before. Z-z-z-z-z-z.

Then I noticed something different: A slender white tube with the words Soft Lips, printed in what was probably a custom handwriting font designed especially for this product. Into the shopping cart it went, even though it cost more. The question is, Why?

Did I know intellectually that this tube contained the same waxy substance as all the others. Yes. But now I knew what I was going to get for my money. And, I was entertained. (Go ahead, add a snarky comment here, if you like.) The ho-hum task of buying lip balm momentarily reminded me that life still holds surprises, that surprises are found in the most unlikely places, and that surprises are worth paying for.

I purchased that brand of lip balm, because the small package delivered a very big message. Your book cover and title can deliver a similarly powerful message to your prospective readers, so they’ll put your book into their shopping cart, too.

What do you want to know? What topics should we explore together? How can we help you along your publishing journey? Everyone here at 1106 Design wants to help. Post your comment here or email us at office@1106design.com

There are advantages to using a book shepherd (so dubbed by the original self-publishing guru Dan Poynter)—one of which is that it can save you money in the long run. A good book shepherd will help you navigate the publishing process, avoiding the many pitfalls, and increase your chances for publishing success.

Here Are 6 Tips for Working with Your Book Shepherd

1.    When you work with a book shepherd you are going into business, and the shepherd is your CEO, overseeing all the different departments of your publishing company. It’s like hiring at least eight different people: editor, researcher, designer, art director, production manager, administrative assistant, business manager, and public relations officer.

2.    Keep an open mind as you go into the project, just in case there is a really good idea you have missed. Generally the authors we work with are very good at something else . . . we are very good at getting books ‘to press and beyond.’ For example:  If the author is a nephrologist, there is no way she or he would let a book shepherd perform a kidney transplant!

3.    Book shepherds know the book business, and if they don’t know something they know where to go for reliable information.  Recognize that professionals worth their salt do know their business. This is especially true in the edit and design phases. Content and copyeditors, art directors, and professional book designers simply make you and your book look better.

4.    Deadlines are important for a variety of reasons. Be as prepared as you can be and try to keep the deadlines outlined by your book shepherd. Deadlines can involve getting your social media up and running to getting advance reading copies of your book out to long lead publications and opinion makers in your field. “Timing Makes Champions” is a favorite motto at To Press & Beyond.

5.    Articulate your book goals. Book shepherds work much better when they understand your aims and goals.  It could be having your expertise in print as a speaker for back of the room sales, your philosophy or message to share with the world via new media, a memoir or children’s book for your family, or a book to support your workshops and seminars. With your goals in mind, book shepherds can best guide you.

6.    Whether you have a publisher, a distributor, a book shepherd or publicist, as an author, you still have to believe in and promote your book yourself. Perpetual promotion is the name of the game. Very few books will sell themselves.

Here’s to your publishing success!

Gail Kearns is owner of To Press & Beyond, a full-service book shepherding agency. Visit the website at www.topressandbeyond.com

For a half-hour gratis consultation about your book project, e-mail her at info@topressandbeyond.com.

What do you want to know? What topics should we explore together? How can we help you along your publishing journey? Everyone here at 1106 Design wants to help. Post your comment here or email us at office@1106design.com

In today’s business world, where a typical day means processing a long list of emails and juggling tight deadlines, I promptly forgot about the book, until this holiday weekend, when I finally caught up with my “to be filed” pile. Somehow, it didn’t seem right to bury this lovely little book in a filing cabinet, so I decided to read it.

Most of the quotations were classic, quick tips designed to inspire anyone who provides customer service. Some were a revealing look into how much our world has changed in just 20 years. For example: “Use a beeper. That will let the office get in touch with you when a customer needs you in an emergency,” and “Carry a business card file. You never know when you’ll need a phone number.”

One quotation stood out from all the others for me:

Excellence is not optional.

The moment I read this, I realized with some sadness that our world has changed in this way, too. Today, the voices of excellence in book design and typography are drowned out by those who claim that “template” cover and interior design is good enough. That “do-it-yourself” book layout is just fine. That craftsmen in the field are quaint, old-fashioned folks who offer an unneeded product at a high price. And even worse, this advice is doled out by so-called publishing “experts”  (including some very large companies) just waiting for the next naive self-publisher to come along.

It was good this holiday weekend to take a breath, leave all the posts, tweets, emails, and updates behind,  and remember that the quiet voice of wisdom can still speak to us in profound ways. My client’s updated book of quotations is: LifeExcellence Treasury of Quotes. I promise, it will inspire you, and it doesn’t contain one word about beepers.

What do you want to know? What topics should we explore together? How can we help you along your publishing journey? Everyone here at 1106 Design wants to help. Post your comment here or email us at office@1106design.com

For this cover, a fabulous illustration was provided to us by the publisher, so our task was to build on the illustrator’s talent.

For the title, we chose the typeface Archeologicaps, to depict a sense of the esoteric and mysterious.

Rather than choosing a flat color for the title, we enhanced it with a yellow-orange gradient, so that it appears to be illuminated by the flames below.

We removed the crossbar of the “A” and replaced it with the eye of the cat to tie the title and illustration together.

The author’s name was set in a light green color, sampled from the background.

The series title at the bottom was letterspaced, just as it was on the first volume, for continuity of design.

Some folks would call this a “simple” cover design, but attention to detail is one way that book cover designers create covers that are eye-catching and appealing to the buyer.

How many of these enhancements did you notice before reading the post? If the answer was “none”, congratulations! The details of a design should never call attention to themselves. They should quietly serve the purpose of selling your book.

What do you want to know? What topics should we explore together? How can we help you along your publishing journey? Everyone here at 1106 Design wants to help. Post your comment here or email us at office@1106design.com

Indexing is a lot more difficult than it seems. Like any other specialty, training and experience are needed to produce the best results. We talk to a lot of self-publishers who believe that they can save money by compiling their own index; usually  this is a big mistake.

Below are two indexes for a book we recently designed: one was created by an amateur, the other by a professional. Click on each link below to download the PDF of each version and compare for yourself.

Amateur-Index.pdf

Pro-Index.pdf

The difference is clear to see. The Amateur Index is just four pages long. It contains a lot of names, but very little else that’s useful.

By comparison, the Professional Index is 12 pages long, contains names as well as many topics, and also includes cross-references that will make the index truly useful to the reader.

So, what goes into a professional index? Indexer and 1106 Design team member, Doran Hunter, explains it best:

First, I go through the Table of Contents and chapters in order to get an overview of the whole book and what some of the key concepts and terms will be. Then, reading the text very closely, I mark it as I go along for entries, subentries, notes about equivalent terms, etc. As I do this, I try to think as a reader and user of the Index and structure it in such a way that it is truly useful and provides easy and convenient access to the subject matter of the book.

We have all been frustrated with inadequate and poorly-constructed indexes at one time or another. We go to look up a term and it is not there. Or we do find the term we’re looking for in the Index but the entry says the term appears on twenty or thirty pages, and we have to painstakingly check each page until we find the section of the book where the topic is discussed in the way we are looking for. By putting a lot of thought into the Index as I go along, I try to avoid these and other pitfalls that render many indexes almost unusable.

Also, I have to decide if an occurrence of a term merits entry into the Index. Sometimes, it’s just a passing mention, and including it would be annoying to a user of the Index trying to find something substantive about the concept, so I have to think hard about whether it should be included. For example, suppose this is the last sentence in a section about American foreign policy: “As Theodore Roosevelt said, ‘Speak softly but carry a big stick.’” Roosevelt, Theodore, wouldn’t be included here because a reader interested in him would be disappointed to turn to the place in the text and find just this passing mention.

In short, the process involves careful reading of the text, a lot of judgment, and great care to create an Index that will allow readers to engage more fully with the content of the book.

So why should an author care if someone reviews the index and is disappointed ? Because that someone just might be a librarian who is about to purchase multiple copies of your book. Unlike bookstores, who care most about the cover, librarians care most about a book’s content. An amateur index can break the sale in an instant.

A professional index isn’t an expense. It’s essential to your book, and your readers will thank you for it.

What do you want to know? What topics should we explore together? How can we help you along your publishing journey? Everyone here at 1106 Design wants to help. Post your comment here or email us at office@1106design.com

The short answer: A good place to start your search for an illustrator is the Society of Children’s Book Illustrators at http://www.scbwi.org/

Here you’ll find serious illustrators who offer quality work, which is a necessity if you want your book to compete well against those released by major publishers. Good illustrators don’t work cheap, and that’s as it should be, since they possess a rare talent unavailable to the rest of us.

The longer answer: Over the years, we’ve worked on many books where the illustrations were provided by author. Often, these illustrations are not up to professional standards because they were created by a family member, or by a “cheap” provider that the author found on a freelance graphic design site.

Your book should be designed first, and then the appropriate illustrator hired to create drawings for the planned design. Often the reverse procedure is followed, which ties the hands of the designer and can result in a lesser quality book.

Your book designer can help you review illustrator portfolios to make sure they actually know how to draw (believe it or not, some don’t) and help manage the process so the illustrations provided are in the correct proportions for the page and the correct resolution and color mode for printing.

There are a lot of technical issues to consider, beyond just “liking” the illustrator’s style. Your book designer will be more than happy to help you through this process.

What do you want to know? What topics should we explore together? How can we help you along your publishing journey? Everyone here at 1106 Design wants to help. Post your comment here or email us at office@1106design.com