Book Design and Self-Publishing FAQ

• What is print on demand and what does it mean to authors?
  Print on demand refers to the digital printing technology that allows a book to be printed one copy at a time and still retain the quality of a traditional commercially printed book. As an author, this means you no longer need to print thousands of copies of your book and sell from your stock. You may print books as they are ordered, meaning that your total up-front investment in printing is minimal.
  
  
• What is self-publishing, and why would an author prefer it over the traditional method of finding a publisher to handle the details for you?
  In a nutshell, self-publishing allows you to retain complete control over your own intellectual property, your manuscript. You will make more money from the sale of your books, you'll be be able to get it into the marketplace faster, and you will retain the right to do whatever you want with it when you want to do it. Authors used to write a book and then pitch it to publishers until they found someone willing to publish it. This can take many months, at the very least, and sometimes years. Some authors do not find a publisher after a long search, and become discouraged enough to give up. Some publishers require that you sign a contract giving at least some control over your rights. If you believe in your book and are willing to take charge and do some of the work that a publisher would do yourself, you can control this process and can get your book out there much more quickly. In addition to retaining the complete rights to your product so you control what can be done with the material, you may be able to save money while having superior quality. I want to help you publish the book you have dreamed of.
  
  
• I want to walk into Barnes and Noble and see my book on the shelves. When will I be able to do that?
  In today's world of books, you may not be able to. The largest, most profitable audience is online, not brick-and-mortar. Bookstores have a limited amount of self space and usually only books by established authors or books that are already bestsellers published by large publishers wind up in bookstores. This is not to say that it's impossible for YOUR book to get there, but it should not be your first goal.
  
  
• How long will it take to complete my book design project?
  Please allow at least 6-8 weeks to complete your book design and layout.  I may be able to complete your project more quickly, depending on our schedule. Longer projects, projects with lots of photos or artwork, or complex layout issues may take longer.
  
  
• What is included in a book design project?
  When I quote on your book design project, it is a complete turnkey design based on my understanding of your project. Cover design and typesetting, interior design, layout and typesetting, PDF proofs, consultation and advice are included.
  
  
• Why should I invest in professional design for my book? Can't I just use word processing software like Microsoft Word to lay it out myself?
  Yes.  But it isn't as easy as it looks, and if you have not put a book together before, it is a big job. Most professional designers will use either Adobe InDesign or Quark XPress for book design. (Look GREAT In Print uses InDesign.) In addition to the investment you will make in software, you may need to invest in training and allow yourself time to learn.  You will make mistakes while you learn and you need to allow time and money for this. If you already have a layout program and know how to use it, you are in a much better position to learn to do book layout and design.
  
  You may not know the difference in how a manuscript looks when produced in Word, and produced in InDesign or Quark XPress. The spacing and text itself will look different. Professional publishing packages are capable of producing much more legible text with better kerning and tracking. (Kerning is the adjustment of spacing between two letters so the parts of the letters fit together better for better visual appearance and space savings. Tracking is the adjustment of space between groups of letters and words.) While Word may produce a look that you are satisfied with, a professional may disagree. While this is generally the opinion of more experienced designers, do not discount this as it can be the difference between a professional book and an amateurish one. You may want to print out the page at the link below to see for yourself how the same page looks when produced in each of the two programs. While it is possible to fine-tune both programs, a software package designed for professional typesetting generally produces much more professional book design results. In the hands of a professional, the difference in the results will generally be amazing.
  
  Printable Comparison of Typeset Page in Adobe InDesign and MS Word
  
  
• I can't afford to pay for professional book design service. What are my best options?
  The better question may be, "Can you afford to risk the outcome of your important project?" and "How much is your time worth?" If you have spent time and effort to write a book, you should think twice before entrusting the layout and cover design to someone without experience in this area.  Red Adair once said, "If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur!"
  
  If you really do not have funds for professional service, your best options are to wait until the funds are available or purchase software and learn to do the book layout yourself.
  
  
• Will you market my book for me once it is finished?
  No.  You need to spend some quality time planning your strategy before you spend a penny on design.  If you don't have a strategy, you may wish to consult a marketing pro for a proposal on having your book marketed.  It is not wise to spend the money for design without a plan.  I can suggest resources for you in this area but I do not offer marketing services.  I do, however, offer printed publicity items, book videos, and book websites. If you decide to promote your book yourself, these items will be useful.
  
  
• Can you guarantee my book will be a best-seller?
  No. You may encounter promoters who might make this guarantee, but as a designer, I don't. I will tell you with a good degree of certainty that unless your book is professionally designed and produced, it will not have the potential of becoming a best-seller because it will be much more difficult to promote. In fact, sometimes promoters recommend that a book be re-titled and have the cover redesigned to better position it so they can promote it properly. How you choose to promote should be based on your personal goals for your book. Having a plan for promoting and knowing what you can budget for promotion should be thoroughly considered before you complete your manuscript.

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