Self-Publishing Question #23 of 52: What’s the difference between substantive editing, copyediting, and proofreading?

There are three types of editing: copyediting, substantive editing and proofreading. Copyediting entails a comprehensive edit of your book. The editor will look at spelling, grammar, punctuation, word choice, paragraph structure, flow and style consistency, and will quite often catch outright errors in your manuscript.

A substantive edit entails a copyedit, plus a review of the structure of your book, the logical flow, redundancies and your writing style, and the editor will quite often move whole chunks of your book around, suggest parts be deleted and even rewrite portions of your text. Substantive edits are excellent for authors who are unsure of their writing skills or who sense a problem with their manuscript that they just can’t put their finger on.

We have included proofreading as an editing function here so that we can emphasize the fact that authors should not think that a simple proofreading (which costs less than copyediting because it does not require as much time or effort on the part of the proofreader) is a replacement for a good copyedit.

A proofreader will check for typos and punctuation but will not agonize over your choice of words or sentence structure, or figure out the problem with your manuscript, fix it and piece the book back together again. A copyedit or substantive edit goes well beyond catching typos, adding that extra level of professionalism and readability that make your book stand out from the others.

Self-Publishing Question #24 of 52: What’s the difference between the “retail price” and “wholesale price” price of my book?

The retail price is what retail outlets such as bookstores and Amazon will use when selling your book to customers. This price is printed on your book cover and encoded in the bar code. Retailers pay the wholesale price for your book, and the difference between what they pay for your book and what they sell is their margin; if they decide to reduce the retail price of your book, the difference comes out of their margin. The wholesale price is typically 45-50% of your retail price. For example, if the retail price for your book is $10.00, the wholesale price may be $4.50. This is what you get paid. You will frequently see the term “wholesale discount.” While your book might be priced at $10.00, the wholesalers are being given a 55% discount by being able to purchase your book at $4.50 [$10 X (1-wholesaler discount of 55%) = $4.50].

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Because of this, here is a checklist that will help you determine if your book is ready for distribution and sales activities.  We offer this list as an educational tool.

If you find that your book meets all or most of these criteria, you can expect that your book will have a better than average chance of success.  Your book will have a better chance of being picked up by a high-quality distributor rather than be left with the “bottom-feeder” who take on every book and promise the world without delivering.

Feel free to use this checklist on your own or contact us about our publishing and book consulting.

•  Did you sign your publishing house name up at myidentifiers.com/Bowker and buy your own ISBN’s?
•  Did you choose a unique publisher name that is not connected in any way with the author’s name or the name of the book being published?
•  Was your interior professionally designed with proper margins, headers, and pages?
•  Was your cover designed by someone with book industry experience?
•  Does your cover and interior look as though it was published by an experienced publisher (Random House, Harper Collins, etc…)?
•  If you want your book in bookstores, have you priced your book based on what books on the bookstore shelves in your category are retailing for?
• If you are not aiming for bookstores, have you done your research and priced/packaged your book for the market you are aiming for?
• Does your book have a price-specific EAN barcode?
• Is your copyright page set up to industry standards (ISBN and publisher listed, country where printed listed, etc…) and have a Cataloging in Publication block created by a professional service provider?
• Was your book professionally line edited, content edited and copy edited?
• Was your book professionally proofread after the layout and design was completed?
• If the book includes illustrations and photos, were they professionally created and are they at 300 dpi?
• Do you have a fully executable marketing and press plan to support your book’s launch?
• Do you have a 12-month marketing and awareness plan for AFTER your book’s launch?

Sales reps will focus on selling your book to retailers and wholesalers.  They will do this by using relationships and expertise to present your book in its best light. Your book needs to be well designed, well written, well packaged, well priced and well positioned just to get a CHANCE to MAYBE be on a bookstore shelf.  The sales rep then has to convince the buyer that of all the books that made it past the first hurdles, your book will sell the most and be the best.

The one tool they cannot live without is a strong marketing and press plan. Your marketing and press successes are the best (and often only) way to convince the buyers that your book deserves a chance. Sales reps have to prove that the book presented will have a growing demand.

Sales Reps will often go to extremes to get your book on the shelves, but it is up to the publisher and author to create the demand that sells the book OFF the shelves. It is up to the publisher and author to execute a complete and thorough marketing and press campaign.  Getting books INTO the stores and catalogs is Rep’s job, but they will only be successful if you can show why the book deserves to be there and then show that the book is being bought and sought after.

Amy Collins has over 25 years’ experience selling and marketing books. In 2006 Amy created a book sales company which quickly turned into New Shelves Distribution, (www.newshelves.com) the fastest-growing book distribution company in North America. Amy and her team are committed to being of service and sharing their book and sales experience. She can be reached at amy@newshelves.com

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Self-Publishing Question #21 of 52: Should I use postcards to promote my book?

Mail a postcard, with book cover art on one side, to family members, friends, business associates, etc.  The other side will include information on how to order the book and a request for them to share the info with at least five friends. Your book designer can design a postcard and other giveaways, such as bookmarks.

Self-Publishing Question #22 of 52: Is giving away books a good marketing strategy?

Not all marketing strategies need to cost money, but many marketing strategies WILL cost books. Be prepared to give away books in order to spread the word. For example, you can offer your book as a door prize for a conference, or to be included in a gift basket that is given to speakers. Get in the habit of carrying a few copies of your book with you in your car or briefcase. You never know; you might give a stranger a complimentary copy of your book and that person might just become your book’s greatest champion as a result.

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Basically, the steps to self-publishing your book are: Cover Design, Editing, Interior Page Design and Typesetting, Proofing, Printing, and Marketing. At 1106 Design, the process from cover to printing takes between six and eight weeks.

The first thing you should know is that it’s helpful to have a completed manuscript before you start. Our professionals will delve into your manuscript to learn about your topic, style and genre before, for example, designing your book cover. Designing your cover is an interactive process between you and your designer. You will discuss and select images and your designer will create some cover concepts from which you choose a final cover design.

At the same time your cover is being designed, your book can be edited. It’s a good idea for the editor to review your manuscript beforehand to give an honest assessment of how much editing will be required to get your manuscript in tip-top shape. A thorough copy edit may suffice, or you may need an editor to do a substantive edit if there are areas of your book that you feel are weak and need the assistance of a professional.

After editing, your book moves to the interior page design stage. Your designer will once again develop some concepts for you; you should have sample page formats from which to choose your final format. When you review the sample, make sure the designer is taking care of such critical formatting issues as “rivers of white” (when words fall in a pattern so that the spaces between them look like a river, which is distracting to the reader), “ladders” (too many hyphens in a row), and “word stacks” (when the same word appears one above the other in a stack).

Once you approve your page format, the designer will typeset the book. After typesetting is complete, the book must be proofed. Don’t assume that just because the book was edited that proofing is not required. When you fixed your book to correct the issues your editor pointed out to you, you probably caused more errors. In addition, typos and formatting issues can arise due to typesetting, and can only be caught after typesetting.

After the book is typeset and the cover is finished (complete with your author bio and great back cover copy that compels readers to buy your book), your book is ready for printing. You may choose to produce an eBook, or a printed book, or both. Most people still opt for both; some readers prefer an eBook while many still prefer the printed version, and others will purchase both! If you decide to print books, you can do so using the services of a “print-on-demand” printer. This type of printer will print only enough copies to meet demand. On-demand printing services are something that you can set up yourself with, for example, Lightning Source.

Throughout the above steps, you should be giving a lot of thought to marketing and distribution. Where will you sell your book? Amazon? A bookstore? Will you do book signings? (If so, you need actual printed books to sell at the signing.)What materials will you need to support your marketing efforts? Will you have a website? Will you sell your book through your website? Consulting a marketing expert is a good idea, as he or she will help you think through these issues and others you haven’t yet thought of.

Here comes the shameless self-promotion, but I do this out of a genuine desire to help you bring your book to the eager hands of your readers, and a dedication to ensuring that your book is the most beautiful it can be. I suggest that you read my book Publish Like the Pros: A Brief Guide to Quality Self-Publishing, which can be downloaded for FREE by clicking here. In this book I expand upon the steps outlined above and give you many tips and tricks for self-publishing. Armed with the knowledge you will gain by reading my book, you will be more than ready to navigate the waters of self-publishing with confidence.

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I was reminded of this quote the other day when I opened an email from the owner of a new website that offered designers the opportunity to “upload your works and set prices for each one of them.” A visit to the site revealed that these “works” would be offered to self-publishers who would then “edit the image in our in-browser editor, change the book cover size, and put various text on it.” Then came the comment, “Most self-published books have crappy covers because self-published authors have tight budgets and cannot afford to hire a professional book cover designer.”

There are so many issues here I hardly know where to begin. For starters, the site owner ignores the entire field of typography, and apparently believes that authors can “put various text” on a nice picture and wind up with a quality cover. He and his customers should only know how many hours designers spend on a book cover.

Once a concept is created, it’s not uncommon for a designer to experiment for quite awhile with different font combinations, in different sizes, in different arrangements, using different colors, until the look is “just so”. And that’s before we show the cover to the client, which is often followed by even more adjustments.

In the FAQ section for authors, the site doesn’t explain what happens after authors create their covers and send the resulting file to a printer. Were adequate margins left all around so that the printer will not reject the file? Was the correct amount of bleed added? Is the spine size accurate to 2 or 3 decimal places? Is the image CMYK and in the proper resolution? Does the digital file meet the printer’s ink limit requirement? Is the browser view of the file anywhere near accurate, so that there will be no nasty surprises when the printer’s proof arrives? All of these issues and more are quietly taken care of by a competent book cover designer.

Pity the poor authors who spend hard-earned money on this site because they “know” that “book cover design is easy” and “anyone can do it”. When they send these files to the printer, they’ll be informed that all of the above issues (and more) do matter. Quite often today, the printer is a large “self-publishing company” with tens of thousands of customers, so the bad news will be delivered by a software “robot” that names the problem, but doesn’t explain how to fix it. What follows is often a frustrating loop of file submissions and rejections that can make anyone question why they wrote a book in the first place.

It’s not difficult to understand why authors are attracted to free or low cost design services. Most admit that they’re not sure if the book will sell, so they don’t want to spend money. But this approach can become a self-fulfilling prophecy; a poor book cover can doom a great book to failure when buyers pass it over for another that looks more professional.

Once the writing is done, you’re not an author anymore; you’re a publisher with a different goal…generating sales. To do that, you must “package” your work so that it appeals to buyers.

My advice? Hit the pause button and consider saving up until you can afford to give your book the cover and interior design it deserves…that your buyer demands, knowingly or not.

Please take Mark Twain’s advice to heart. Forget what you “know” about book cover design and consider hiring someone who really does know. Your book will look better, and sell better, and that’s smart business.

1106 Design offers 5 levels of book cover design to meet every need and almost every budget. How can we help you?

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I thought:

‘Here’s an author who has spent a long time writing a novel. I’m sure she truly cares about her cover, and wants it to work hard to sell her book. I’m sure she understands that competition in the book world is brutal, and buyers will look at a cover for less than seven seconds before deciding which book to buy. Here’s an opportunity to explain the principles of book cover design, offer suggestions, and help someone succeed in the brutal world of publishing.’

This topic is always a great one for discussion online and so many people did jump in, offering their opinions.

Most knowledgeable people in the business agree that professional book cover design, crafted by someone with experience and training, will give you a better cover than doing it yourself. Unfortunately, there are a lot of uninformed people offering self-publishers the opposite advice.

Here are a few pointers to keep in mind when evaluating a book cover:

• Make sure the typography complements the content of the book, as well as the the general appearance of other books in the genre.
• Make sure that colors are used wisely. Read books about color harmonies and different methods to choose colors from your chosen image so you’ll know when your cover has that “just right” look.
• Ensure, for the good of your book, that the overall composition of the cover is organized and the title STANDS OUT to draw potential buyers away from other titles displayed nearby (online or in store).
• Study the bestsellers on Amazon (new releases as well as upcoming titles) and objectively compare the design to professionally designed titles. That’s what your prospective buyers will do.

So, what happened next in the discussion forum, after a number of professional designers offered their advice? Here is the author’s reply:

I took all the constructive criticism into consideration, made a few changes and then went with my gut. I’m not a “best seller” and don’t honestly expect to ever be one. Therefore, paying attention to everyone simply causes over thinking :-}

I left the discussion at this point, but consider this: Shouldn’t everyone involved in the self-publishing industry do their part to advance its credibility? Similar to your eyes being a window to your soul, a book cover is a peek into your writing. But beyond that, good covers translate into sales, and isn’t that one of the reasons you’re publishing a book in the first place?

Free advice is very scarce these days. If you find some, it pays to take advantage of it. When you are fortunate enough to be surrounded with book designers and creative people, it’s wise to listen, take notes and apply what you’ve learned.

At the end of the day, your success as a self-publisher may very well hinge on your willingness to heed the advice of those with experience in design, just as you sought the advice of others about your writing. MILLIONS of books are self-published each year, and a bad book cover should not be the reason you fail to realize your full potential as a writer.

I invite you to browse our site for a few minutes, view our portfolio, and review our services. Then pick up the phone, so you and I can craft a custom plan to put your book ahead of the do-it-yourselfers today!

The post Planning to Fail with a Poor Book Cover appeared first on 1106 Design.

Why? Because anyone who pours their time, money and reputation into a business understands that success depends on happy customers. Businesses grow when satisfied customers become repeat customers and a steady source of referrals.

So why are very large names in the publishing industry turning a blind eye to these facts and helping self-publishers produce awful books?

Authors are told it’s OK to lay out their own book in Word, design their own cover, and upload text that has not been professionally edited or proofread. This approach may be OK if your book is a memoir to be enjoyed only by friends and family, but if your book is the cornerstone of a new business, it’s the worst possible advice. Those of us who have toiled for decades to produce quality books can only shake our heads in dismay.

For generations, publishers have followed a tried-and-true process to turn rough manuscripts into polished works of art. The need for fact checking, several levels of editing, quality cover design, meticulous interior typesetting, and multiple rounds of proofreading was not questioned.

Today, mix together one part personal computer, one part behemoth bookseller who has abandoned publishing standards in pursuit of the almighty buck, and a horde of gurus who don’t know what they’re talking about, and new self-publishers are served up the perfect recipe for failure.

Every author I know became a writer because they LOVED books. But the wonderful books we all loved in our youth are in danger of extinction. Specialists who know how to produce quality books are buried in search results by huge companies who have millions of dollars to spend on Internet marketing.

Before they find true craftsmen, hopeful authors are reeled in by self-publishing companies offering cheap package deals based on template covers and interiors used on thousands of other books. Nobody explains that these templates will look homemade when the author’s book is displayed next to the bestsellers on Amazon. Nor do they explain that the low prices are a classic bait and switch advertising technique. The moment an author requests changes to the template, the extra charges kick in, resulting in a boring cover that winds up costing just as much as a custom one.

True self-publishing is a worthy endeavor, but self-publishing today has been hijacked. The poor quality books flooding the market have, in many instances, made self-publishing a synonym for poor publishing.

This article isn’t really about technology, or templates, or new vs. old methods of production. It’s about the abandonment of basic business integrity.

At 1106 Design, we’re not going to follow the crowd. We can’t change what others do, but we can offer our clients top quality work, honest advice, and all the hand-holding they need to launch their book. May we help you?

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“I’m brand new at this,” she admitted. “I’m not even sure what questions to ask, but your site feels very welcoming, and your promise of hand holding is exactly what I need.”

I thanked her for the kind words, assured her that most of our clients were new to publishing, and that we’d be happy to guide her every step of the way. I assured her that we would recommend only services that were needed, and we would never “upsell” services that were not necessary, as many “self-publishing companies” do.

After learning that her manuscript had already been edited by a pro, and that her goal was to sell books on Amazon in a very crowded genre, I recommended book cover design, interior layout, and proofreading. I told her an index probably wasn’t necessary, given that her book was divided into 10 lessons, but in its place a detailed table of contents might be useful to the reader.

So far, so good. Then she uttered the words that send book designers everywhere over the edge: “I layed out my book in Word, 6×9, and it came out to 365 pages. It looks just fine, and I don’t want to spend that much money for you to design and typeset it. Would you look at what I did and let me know what you think?”

“Sure,” I said. I braced myself for the promised email with her “layout.”

When it arrived, I was not surprised to see that every single rule of book design was broken. I couldn’t find even one aesthetically pleasing element in the book, and except for the page size, it looked exactly like a manuscript.

The text was set in 12-point Georgia, with 1.5 line spacing, and it was not justified.

Quotations and their accompanying citations, an essential element of this self-directed Bible study guide, were set exactly like the surrounding text, making them difficult to find.

Chapter titles were bold, but the same size as the text. They were placed at the top margin, not moved down on the page, a standard technique that gives the reader a visual cue that a new chapter is at hand. No extra space was added between the chapter title and the first paragraph of text.

There were many instances of double spaces between words and I found half a dozen typos in just a quick scan though the document. Clearly, this book needed more proofreading than had been done to this point.

I sent an email with my assessment to give the author time to think and respond.

“You’re about to make a terrible mistake,” I wrote. “A very common mistake made by self-publishers.”

I explained that if she went forward with this Word layout (assuming it could even be printed) that reviewers and retailers would immediately flag her book as a homemade job and reject it out of hand.

I added that reviewers on Amazon would deduct stars for the typos and the difficult to read text, and that this would affect sales.

Last, I explained that this homemade layout would cost her extra money for every copy printed, because a typesetter would choose a more efficient font and adjust the line spacing to reduce the page count considerably.

I attached samples of similar books we had designed to demonstrate what a well-designed book interior looks like, took a deep breath, and hit the send button.

I’m delighted to report that this story has a happy ending; the author ordered interior design. I tell this story because for every author I convince, there are probably hundreds of others formatting their book in Word right now, and someone has to stand up for the book buyer.

Don’t you feel betrayed when a company uses a pretty package to entice you to buy a poor product? I do. When authors wrap a good cover around a poor interior, they’re committing the same offense. How many times can this happen before buyers conclude that books are not worth the risk?

It wasn’t so long ago that book buyers could count on receiving a well-researched, well-edited, beautifully designed and carefully printed book for their money. Do we really want to change that expectation?

And what about the ambitious new publisher, whose high hopes are dashed when the bad reviews on Amazon start rolling in? Too many self-publishing “gurus” are teaching new authors that it’s OK to abandon traditional publishing standards. I think there’s something terribly sad about that, and I hope you do, too.

Excuse me while I talk to this author about proofreading…

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Everyone who writes understands the importance of proofreading. Whether you have just finished your first one-sheet or your twentieth 50-page report, you WILL find errors in it, guaranteed.

Book publishing is no exception. It’s truly astonishing how many mistakes come out of hiding every time you read your manuscript, no matter how many times you read it, even after it has been edited by a pro. Authors everywhere scratch their heads and ask, “How could I have written that?” and just as often, “How could I have missed that?” This is why professional proofreading is a must if your goal is to release a quality book.

You can’t outwit the human brain

It’s not enough to read your own work, or ask friends and family to do the same. The human brain is a funny thing. Once we read material more than once, we see what we expect to see. We know what we mean to say, so when we read our own words, the message is perfectly clear. Outside proofreaders, preferably specialists in book publishing, are a stand-in for your eventual reader. In addition to finding errors that almost got away, an experienced proofreader will zero in on text that may not be clear to someone reading it for the first time.

Publishing methods evolved for a reason

This is a message we deliver over and over again to our clients. We almost beg them to edit their manuscript and proofread it, multiple times, before interior design begins. Then we recommend an additional round of proofreading after the book has been layed out. Why? If you think errors hide out in Word, you won’t believe how they’ll pop up in text that has been carefully formatted in InDesign.

The standard workflow in book publishing has always been: edit, proofread, typeset, then proofread one final time before printing. Unfortunately, this quality control process has too often been abandoned by self-publishers, with the result that many books on the market today are riddled with errors.

Book publishing should be fun, not a nightmare!

For the good of your book, as well as to deliver true value to your readers, please invest in professional editing and proofreading before book design begins, and again after your book has been designed. You won’t believe how many errors will be found. Your readers will appreciate the quality, and post good reviews on Amazon instead of complaints.

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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.

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