This is one of the most common questions I am asked, still to this day.
A client has created their manuscript in Word.
They have bolded and italicized and put in headings and sometimes page numbers and running heads.
They have even pasted pictures into their Word document and tell me, "All it needs is a little clean up and it's ready to go to print. Right?"
Wrong.
Books are professionally typeset in InDesign or Quark Xpress.
The Word document becomes extinct once it is imported into one of these page layout programs.
I will use inDesign to mean "professional page layout program" for simplicity's sake.
---
Why can't I just fix up the Word Doc and make a book?

I work in inDesign.
inDesign gives me the ability to set up master pages, paragraph and character style sheets, control things like kerning, tracking, widows and orphans, hi res graphic placement and manipulation and so much more.

A picture pasted into Word is just a "screen representation." it is no longer a graphic. And - it's often a screen shot or low resolution (72 dpi RGB) image when it needs to be a HIGH RES, grayscale or CMYK tif or eps image separate from the document itself.

The pictures are then "linked" when they are placed into the inDesign layout and the fonts and pictures are "collected" and the document is run through a pre-flight program to check for missing fonts, it checks resolution and type of graphics and all that good stuff that printers need in order to use the final "printer-ready PDF file" to print from.

Preparing a Word document is a very important step for the typesetter and something I will cover in an upcoming Blog Entry very soon.

Sue
http://www.JustYourType.biz

I imagine this question is often on the minds of authors and publishers alike.
With our generation of online-everything I am sure it can be a quite daunting experience to jump into a sea of unknowns and trust them not only with your masterpiece, your life's work or dream, but to do a fantastic job in making your book the best it can be and --to trust them with your payment.

A Good Book Designer and Typesetter will:

1-- Ask you a lot of questions like:
a. what is the trim size of your book?
b. how will the book be bound?
c. do you have a cover designed yet, and if so, may I see it?
d. what is your proposed to-print deadline?
e. when will you have your final clean manuscript ready for the typesetter?
f. is your book in black in only or also color?
g. does your book have many pictures, photos, charts or tables?
h. how many pages is your manuscript?

and so on...

2 -- Give you a quote based on the above questions and let you know what it will cost if original scope of work changes.

3 -- Have an OUTSTANDING portfolio and list of client testimonials and references -- check them out!


4 -- Have a website with at least a valid phone number and a decent layout and logo

5 --Work closely with you every single step of the way to help you get from manuscript to printed material

6 --Work with your cover designer as needed to ensure correct spine size

7 -- Present you with Sample Page designs before the entire book is typeset so there are no surprises when you see full proof.

7 -- Keep you posted on the progress of the book and alert you IMMEDIATELY with any delays or questions about the book's layout

8 -- Meet your deadlines or beat them

9 -- Listen to your feedback upfront so you have a produce you can proudly showcase

10 -- Be someone you would gladly recommend to colleagues and friends!

Finding a good book designer and typesetter isn't an easy process - I say this from experience even though I am a book designer and typesetter with more than 25 years experience and over 100 happy clients in the past 4 years.

As my business has been growing, I have been contemplating finding a good typesetter myself to help me with any overflow work or straight up typesetting so I can focus on the design, the customer service, follow up and running of my business.

To date, I haven't had much luck. Most book designers either charge too much for my budget or don't have the experience and eye for detail that I require to do a top notch job for my clients.

I put 110% into every book I work on -- I take deadlines very seriously and I understand budgets.

Contact me if you want a person who not only knows how to get the job done, but has a great time doing it!

Happy Booking :)

Sue
http://www.JustYourType.biz

This one is a tough topic since ALL my books are my favorite books but every now and then, one sticks out so much, I feel it needs to be shared.

I work on books of all kinds, from children's books to memoirs to business and self-help books and even text books and I put my all into each and every book I work on.

However, I don't get to read much of anything I typeset because I am looking at fonts, leading, hyphenation, page headers, widows and orphans, picture placement, etc.

Once in awhile, there are certain elements in the book, such as pull quotes or side bars that cause my eye to pause and I catch a few lines here and there.

There is a book I worked on recently written by MJ Brant, "When Every Day Matters" that is such a beautiful book it brought tears to my eyes as Iwould happen upon some of the memories and Letters to Katie that MJ has scattered throughout the book.

"When Every Day Matters" is a book written by MJ, a loving mom, whose daughter Katie died at the young age of 28 after suffering from a brain tumor for 10 years.

Here is one such excerpt that I as a mom, can relate to. My own daughter at age 10 was diagnosed with severe Scoliosis and when through brain-corrective surgery and two major spinal reconstructive surgeries and I was just out of my mind with worry while at the same time knew I had to be the "stability" in her soon-to-be chaotic, in-and-out-of-hospitals life.

----MJ writes:

"I prayed, “If you let Katie live I promise I will do anything
you want me to do. I will never complain about anything anymore.
I will be a good wife, a wonderful person to everyone
that I meet.” No novena went unsaid. That is pretty typical in
a situation such as ours. Dick stuck to the facts and called the
most highly recommended pediatric neurosurgeon on the list,
Dr. Fred Epstein, who asked us to send him all information,
scans, and MRI’s. Two days later Dr. Epstein called Dick back.
“Mr. Brant,” he said, “I have analyzed the before and after surgical
MRI’s and scans. I can do better. Please bring Katie up and
let’s talk about it.”
----------

There are many more passages and writings that I think any parent or loved one will not only relate to, but be so very moved by Mary Jane's heart-pouring account of her daughter's illness.

Here is a link to MJ's book if you would like to know more.
http://www.wheneverydaymatters.com/

Sue
http://www.JustYourType.biz

While you're in there...." and "Is it possible...?"
These are two of the most common things I hear while working on a book design and layout.



I will tackle them one at a time.



The first one usually comes up near the completion of a book.

Let's say the client as already approved the design samples I presented (this is the 3 to 5 day process mentioned in a prior post), has presented me with final Word manuscript and I have written the tags and formatted the entire book drom title page through the index.



The client proofs the PDF and sees a few glitches and asks me to fix my mistakes -- or just, a glitch - a font that didn't format, a missing para break, etc. That's easy enough.



Here comes the tricky part.



The client also sees content changes he or she wants to make -- sometimes a line or two and sometimes quite extensive.



This is where the "While you're in there fixing the stray dot on page 46, can you change the copy on pages 14, 45, 67, 127, 177, 222 and 333 as well?" comes in.



Well...........................



Sure, of course I can change the copy on those pages.



But one step is left out of this equation:
"How much will it cost and how much time will it add if I ask you to change content of the already-typeet book?



Now we're talking the same language, I can give the cost for my time and a turnaround date.



When the client leaves out that critical question, it's often a bit "sticky" for me to have to interject time and money into a project that most likely already had a late start at the gate to begin with. (This is just the nature of the biz)



But this is a step, a process, and a part of doing business that I must do.



I usually state these terms at the start of the project very clearly but sometimes that gets lost in the excitement of getting a book ready for print - and it really is a very exciting process and can be overwhelming
for a new and self-publisher.



In any case, most often the client is understanding and friendly about it and either has me do the additional work and accepts the charges and timeframe or he/she decides to leave things status quo. There are a few exceptions but I will save that for another post of its own! ;)



Now, onto the second most common thing I hear: "Is is possible to...?"



This is one I can hear at any time during the book pre-press stage.



Let's say the client and I have come up with a design for the page layout - the headers, footers, front matter, fonts, leading, margins, Parts and Chapter Treatment, I have supplied samples pages, they are approved and I am knee-deep into the middle of formatting and typesetting the book - say about page 148 of a 300 page book.



I get a call or email from the client asking, "Is it possible to change the font and subheading for the book?"



Well...........................



Sure, of course it's possible, but let's consider what that means in terms of time, cost and overall work:



1. -- The font and subheaders affect how many words fit on a page and how the type will flow line to line, page to page and chapter to chapter.



2 -- It can determine if the chapter ends on a right hand page or a left hand page. If a chapter ends on a right hand page, I usually put in a blank left hand page to "push" the new Chapter to a right-hand page. If we are to change the font and the subheaders, this could throw that off and change the page flow, the chapter starts, the Table of Contents numbers and the running headers that usually have the chapter title in them.



So what is the bottom line here?



At this stage, since the book design was approved and the next stage is well underway, this means re-doing all of the work done to that point in the book and it must be billed for and the time built into the overall timeframe for producing the printer-ready files.



Let's say the book is fully typeset, title page thru appendices.



The client reviews the PDF and asks, "Is it possible for me to add some photos to six of the ten chapters?"



Well........................

Sure, of course it is possible.



See #'s 1 and 2 and substitute the words font and subheaders with the word photos and you have your answer on what it will involve.



Oh, and just to clarify, I am not complaining, I am explaining -- I absolutely LOVE my work, I love books, and my clients are a joy.

Remember - there's almost nothing that can't be done -- just remember to ask, "How much would it cost and how much time will it add.." along with your request.



Have a day like no other!

How Long Does It Take To "Make a Book?"



I got a phone call the other day from a potential client who called to ask me that. My answer was as follows:



Getting a manuscript ready for the printer takes roughly 3 to 4 weeks on average, here's why:



The first step is to get all the details such as page trim size, type and amount of graphics, type of binding and for me to review sample manuscript to make sure it's prepared correctly (I will cover this topic on another post.)



Once I review manuscript I can present a quote for approval and set out payment terms.



I then go to work on presenting Sample Page Designs for the client's review. Here's where the book "comes alive" and out of the Word Document and into a professional layout program such as Quark Xpress and InDeisgn.



I design the book by doing the following: choosing which fonts to use, how to handle Parts and Chapter treatment, picture placement, sizing and caption treatment, front matter and any back matter. I choose size, leading, margins. I create a book to be both functional AND attractive.

I usually ask for 3 to 5 business days to present Sample Page Designs.



The next few days are usually spent tweaking the design and getting all the elements' attributes determined long before the book is actually typeset so we don't run into any snags during or after I lay out the book.



Once the design is approved, i ask for 7 to 10 business days to format the book from title page to index, if one is provided. (I will cover Indexes in a later post as well)
Laying out the book comprises of my writing paragraph and character specs and applying them to the manuscript once I "pour" it into Quark or Indesign. I make one pass to format the text; another pass to tweak my formatting, looking for any bad line or page breaks; another pass to manually put in the running headers as they correspond to a chapter name; yes another pass to set up the table of contents and then finally a last past to give it the "once over" to look for any styling I may have missed or pictures that may have moved or any other "glitches" in the layout.


That brings us up to about 15 to 18 working days which is roughly 3 weeks time.



I then present First Proof PDF for the client's review and from that point on it's a matter of how much "clean up" edits there are and how fast the client can get those back to me - I usually offer 48 hour or less time to do that part.



Once the client signs off on the final PDF proof, I create a HI RES PDF file for the pinter using their specifications.



And there you have it -- in a nutshell.
When I got done explaining this to my potential client, he said "well whatdaya know? That's exactly what this books says it takes to do I book and i thought to myself, NO WAY could it take 3 to 4 weeks. I am going to call JustYourType.biz and ask them how long it takes."
---Sue
---Sue