Before a book can be published, it must be produced. Book production consists of writing or transcribing, editing, typesetting/page layout, and cover design — just to give a general overview. Of course, there is really no reason to even start the process unless you have something of quality to say.
Once the book is produced, it can be printed in the traditional sense or marketed as an eBook or both. Needless to say, printing can be a very sizable part of the overall budget.
Publishing the book in the purest sense of the term involves the marketing and distribution to the public. If you are self-publishing then this part of the overall process of book publishing must not be overlooked or taken lightly in the budget, because it will be the difference between your books sitting in your garage or in someone’s library.
Book Copyright
Once your book is printed you send copies with the copyright form to submit it to the copyright office. Here is the link to the form: Copyright Form
Transcribing
The beginning of a book project can start with a good audio or video teaching series. The first step in that case would be to get a transcription of the message typed into a text document file like Microsoft Word. Approximately two minutes equals one page of transcription, so a 60-minute recording would be around 30 pages of raw transcript.
Editing
This is a very critical step in the production process. This is where the transcript becomes a manuscript. We make sure that the personality of the author is not edited out of their own book. This step is where the book flow and chapter sequence are established, as well as proper sentence structure and grammar. You need to make sure that everything is worded just like you want it before the manuscript goes to the next step of typesetting.
Minor Fine-tune Editing
This step is available if you already have a manuscript that has been edited, but just needs to be “polished”— to make sure that the sentence structure and grammar is accurate. It is also very important that any scripture quotations in the manuscript are accurately typed from the translation that is being quoted. That includes punctuation and capitalization.
Typesetting, Page Layout, Proof reading, and Press-ready PDF
This is the last step in book page production. This step transforms the manuscript into book pages. We will start with importing your computer word processing file, such as MS Word or Word Perfect type file to create the final press-ready book pages that will go to press. These same pages can also be used to create an eBook file for immediate marketing and sales.
Every page in the book is given a complete quality inspection. We don’t just proof for spelling errors. We look at spacing, word breaks, line breaks, page breaks. We view every page of text as a work of art. Typography is a “painting with type.” If it doesn’t look good, we fix it before you see it. Once we are pleased with the pages, then we will send a complete copy to the author for final approval before going to press.
Standard Book Sizes
There are four standard size books that we commonly produce. Every book is printed in groups of pages called signatures. When we typeset the books we always make sure that the page count comes out in even printing signatures. Typically 8, 16 or 32 pages are considered standard signatures.
- Mini-books (3 1/2" x 5 5/8")
- Pocketbooks (4 1/4" x 7")
- Trade-books (5 3/8" x 8 1/4")
- Workbooks (8 3/8" x 10 7/8")
Optional Photo Section Insert
This is an optional step that is created as a separate insert into the book. It is typically printed on glossy paper and must be inserted between signatures. These photo sections must be in 8-page increments and are usually printed in black and white to conserve on the budget, but certainly could be printed in color if the budget allows.
Book Cover Artwork
The book cover is one of the most critical steps involved in the book production process. The book cover is what packages the message inside. From a marketing standpoint, if the package is not appealing enough to attract the potential consumer, then the message inside the package will never be read.
Design using typography and graphic patterns and textures.
This package adds the element of stock photography to the design. We can do minor changes to the stock photo if needed.
This package adds the options of original illustration, photography, and extensive changes to stock photography.
Production Time
Compared to traditional publishing houses, our production times are very quick. All of these estimated times are dependent on the cooperation of the author, because every step depends on the author’s approval and or input, before it can be completed. The editing time also varies according to how challenging the material is to work with.
The time frames stated below are averages based on books that are 160 pages or less.
- Transcribing and Editing — 4-12 weeks
- Book Cover and Page Production — 2-3 weeks
- Book Printing — 4-6 weeks
Payment Terms
We have discovered that the people who are serious enough to put money down on a project will also see the project through to completion. A minimum deposit of $500 will start the production process. The $500 deposit can be applied to start any of the production steps. If you are starting with transcribing, it would be applied to transcribing. If you need editing, it would be applied to editing, etc. With a $1000 deposit, production could begin on the cover at the same time as any of the other areas of production, because the cover is being done in a different department. The deposit is applied in full to the final total production cost and is shown as a credit on the invoice. The balance will need to be paid before the book can go to press.
If these payment terms are difficult for you to budget, you may make regular scheduled payments throughout the production for all of the production cost. We will produce your book as you pay. All major credit cards are also accepted. Please note that the Book Printing is priced separately and is additional cost to the production.
