How to Prepare Your Book for Publishing

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Book-Publishing-Preparation

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A brilliant poster at a print shop / book designer offered: “Pick Any Two, I Pick One”
It showed a triangle and on each tip had one of these words: Money – Quality – Time/Speed
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The Unattainable Triangle – Speed, Quality and Price.
Branding experts refer to the “unattainable triangle” as composed of quality, price, and speed.  All products or services have two out of the three sides of the triangle. That is to say, high-quality and fast turn-around but high-price or low-price, fast-turnaround but low-quality and so on.
The triangle is unattainable for two reasons. The first is logistical.  Providing high-quality service with faster-than-average turn-around time is going to cost you more money than your competitor who can do the same level of quality at a lower price with slightly slower turnaround.  It’s pretty much logistically impossible to maintain a profitable business that has somehow “attained the triangle.”
Always keep this in mind when you hire freelancer / employees or subcontractors, such as editors, book and cover designers. You get what you pay for… Don’t shop for the cheapest, rather the best partners, says book layout guru Joel Friedlander.
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Among others he explains:

  • An Unabridged List of the Parts of a Book
  • Book Pagination For Fun and Profit
  • Why You Need a Category on the Back Cover of Your Book
  • Book Chapters and Subheads
  • Deciphering the Bookland EAN Bar Code
  • The Elements of the Book Page
  • Self-Publisher’s 5-Minute Guide to Book Printing Processes

Start with his article: Why Self-Published Books Look Self-Published.
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The Editing Process:
Even though many authors are talented writers and even spectacular at grammar, they should never be the book editor of their own project. You might have logged long hours going through your manuscript with a fine-tooth comb, read, write, delete, re-write, re-read, delete… Then, after carefully reviewing the spelling and grammar and fact-checking the document, you may have even handed the manuscript over to every member of your writing group, however none of this is equal to a professional final edit.

Contact editors who’s work you have seen or who have been recommended by other writers and ask about their work process, rates, time frames, and any other information you need to know. Request a sample edit from the respondents you like. Samples are often free, and around one to three, sometimes even five 250-word pages.
The editing process is not meant to offend you, or detract from all of the perfecting you have already done. Rather, an edit is meant to increase the quality and success of your book, regardless of subject or genre.
Choose an editor on the basis of compatibility and how well the results of his or her editing appeals to you.  Ask for references, but learning about the editor’s background shows you how long he or she has been doing edits.  It also gives an idea of how many and which types of clients have actually trusted him or her to edit. There are several steps involved in editing and professional trade publishers often employ special editors for each of these steps (or did at least in the past):

  • Line editing
  • Content Editing
  • Copy Editing
  • Proof Reading

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The Book Cover and Title.
The correct title can enormously help to ensure the success of your book. And a great cover will raise the attention of potential readers. And yes, books are judged by their covers.

  • It must be easy to understand and speak.
  • It should ideally be less than 32 characters.
  • You must be able to purchase the exact URL for the title.
  • Buy your Author name domain also.
  • The title should clearly demonstrate to readers what they will discover in this eBook.
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Important for Your Book’s Cover Design

  • Keep the design clean.
  • Use a focal point to orient the user
  • Make sure people can read it without glasses.
  • Make the design match the content.
  • Remember: All online retailers show books only in stamp-size!

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For Print:

  • Use the spine properly.
  • Include a photo of the author.
  • The largest font size is used on the information that is most important.

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Technical information can also be obtained at Basic Book Design for answers to your basic book design questions.  Joel Friedlander has a great blog post series about book layout mistakes to avoid.
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Pre-Publishing Services:

EDITING:
Traci Lawrence  http://tracisebook.blogspot.com/2015/02/freelance.html
Susan Uttendorfsky  http://www.adirondackediting.com

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BOOK COVER DESIGNERS:
Anitra Jay  http://www.anitrajay.com/page:designs
Laura Wright LaRoche  http://www.llpix.com
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e-BOOK FORMATTING:
Another important step in creating an e-book that should be done by real professionals, for example Deena Rae Schoenfeldt  http://e-bookbuilders.com
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However, while your book is at the pre-publishing service providers, don’t forget to actively market your upcoming book! Prepare your author pages on Goodreads and Amazon, start with Goodreads Giveaways, if you have an ISBN and planned a print book. For e-book Giveaways use LibraryThing.com.  Get as many pre-orders and pre-launch reviews as possible, plan and invite all your potential readers to your book launch – virtual and in person.

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If you would like to get a mentor and our support in all things publishing, have your book intensively promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites – or learn how you can make yourself a name as an author through content writing: We offer for three months all this and more for only $179 – or less than $2 per day!  Learn more about this customized Online Seminar / Consulting for writers: http://www.111Publishing.com/Seminars

To learn more about professional book marketing and publishing, please read also  “Book Marketing on a Shoestring”  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UAVL3LE

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