BINDING

The printing and binding of your book are two separate processes. Binding is either hardback (‘casebound’), or paperback (‘limp’). Hardback binding can be up to 150 per cent more expensive than paperback, and I imagine most self-publishers will not choose it for this reason. A hardback book typically includes a book jacket, sometimes also known as a dust wrapper.

Paperback binding can be:

• Unsewn: There are now two types of unsewn binding. Perfect, where the spine of the folded sections is trimmed off, a glue applied and the cover drawn on. Slotted or burst, where grooves are cut in the spine, glue applied and cover drawn on. Exponents of slotted binding say it is as strong as sewn.
• Sewn limp: where the pages, as the name suggests, are sewn together. It is more expensive but more robust.
• Wire-stitched: this is suitable only for leaflets and cheap booklets, and comprises a couple of staples. The staples can be saddle stitched- put on the fold – or side stitched- driven through from the front to back cover. Saddle stitching will cope with up to 80 pages, depending on the thickness of the paper you use. Side stitching will cope with several hundred pages, but note that it prevents books from being opened out flat. Wire-stitched books do not have a spine.

CHOOSING A PAPER

Most book printers stock a limited range of paper. They purchase their paper in large quantities so can get a good price. If you want something specific that they don’t stock, expect to pay a higher price for it. The four, general, paper choices are:

• newsprint (bulky news)
• uncoated
• coated (matt or gloss)
• textured papers.

You will probably want to use an uncoated paper, which is the most common choice for books without half tones (photographs). You will also need to consider the following things:

Weight

Most paperback books are printed on paper of a weight between 60gsm and 1OOgsm. The advantage of choosing a heavier grade of paper is that your book pages will feel more substantial. The disadvantage is that is will make your book heavier and also cost more. If you plan to sell your book via mail order you need to consider the extra postage costs.

Opacity

Opacity is the extent to which you can see through paper. (On some papers you can see the text from the reverse side of the page; on other papers you can’t.) Generally, the opacity increases with the weight of paper and it is best to use the paper with the best opacity your budget allows.

Book covers

The paper used for book covers is called coverboard. One-sided board means the cover will be coated on one side only. A standard grade of coverboard is 220-240gsm. I prefer matt lamination, and generally you have to pay extra for this as opposed to a gloss lamination. (Note, however, that matt lamination can be more prone to marking during binding.)

Colour

As you would imagine, you need to choose between shades of white, ranging from ‘extra white’ to ‘offset white’. Which is best is a matter of personal opinion. You will no doubt be influenced to a degree by the range of options your chosen printer offers.

OBTAINING A QUOTE FROM A PRINTER

Things to bear in mind when dealing with printers:

• Different printers are set up differently. Some are equipped for very short runs (under 500). Some have a minimum print run (2,000 copies, for example). Some specialise in long runs, 50,000 and upwards. Some printers specialise in unsewn binding, others case binding for hardbacks. Research three to four printers who do the type of printing you need.
• Always get a written quotation.
• Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
• Ask them to send samples of paper and coverboard options to you.
• Stick to established book printers, i.e., printers who print only books. They have specialised equipment, streamlined processes and trained staff. Printers who also print business cards, posters, labels etc. often seek new printing work from the book industry. Fair play to them, but more often than not they don’t have the experience that established book printers can offer.

The sample quotation request on page 62 shows you the kind of information you need to request in a written quotation.

TYPESETTING

Setting out your book’s interior for printing is, in my opinion, the least-fun part of the self-publishing process. Unfortunately, it is one of the most critical parts of the process.

From experience I can tell you that you’ll be endlessly frustrated when you get your book delivered from the printers only to find it contains glaring errors. (Ever since, I’ve delighted in finding errors in books published by mainstream publishers. ‘Look!’ I cry to my husband. ‘This book had plenty of editorial and proofreading staff at its disposal and it contains loads more errors than mine!’)

I would strongly suggest you hire a professional who knows what they’re doing.

Choosing a font

I think it’s great fun choosing fonts and I can happily waste hours playing around on my computer with them (even when I don’t

have hours to waste)! Traditionally books have been printed in a ‘serif font. Serif fonts have curly bits that make them easier to read. ‘Sans serif fonts were traditionally used for headings.

However, there are so many fonts to choose from today and the etiquette of printing has become more flexible. Do not, however, choose a font that is too fussy and difficult to focus on. If you stray too far from the common fonts used in the industry, you risk alienating the eyes of your readers. Some examples of different fonts are given on page 64.

Leading

Leading is the space between lines. A standard leading size is your font size plus 20 per cent. (Sufficient space between lines is important for ease of reading.)

Indents

The indents at the start of your paragraphs shouldn’t be too large – no more than 5mm. (Beware of this before you start writing your novels. I wrote my children’s novel in my standard Microsoft Word file format, and merrily used the default tab to indent. The default tab was set too wide for a book, but in my naivety I didn’t realise until too late. This is a very avoidable mistake.)

Dashes

Printed books do not use the regular hyphen (this one -). They use an ‘em dash’ which is the width of a capital letter M (here’s one —). The ‘en dash’ is the width of a capital letter N and is used when it replaces the letter ‘to’ or ‘through’. For example, 2-3pm.

Widows and orphans

An orphan is the first line of a paragraph left alone at the end of a page. A widow is the last line of a paragraph left alone at the top of a page. Professional typesetting will ensure your book is widow and orphan free. (Page Maker software, for example, has Widow and Orphan Control, which allows you to specify how many lines constitute a widow or orphan. It will then find them and move them.)

Page headings

Headings aren’t essential, and there is no one preferred format these days. Typically you would use your book’s title as the left-hand page heading, and the chapter title as your right-hand page heading.

Page numbers

Your book must have page numbers! The classic position for page numbers is in the centre of the bottom of the page. The first page displaying a page number should be the first page of your text -your front matter pages should not display page numbers. (A foreword is an exception to this rule.) For example, if you have eight pages of front matter, your page numbering should start at number nine, on the first page of your text.

Dropped caps

You can add some professional touches to your book by dropping the first letter of each new chapter. For example:

You can ‘drop your cap’ over two lines of text, like this. Do you prefer this? The text will run under the dropped cap on the third line of text.

Or you can drop your cap over three lines of text, like this. Do you prefer this? The text will run under the dropped cap on the fourth line of text.

You can also drop your cap in the margin. The text won’t run under the dropped cap. The dropped cap will remain ‘alone’ in the margin.

Front matter

The front matter is the few pages at the start of the book, before the text begins. Some of the pages are optional, others must follow industry standards. If you take a look at a selection of books from your book shelf you will quickly see how they follow a similar format.

1. Right-hand page. Half title page.

Optional. This is the page immediately inside the front cover. It contains nothing but the book’s title.

2. Left-hand page. Blank page.

This is included only if you have the half title page.

3. Right-hand page. Title page.

This includes the book’s name, author and publisher.

4. Left-hand page. Copyright page.

This page is essential. It should include:

• the year of publication
• copyright information
• disclaimer stating your novel is a work of fiction
• cataloguing in publication data (if available)
• ISBN
• country of manufacture
• publisher’s address.

5. List of contents (if appropriate). Generally this includes the chapter titles and main headings.

6. Continuation of list of contents or blank.

7. Right-hand page. Acknowledgements.

Optional. Some people put paragraphs of acknowledgements on this page. It’s up to you of course but in my opinion brief is better.

8. Left-hand page.

Either keep this page blank, or include a list of other books available by the same author. If you aren’t including an acknowledgement page you won’t need this page.

9. Right-hand page. Dedication.

Also optional. Again, keep it short.

10. Left-hand page. Blank.

Only have this page if you have a dedication page.

11. Right-hand page. Preface or Foreword.

Optional. This might be longer than one page.

12. Left-hand page. Blank.

Needed only if your front matter ends on a right-hand page. (The text of your book must start on a right-hand page.)

Back matter

Blank pages left at the back of your book can be used to promote your website, give a description of the author, advertise your other books, list key discussion points for teachers/reading groups, or you can leave them blank. Whatever you do though, use the last page of your book for a coupon blank (see below).

Order blank

On the last inside page of your book you should include an order blank – a blank coupon that people can cut out or photocopy, and use to order further copies of your book (or indeed any other books you may have published). I and other self-publishers I know have all received substantial orders on these coupons: it is essential you include one.

Note that to meet data protection requirements, you must offer your customers the opportunity to refuse the option of receiving further information from you. Use the example on page 69 to design your own.

INDEXING

An index provides a detailed, alphabetical list of the book’s contents. If your book is a non-fiction book you should consider including one, so that readers can be easily guided to information on specific subject areas within the text.

You can compile your own index if you have the necessary patience and ability to pay attention to detail. Alternatively you can appoint an indexer to do it for you. Your decision will be influenced by the type and size of book you are publishing.

The Society of Indexers is a non-profit organisation and all of their member indexers are accredited. A list of indexers available can be found on the Society of Indexers website. You should expect to pay between £l6-£30 per hour, or £1.20-£5 per page.

The Society of Indexers
Woodbourn Business Centre
10 Jessell Street
Sheffield
S9 3HY
Tel: (0)114 244 9561
www.indexers.org.uk

PRINT ON DEMAND

Print on demand is when books are printed, usually in small numbers, as and when they are required, for example, when a customer has placed an order. Print on demand negates the need to print large numbers of books up front and therefore also negates the need to store large numbers of books. The other obvious advantage of print on demand is that it removes the risk associated with printing large numbers of books ahead of confirmed sales (i.e. the boxes-of-books-festering-in-the-spare-room syndrome).

For a print on demand process the author must prepare their books to a print-ready stage. The print-ready files are then stored electronically, and books are printed on demand as and when they are required. They can be printed in batches of 1, 10, 100 -any number you like. The unit cost per book normally remains the same.

The advantage print on demand offers self-publishers is the ability to print single books or very small print runs. The disadvantage is that the unit cost per book is considerably higher than the unit cost you would pay a traditional printer on a print run of, say, 2,000 books. It appears to me to be a fair trade: if you don’t want the expense and risk associated with printing a large number of your books, you can opt for print on demand.

Antony Rowe Ltd

Antony Rowe Ltd pioneered the print on demand process in the UK. They have since established a business relationship with Gardners Books (the wholesalers, see page 124 for details) to enhance the marketing, sale and distribution of print on demand books in the UK book market.

You are required to convert your word-processed manuscript into electronic files compatible with print on demand software. You may require a designer or typesetter to assist you in this, so remember to budget for technical help in your decision-making. The technical specifications are listed on the Antony Rowe website, as are details of their relationship with Gardners Books, and other services.

www.antonyrowe.co.uk
Tel: 01323 500040

There are many other print on demand companies in the UK -indeed a Google search of ‘print on demand’ will list hundreds of them. In the coming years it is expected that customer choice and competition will grow even further in this area of publishing.