Self-publishing | Publish a book | Book printing

What will I get out of a Self-Publishing Experience Day? An experience shared.

admin — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 12:29:32 +0000

My grandfather was a printer. He died in 1971, aged 97, long before I ever thought about writing a book. I now wished that I had asked him about his trade. Perhaps he was a typesetter. He always fussed about my spelling errors. What would he have thought of Biddles, the printers of Kings Lynn in Norfolk, where I spent a day learning about what happens behind the scenes when an author entrusts a publisher with her cherished manuscript?

An unconnected group of six people, perhaps self publishers to be, accepted an invitation from Matador to spend a day at the printers: a young woman who had written a colourfully illustrated children’s book; an events manager who was in the midst of writing about how to run events, including humorous anecdotes drawn from his 20 years experience; a young financier who had been inspired to write a book of short stories, he had brought along as his writing consultant a water engineer who took lots of photographs of the printing process. Finally a Dutchman, my husband, who had already 7 of his books produced by various publishers in The Netherlands and in USA, he was considering self publishing the Dutch translation of his latest biography. Then there was me; the day before I had received a quotation from Matador about the cost of self-publishing my first novel. A day at the printers was perfect timing.

Biddles printing company is situated in a large factory estate on the outskirts of Kings Lynn in Norfolk. Although not a modern building, its interior is light and spacious. On arrival we were greeted warmly by a member of staff who proudly told that she had self-published some children’s books. We were shown into a conference room adjacent to the spacious admin. department where the staff, wearing blue polo shirts bearing the company logo, looked up from their computer screens and smiled at us. At each place at the conference table had been laid out a company pad, pen and a small pack containing samples of paper and colour finishes. Ample refreshments were in the midst and a discrete projector showed images of the printing process on a wall. Several shelves held copies of some of the books produced by the company: hard back, paper back, boxed, novel-sized, coffee table sized, fiction, non -fiction, samples of small and large runs.

Jeremy Thompson and Jane Rowland from Troubador/ Matador and Mark Chapman, Biddle’s printing manager, shared the hosting of the day. Jeremy posed the question which all self-publishers have to address i.e. for what purpose are you publishing your book? The answer will influence the number of books which are ordered and whether to undertake your own publicity and marketing or seek professional help.

The pre-press process was explained, including the importance of an editor, copy editor and a designer for the interior. We were shown samples of book covers to demonstrate the need to have a design which is attractive, appropriate to its genre and one which can wrap around the book. People do judge books by their covers, spines and backs included. Equally important is the blurb on the back, the hook into the story, not a synopsis. A bar code, ISB number and the price are necessary if you plan to market your books through the book trade. A lot to think about!

Mark Chapman showed us a selection of books to demonstrate the difference between processes and the types of paper used. He talked about digital printing and the old fashioned lithographic process which he likened to potato printing; an updated version of what my grandfather’s printing firm probably used. The financier’s book of short stories, text only, could be printed on one of two machines, depending on numbers – digital for short run, lithographic for more than 500 copies. The events’ manager and the biographer would need a different process for their text, graphics and black and white photographs. The children’s book with its brightly coloured illustrations would be printed on another machine with the option of using gloss paper. My book has twelve black line drawn illustrations. How these reproduce will govern which process will be used.

Some of the Biddles staff joined us for an excellent buffet lunch. They chatted about their work and listened as the writers talked about their books. Mark Chapman, the manager, obviously cares about both printing and reading. He told me that he gets through 6-7 books every week and that he and his 3 year old son visit the library every week. Both preferred reading to watching TV. Members of staff are encouraged to read but are not permitted to sell any of the books which are produced extra to requirements.

Downstairs in the printing works the different machines hummed. We saw all of the processes in action which Mark had described, starting with a look at the giant rolls of paper, weighing several tonnes and measuring 1.5 metres in diameter. In the digital process the paper gets fed through a number of rollers which stretch it. An electrical charge enables the toner to adhere to the paper which whizzes through the machine so fast that the printed words become a blur when you try to follow with your eyes. Out of one machine, along a conduit where the paper simultaneously turns a corner and is flipped over without getting creased or broken so that the other side is ready to present itself for printing. Several pages are printed across the width of the paper. With both sides finished, the sheets are cut and folded into sections and several sections form a block. A rapid process, a book block is produced every few seconds and ready immediately for the next stage. In other methods of printing the process dries out the paper and the printed sheets need to be left for several hours to reabsorb the 10% of the water they have lost.

The next stage is to glue the sections of the block and attach the cover. The untrimmed books with their pristine covers travel along a warm conveyor belt. This gives the glue an opportunity to set before two sets of guillotines trim the sides and edge. It was here that we lingered, probably every one could imagine their own books glowing as they trundled their way up the belt to be trimmed before being boxed; I was wishing that sometime in the near future I could witness the process when my book is printed.

We were shown both digital and lithographical printing, those processes which work with rolls of paper and those which use large sheets. The production of soft covers, plain and embossed hard cover was explained and we watched as jackets were wrapped around books in an eye’s blink.
It is more economical to continue using the same sized paper, rather than reset machines to accommodate differences. In this way the work order may have to vary so that the equipment, known in the factory as ‘kit’, can be used efficiently. Each stage is overseen by a member of staff in the firm’s shirt. There are internal and external variables. Occasionally a machine is faulty and this affects the whole production line. Other times an author may not like the cover design and work which was planned is held up. It is a complex organisation; many jobs are being done at the same time in the print works which is active 12 hours a day, for 6 days a week. When my book is born it will be one of many which will be printed at that time.

In her talk Jane Rowland differentiated between trading and marketing our own books. She explained that for the former we need to inform the bibliographical agency of the book’s details at least 6 months in advance of publication. For fee we could purchase enhanced data in which we could include more details. Advanced information sheets give reasons why a retailer should stock a book, a synopsis is not required. It seems that both retailers and wholesalers work 6 months in advance. In fact 6 months is the time it often takes from the quotation for publication to receiving the printed copies or knowing that your books are in a warehouse waiting to be ordered.
Jane provided lots of tips on undertaking our own marketing which were listed in a very useful handout as well as being detailed in two excellent books which we were given: ‘Matador Guide to Self-Publishing’ and ‘A Seriously Useful Author’s Guide to Marketing and Publicising Books’ by Mary Cavanagh. These were together in a smart case presented by Biddles which also included an issue of the’ Self-Publishing Magazine and a booklet from Biddles entitled ‘Recipe for Success’. This was a very generous day in terms of information, literature and hospitality.

My understanding of publishing and printing has expanded. Seeing the processes, talking to the people involved, observing the pride they take in their work, have all reassured me about what the professionals can do. For my part I need to start working on some important questions so that my investment in the process produces the dividends I will enjoy.

Had my grandfather been with me at Biddles he would have said many times, ’Well I never.’ In our family we knew that was a statement of wonder and enlightenment; not unlike my own experience of the day.

Patricia Peters

Reproduced courtesy of The Self Publishing Magazine

How can I get my book listed on Amazon UK?

admin — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 07:14:17 +0000

To get your book listed on Amazon UK your book must have an ISBN. These are purchased from Neilsen Bookdata and will ensure that your title is automatically listed on Amazon UK and other online book stores. It is part of the ISBN service – you do not have to register this yourself. If your book is published under the Matador imprint then you get an ISBN as part of their book publishing package.

For further details about ISBNs go to http://www.isbn.nielsenbookdata.co.uk

What is the difference between digital and litho printing?

admin — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 07:09:03 +0000

Digital printing is the reproduction of digital images, both text and illustrations, onto a range of normal papers. It can be differentiated from litho printing in many ways, some of which are the foillowing;

In theory every impression made onto the paper can be different, as opposed to making several hundred or thousand impressions of the same image from one set of plates, as in traditional litho methods. In practice publishers have exploited this feature to economically produce very short print runs even down to one personalised copy.

The toner does not absorb into the paper, as does conventional litho ink, but forms a sealed layer on the surface. Modern toners give the appearence of litho printing in terms of density and sharpness.

It generally requires less paper and chemicals to print short runs as there is less wastage during the set up stage. More efficient use of paper is both environmentally favourable as well as being highly cost effective for both printer and publisher.

In terms of finished printed result toner based printing systems now offer comparable quality to litho in both mono and full colour print.

What is a bar code and where do I get one from?

admin — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 07:08:13 +0000

A bar code ensures that your book can be scanned at the point of sale in a bookshop and you will find it difficult to sell your book / have it accepted in shops without a bar code. The bar code contains the ISBN data.

There are specialist softwares that can be downloaded to generate a bar code but be wary of ‘free’ programmes that may not produce the quality required. There are also plug-ins for Adobe InDesign etc. that can generate bar codes. However Biddles can supply a bar code based on your ISBN when you ready for your book to be printed.

How do I prove that I have the copyright to my manuscript?

admin — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 07:05:05 +0000

A quick and easy way of doing this is to put a copy of your work in an envelope and post it to yourself and maybe a couple of friends or family. Make sure that the envelope is not opened when it is received and put it away somewhere safe. If you did ever need to defend copyright, you would have a postmarked, unopened copy. There are also other more formal ways of registering your work.

Do I have send my book to the British Library?

admin — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 07:03:14 +0000

Publishers and distributors in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland have a legal obligation to send one copy of each of their publications to the Legal Deposit Office of the British Library within one month of publication.

Items published and distributed in the United Kingdom and in Ireland are liable for deposit. The requirement remains, irrespective of the number of copies in a published edition, the price of individual copies, or the size of the publishing body. Items originally published elsewhere but distributed in the United Kingdom and in Ireland are also liable for deposit.

The right of the British Library to receive one copy of every publication distributed in the United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland is based on the Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003 and the Irish Copyright Act 1963 (currently being replaced by similar provisions in the Copyright and Related Rights Bill of 1999).

All publications (except newspapers) should be sent to:
Legal Deposit Office
The British Library
Boston Spa
Wetherby
West Yorkshire
LS23 7BY

Tel: +44 (0)1937 546268 (monographs) / 546267 (serials)
Fax: +44 (0)1937-546176
e: legal-deposit-books@bl.uk
e: legal-deposit-serials@bl.uk

Other Legal Deposit libraries
The deposit regulations of the Copyright Acts 1911 and 1963, with slightly different conditions, apply also to the other five legal deposit libraries:

the Bodleian Library, Oxford
the University Library, Cambridge
the National Library of Scotland
the Library of Trinity College, Dublin
the National Library of Wales
These libraries and are entitled to receive, free of charge, and inclusive of postage and packing, a copy of every work published in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.

The Agent for the Legal Deposit Libraries is responsible for acquiring legal deposit material for these libraries. Enquiries about deposit with these libraries should be addressed to:

Agency for the Legal Deposit Libraries
100 Euston Street
London
NW1 2HQ

t: +44 (0)20 7388 5061
f: +44 (0)20 7383 3540
e: cma@cla.ac.uk
w : http://www.llgc.org.uk/cla

Further information can be found on The British Library’s website

How important is the design of my book?

admin — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 07:02:28 +0000

Surely it is the writing that is most important?

I do agree that the quality of writing is paramount. However, what is often an excellent piece of work, can be let down by a poor design.

The design of your book, especially the cover is often what will attract a potential buyer to pick up your book in the first place or select it from an online bookstore. Something which is professionally laid out and catchy in design could be the difference between a quick glance and a sale.

I would therefore strongly recommend that design is taken as seriously as the writing. There is no point in having an excellent story to tell, if no one is buying it

What is an ISBN?

admin — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 12:02:31 +0000

An ISBN is an International Standard Book Number. If you wish to sell your publication through major bookselling chains, or internet booksellers, they will require you to have an ISBN to assist their internal processing and ordering systems.

The ISBN also provides access to Bibliographic Databases such as BookFind Online, which are organised using ISBNs as references. These databases are used by booksellers and libraries to provide information for customers. The ISBN therefore provides access to additional marketing tools which could help sales of your product.

ISBNs can be ordered from the UK ISBN Agency which is the national agency for the UK and Republic of Ireland.

The UK ISBN Agency can be contacted by any of the following:
Tel: +44 (0)870 777 8712 (9:00am – 5:00pm)
Fax: +44 (0)870 777 8714
Email: isbn.agency@nielsen.com
Post: ISBN Agency, 3rd Floor, Midas House, 62 Goldsworth Road, Woking, Surrey, GU21 6LQ, United Kingdom

For further information about ISBNs including costs and how long it takes to obtain an ISBN then please go to http://www.isbn.nielsenbookdata.co.uk