Case Study - Design of Children’s Book, Coloring Book and Printables

A couple of years ago I had the pleasure of working with first-time author Samuel Schaefer who embarked on his book journey with a heartfelt mission: to create a meaningful Advent experience for families through his book, Journey with Joseph through Advent.

Written from the perspective of Joseph, the father of Jesus, this unique narrative not only recounts the Christmas story but also invites families into deeper conversations about their own experiences. With editions now available in multiple languages, author Samuel Schaefer’s journey highlights the joys and challenges of self-publishing, the importance of storytelling in parenting, and the rewarding connections made along the way.

Join me as we dive into the inspiring process behind his book and the lessons he learned on the way to producing this beautiful children’s book set illustrated by the talented Kyla Wiebe.

If it's your first time creating a book for a particular event or season, you may not realize how far in advance you need to plan to have it ready on time. Samuel and I counted backward from his desired release date before Christmas of 2022. He approached me to start discussing the interior layout in April 2022. Approaching me early also gave time for me to suggest additional products like the printables we created to match the book. I started design and layout in about August (after the illustrations and cover were ready) and he had printed books in hand in November. After the manuscript for your book is edited and proofread, you may need six months for illustration and six more months for design, layout, production proofreading and printing. — Julie

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Samuel's Book Done Timeline

💡 The idea was born: October 2016
✍️ Writing started: November 2016
🎨 First draft done: August 2017
📨 Files ready for design and layout: August 2022
✔️ Book done (released): November 2022

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Samuel's Book Done Takeaways

Tell me more about your book!

After becoming the father of two sons, I wrote this book to read to my sons at Christmas time, to tell them the story of Christ entering the world. I chose to tell the story from the view of Joseph, the father of Jesus, and put some of my own reactions to situations into the story. I am German and grew up celebrating not only Christmas but Advent leading up to Christmas, and it made sense to me to divide the book up into 25 sections, so that there would be one reading and one image for each day of advent. I also wanted to foster discussions with my kids about their family and their parents’ experiences. To this end, I added one question at the end of each story, to engage the children and their parents in deeper conversations.

We released a German edition of the book paralell to the release of the English version, and since that time we have released the book in French, Russian, and Ukrainian, with a few more languages coming soon.

Why did the world need your book?

When I was growing up, I loved listening to stories, especially the ones my parents would share with their friends. Each person has so many life experience but you don’t hear them unless they share. Dr. Kevin Leman writes in his book 8 Secrets to Raising Successful Kids about teachable moments. He says “If you want to make sure your kids listen to what you say, don’t lecture. Tell them stories.” Journey with Joseph through Advent is my best attempt to create teachable moments for families, interwoven with the Christmas story. I tried to pull out aspects of Mary and Joseph’s story that might be relatable to families in any culture.

Part of what made me want to design Samuel’s book was the amazing illustrations by Kyla Weibe. I reached out to her to ask her about the process and she gave me so much information that I made it into a full article of its own, that you won’t want to miss: Click here to take a look. — Julie

Which part of your book project was the most fun or rewarding?

The most rewarding part of my book project was hearing feedback from families and their experiences together around reading Journey with Joseph through Advent. Some told us that it was their most impactful Christmas season because of the conversations that emerged out of the stories and questions. A Ukrainian refugee family in Canada told us that their teenagers opened up for the first time about their experiences with the war in the Ukraine when talking through the questions in Journey with Joseph. I also loved connecting with so many people along the way, as they helped us with each of their specialties (whether art, design, proofreading, marketing, etc.)

What was the biggest surprise during your book project?

It all takes time. Things don’t always go as smoothly as you wish they would. Editing and proofreading took more back-and-forth than I expected. We ended up going over budget with printing, as we had some bad print runs and with conventional printing (rather than print on demand), we needed to pay for all the printing before we had buyers for the books. And I think it took longer than I expected for books to be sold—advertising requires a lot of investment of time and money. At the end of the day, it’s all about being able to get the word about your book out there. Even though I had a large mailing list, it was still harder than I expected to sell all the books we had printed. With a book like mine, sales are particularly seasonal.

If I had a dollar for every time a first-time author tells me that their biggest surrpise was how long each step in preparing a book takes...! Especially with a book that needs to be ready for a particular event or time of year, if you want to have a quality final product, build in at least 50% more time than you think you need! — Julie

What service providers or partners did you have in creating and producing your book?

We started talking to Julie months before our book was ready, just to get an idea of pricing and timeline. In the end she helped us with quite a few different aspects of the project.

For our publisher, we worked with Siretona Creative run by Colleen McCubbin, whom my wife knew personally. Siretona Creative designed our cover, and Julie designed our interior layout and typeset it in English and German. Before the design began, she made sure she was creating a format that would work for other translations, as we were already planning to have the book formatted in various languages.

Julie suggested creating an advent card printable that parents could use through during Advent with their kids. We provided her with content for the advent cards, using the images from the book, and she designed and set them up so that parents could print the cards at home.

In 2023 our artist Kyla Wiebe reworked the illustrations to make them into colouring sheets, and Julie suggested what the cover art could look like, designed our colouring book cover and laid out the interior of the book.

As our project grew increasing complex with the number of projects and number of languages involved, and different print formats needed for different printers, Julie offered us advice about organizing the files and keeping everything straight.

Julie also connected us with experienced typesetters who are more comfortable formatting in languages with non-Roman characters (for Russian, Ukrainian, Farsi, etc.) They have taken Julie’s original layouts and updated them in various languages. 

When you write another book, what will you do the same way? What will you do differently?

I liked the time I spent just focusing on writing, editing and rewriting my own work. The publisher we used, Siretona Creative, helped me with this stage of the project and gave me direction in refining my manuscript and helped me understand the importance of picking a target audience, connected me with a story line editor who helped me refine the storyline itself (adjusting the order of events or stories, picking up on problematic repetition, etc.) After the story line editing, the editor checked the grammar and spelling. The publisher also found someone to create the illustrations for me and helped me understand the contracts with the various service providers. It was super helpful to have someone lead me through the whole process. However, now that I better understand the process of preparing a book for publishing, next time I might cut some costs by publishing on my own and not through a publishing imprint. Or maybe I will need their help after all, as the next book I have in mind is more complicated…ha ha!

Tell me about the printing challenges you faced.

Our publisher is based in Canada and prints through a print on demand printer called IngramSpark. As a resident of Europe, I have not been too impressed with IngramSpark. IngramSpark prints in the UK for Europe, which ends up meaning extra taxes on every shipment we send to other parts of Europe, like Germany, where we live. German bookstores also won’t sell my book because IngramSpark does not list their books on the German platform called VLB or Verzeichnis Lieferbarer Bücher.

We kept using IngramSpark to have our online presence and have the book available for people to order online on platforms they are used to using. All hardcover versions are printed by Ingram. But most of our sales went through our website or in-person sales, and for those sales we used a traditional printer in France (for European sales) and another printer in Canada (for North American sales). This is more profitable and we didn’t have to pay import taxes. For Canadians, IngramSpark’s books come from the US, so exchange rates and shipping costs can be high and sometimes prohibitive.

What is your best advice for marketing a book?

Let people know ahead of time what you are working on—take people on a journey with you so that they get excited and want to share the book with others.

You have had your book translated into various languages, with more coming. Do you have any advice for authors who are anticipating multiple translations of their book?

Because the word count of my book was low, around 8,000 words, getting the book translated was not too expensive. It’s important to know that the newly translated text will also need to go through an editor and then of course, while the design is already established, the layout needs to be redone in the new translation with a designer who is comfortable formatting text in that language. Julie helped us think this through ahead of time so that we could be sure that the layout and fonts used could be flexible and used for the translations (often other translations require up to 25% more space to fit the same text). Translating a book is almost like creating a new book in that you have to pay others to prepare the text for you. Promoting the translated editions is an additional challenge. I partnered with churches in other countries who have shared the advent book with their congregations.

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Book Done Technical Details

Your printer needs these kinds of details to give you a quote for printing a similar book. If you are using a print on demand printer like Amazon KDP or IngramSpark, you can enter your book details on their website to know your printing cost per book.

Quantity of books ordered: 10,000

Page Count: 64
Dimensions (Page size): 14 cm x 21.6 cm (5.5 in x 8.5 in)

Interior Details
Ink colors: Full color
Bleed: Yes

Cover Details
Binding: Paperback from traditional printers, hardcover from IngramSpark
Ink colors: Full color
Laminate: Matte

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Thanks to Samuel for sharing his #bookdone journey.

To follow Samuel, visit his website at SchaeferBooks.com.

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"Julie always cared about the whole picture [of our book]
and not just the part she was involved with….
If you have an opportunity to work with Julie, you’d better take it."
—Sharon Caldwell Peddie

If you have a seasonal book or book for a special occasion that you are wanting to produce independently in a creative but professional way, it’s important to hire an experienced book designer. Send me a message with any question you have about book planning, design or formatting through my contact form. If you’re still in the planning stages, consider booking a one-hour live consultation. Or fill out this book project questionnaire if you already know the specifics of your project.

Case Study - Complex Interior Design, Cover Layout and Ebook for a Jewish Lifestyle Book

After the passing of her mother in 2020, personal organizer Rebekah Saltzman found herself grappling with the complexities of the shiva (mourning) period. This experience sparked a realization: there was so much she didn’t know and felt unprepared to handle in this unique season in her Jewish life. Her mother was no longer a phone call away to help with her questions.

Rebekah knew there had to be others who also felt adrift. This revelation led to the creation of her book, Organized Jewish Life: The Essential Guide to Planning Jewish Holidays, Events, and Every Day. Designed to offer practical advice for managing Jewish lifecycle events, holidays, and setting up a Jewish home, this book is a treasure trove of helpful information, tips and lists for Jewish families looking to streamline their lives.

I (Julie) enjoyed the challenge of typesetting this book and creating a look that would be clean and beautiful but also flexible enough to fit information of different lengths and styles.

When Rebekah first contacted me about her big book project, we discussed the page size. It needed to be a size that Amazon KDP offered, as she was already planning to use their publishing platform, but not too small to fit her many checklists and charts. We wanted a bit of a handbook feeling, a bit like a "Judaism for Dummies" guide. I think we achieved this with the final 7.25 x 9.25 inch size. At 330 pages it's thick enough to be an essential resource, but friendly, well-organized (of course) and not indimidating.

Below is a small glimpse into what Rebekah’s Word files looked like when they came to me, and what the designed/typeset pages looked like when I was done.

Font choices: In Rebekah’s book we used "ITC Souvenir Std" as the body font. It has an approachable, fresh feel while still being a serif font (serifs make large sections of text readable). The bold sanserif headings use “Lulo Clean" font, to add contrast and tie in with Rebekah’s Balagan Be Gone brand. The script font, "Espander Regular” added a touch of fun and life to a book all about living a full life.

Planning the pages: As you can see in this draft screenshot of the book below, we toyed with the idea of building in “tabs” on the right side of the pages, to quickly identify different sections of the book. Ultimately the idea was scrapped, mostly just due to needing as much width on the page as possible to contain the boxes, tables and charts.

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Rebekah's Book Done Timeline

✍️ Writing started: August 2020
🎨 Files ready for design and layout: November 2021
✔️ Book done (released): September 2022

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Rebekah's Book Done Takeaways

Tell me about how you came up with your book's title.

Because I am a personal organizer I knew the title had to use the word “organize” in some form. I tried arranging the title in different ways—ultimately I landed on Organized Jewish Life because it seemed like the easiest to say, and tells you what the book is about clearly. The more difficult part was choosing the subtitle: The Essential Guide to Planning Jewish Holidays, Events, and Every Day. It’s a bit of a mouthful.

Tell me a bit more about the cover design you chose.

I went through a lot of designers for the cover because somehow no one was able to capture exactly what I was wanting. Below you see some of the 50+ draft cover ideas.

Final cover illustration in grayscale

I ended up using an illustration created by Jewish illustrator Yael Harris Resnick who understood the themes of my book and used symbols that are important in Judaism to try to convey the Jewish lifecycle. The illustrator and I went through many iterations of the cover illustration, maybe 20+ versions. When the illustration was finalized, Julie set up the front cover layout to match the look of the interior and then set up the spine and back cover to match.

Below you see the layout the way it looked before printing and wrapping around the interior of the book: back cover, spine and front cover.

Which part of your book project was the most fun or rewarding? Which was the most challenging?

The most rewarding part was seeing Organized Jewish Life listed live on Amazon. That made it all worth it.

The most challenging part of the process was the final push to get it there, those last nagging details. I just wanted to just get my book out there... so I was tempted to let things go, but knowing when you need to do a little bit more vs. when you have to walk away is the hardest part.

What was the biggest surprise during your book project?

Every aspect of the project took longer than I expected. The editing, the proofreading, the design, the marketing: even if I did my part quickly, there was no guarantee that the other members of my team could do fast turn around. Also, as a self-publisher, I was the project manager, keeping each person who was helping me on track. No matter how efficient I wanted to be, there were always hold ups.

Editing and proofreading was the most time-consuming task. Organized Jewish Life is a long and detailed book. There are dozens of charts, and lots of facts to check. There was also the standardization of Hebrew words to English transliteration, and making sure Hebrew words were spelled correctly. I tried to not be a perfectionist but also didn’t want to have a glaring error.

I was surprised at how many choices there are to make and how many aspects there are to launching a book: mock ups, managing editors, advertising, understanding Amazon KDP, and (of course) the cost! I knew these things existed but in my head it seemed like they just sort of happen, and yet, they didn’t. I had to learn a lot and be involved in each aspect of what was needed for my book launch.

What service providers or partners did you have in creating and producing your book?

Editor, professional proofreader, volunteer proofreaders, book designer (Julie), illustrator, and a photographer for the author photo for the back cover.

What is your best advice for marketing a book?

You need to create buzz, so I do giveaways a lot around Jewish holidays to help boost sales!

When you write another book, what will you do the same way? What will you do differently?

I have self-published a few other things on Amazon KDP since Organized Jewish Life. A meal planning workbook that coordinates with the book, a password keeper, and a Jewish Perpetual calendar. I am in the process of writing something new, and for this book, I hope to use the same team I did for the first one, but this time I hope that the process will be a bit more streamlined. This time I will have a better plan because I understand what needs to be done and I can manage different things simultaneously. Like while the book is being edited, I can focus on cover art and design, and while that is happening, focus on proofreading. In the final stages, I will get more of the promotional stuff ready so we can hit the ground running.

Is there anything else you want to tell me about your book project?

Working with a pro like Julie made the journey easier. I had no idea what I was doing so it was helpful to have experienced professionals guiding me and making suggestions. It was also worth it to pay for professional services, because the book is richer for working with professionals. Julie and her developer Luca also created the ebook edition of my guide.

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Book Done Technical Details

Your printer needs these kinds of details to give you a quote for printing a similar book. If you are using a print on demand printer like Amazon KDP or IngramSpark, you can enter your book details on their website to know your printing cost per book.

Page Count: 330
Dimensions (Page size): 7.5 x 0.75 x 9.25 inches
Binding: Paperback / Kindle

Interior Details
Ink colors: Black
Interior paper: White
Bleed: No

Cover Details
Binding: Softcover, perfect bound
Ink colors: Full-color
Laminate: Matte

Printer: Amazon KDP

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Thanks to Rebekah for sharing all these amazing tips she learned through her journey. To follow Rebekah, visit her Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest or her website.

Rebekah was referred to me by Ashley Rindsberg of "The Gray Lady Winked". Thank you, Ashley!

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If you have a complex book that you are wanting to produce independently in a creative but professional way, it’s important to hire an experienced book designer. Fill out this book project questionnaire if you already know the specifics of your project, or send me a message with any question you have about book planning, design or formatting through my contact form. Maybe your book will be featured here next!

An Illustrator Shares Her Book Illustration Process

If you have read some other articles on my website, you know that I am curious about all parts of the book creation process. I love hearing from illustrators about their process to create illustrations for a book. I reached out to Kyla Wiebe to ask her about her process working with Samuel Schaeffer on his Journey with Joseph through Advent book, which will soon be featured as one of my case studies. She provided so much interesting material about the illustration creation process that I decided to make it a blog post of its own.

At what point in their writing does an author need to find an illustrator, or does a publisher start looking for an illustrator?

I am usually contacted by the publisher once the book is fully written and edited. For Journey with Joseph through Advent, I was contacted by the publisher, who wanted to connect me with Samuel for this project.

It is essential that the manuscript be completely finalized before I begin illustrating. Some time ago I illustrated a book for an independent author who sent the book to be edited after I had illustrated it. The editor suggested adding several pages, which meant that the author needed to reconnect with me and get more illustrations. However, I had already moved on to other projects, so she needed to wait for a while before I was able to get to her book again, and of course there were added fees. So, please make sure your manuscript is completely finalized before contacting the illustrator.

Do you help to decide the page size of the book you will illustrate?

Sometimes I give a suggestion, but that’s usually up to the author and publisher. Usually that decision has been made before I am involved.

What is the process of an author or publisher engaging with an illsutrator? How long does it take to complete the illustrations?

The process of working with an illustrator is a pretty long one, so it’s important to establish a good working relationship, with a lot of good communication. Usually it goes something like this:

1. Contract negotiation: This is where we agree about style, price, number of pages / pieces of art, etc. I usually make up a project plan price calculator to show them, and then once we agree on that, they send me the initial 50% deposit for the project. I price the artwork by the final art size (per square inch).

2. Pagination and illustration thumbnails: Once the first payment is sent, I start on pagination and illustration thumbnails. Pagination is when I create a very rough version of the book, with illustration placeholders in it. I send a pdf to the author to see if they like it. Thumbnails are super rough sketches of the illustrations, to agree on content and composition. During this stage on Samuels’s book, I was trying to push an idea that all the illustrations would be from Joseph’s point of view. But as I sent the thumbnails, Samuel decided that he didn’t want that, so the point of view (POV) changed. That’s why I create thumbnails, so I can find that sort of thing out! Below is an example of an illustration of Mary telling Jospeh the story of Zechariah. In the end we did something very different. 

 3. Pencils: After all the thumbnails are done and approved by the author (or art director), I move on to what we call “pencils” (pencil drawings), which are also submitted for approval. Below you see the pencilled version of Zechariah, and then the inked version.

4. Inking and coloring: After all the pencils are done, I move on to inking, then colouring. By this point usually there are no more changes to the images because it’s difficult to edit inked and painted illustrations. I ask for a lot of feedback during the thumbnail and pencilling stage, to avoid having to make changes during the inking or colouring stage. Below you see the Zechariah illustration in its final colored stage.

During this whole process I send updates to the art director and/or author using a project planning app called Asana. For this particular book, we made each illustration a “task” with multiple subtasks:

1. Thumbnails (assinged to me)

2. Check thumbnails (assigned to publisher and author)

3. Pencils (me)

4. Check pencils (assigned to publisher and author)

5. Ink (me)

6. Colour (me)

7. Upload final art (me)

Other miscellaneous tasks payments, signing contracts, etc. This helps my illustration projects to run smoothly. Some illustrators collaborate using Trello (similar to Asana) or Google Drive (making documents and sheets that everyone keeps track of).

5. Delivering the final artwork: After all the illustrations are done and agreed upon, I usually make up a Dropbox folder with high quality scans of all the artwork in there, receive the final payment, and then it’s out of my hands, and the art director or book designer uses the art to create the book layout files for print. I was particularly pleased with the design and print quality of Journey with Joseph Through Advent. It really looked so nice when it was all put together! 

What if I want to make coloring book images? What is the process for that?

Yes, after Journey with Joseph through Advent was published, the author engaged me a second time to create a coloring book using the same 25 story images. This was a separate project since I needed to create new artwork, so we made up a new contract and he paid another downpayment. Since the artwork was not really new, it took a lot less time and less back-and-forth at the front end of the project. I traced the outlines of the original paintings into more colorable pages. The original inked artwork wasn’t really suitable for coloring, and the page size was wrong. We needed it to suit letter (8.5x11”) and A4 paper sizes for a regular-sized coloring book. Below is the Zechariah image. Notice how it is similar but different than the inked illustrations we used for the picture book.

How long does the illustration process take for a book?

The process for creating all the illustrations for a book can take between four and six months. It really depends on how many illustrations there are. It can be hard to predict exactly how long each stage will take. At the time when I was creating the paintings for Journey with Joseph through Advent, I was also working at a camp, so you can see below how I worked in my camper!

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Many thanks to Kyla for sharing in so much detail the process she goes through to create book illustrations. I can’t get enough of her reels and behind-the-scenes posts on her Instagram. Or check out her porftolio here. If you are working on a book and have questions about any part of the process, get in touch with me.

Case Study - Typesetting for a Young Adult Novel Series

There are so many companies offering self-publishing services but how is an author to know whether a service provider can really do everything it claims to do, and do it well? Especially when they have no background in publishing, first-time authors can have a hard time knowing whether they are hiring a trustworthy company.

Dr. Victoria Harris had an idea for a novel series called “The Otherworld” and published the first book through an independent book publishing service. Unfortunately, they sent files to be printed with thirteen pages missing! This was a distressing discovery and when it was time to work on the second book in the series, Victoria was ready to find another way to self publish, and reached out to me for her novel design and layout. She provided the artwork for the covers and the pdf for the first book’s interior and I was able to match the fonts, style and sizing to create the rest of her series to match—but with no pages missing! Whew!

Read on to learn how we made her dream series a reality by bringing her young adult fiction series to life using Amazon KDP for printing and distribution.

Dr. Victoria Harris is a trained integrative psychotherapist with a specialization in creative techniques, including the use of metaphor, symbol, and story to unlock insight and healing. This passion led her to write this therapeutic novel series aimed at helping children and supporting parents in navigating a wide range of emotions.

“The Otherworld” series is comprised of three books so far, Wish (2021), The Shining Sword (2022), and The Golden Spear (2023). Victoria hopes to release the fourth and final book in the series in 2024 or 2025.

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Victoria’s Book Done Takeaways

Tell me more about your book!

“The Otherworld” Series is a middle-grade fantasy adventure series. As secrets among the adults in her family emerge, twelve-year-old Cara O'Reilly’s world turns upside down when she encounters a real fairy, confirming the truth of her father’s old stories. Cara must now find the door to the Otherworld to retrieve an ancient treasure and battle darkness to save her family and the world.

When did you first have the idea for your book?

When I was completing my doctorate on using creative techniques in psychotherapy I couldn't stop thinking about a storyline for a middle-grade fantasy inspired by Irish folklore. I started writing it as soon as I handed in the doctorate manuscript. It felt like a story I had to tell.

Tell me a bit more about the cover art you chose, and what it was like working with an illustrator.

The cover images for the whole series are by the amazing artist Asur Misoa and really captures the essence of the book series - finding a portal and a journey to transformation. Creating the art was an iterative process. First I found an illustrator whose style suited my series. After hiring her I gave her an overall idea of what I wanted and images I gathered from Pinterest, to help her head in the right direction. The artist created initial sketches, such as the one below.

Then we went back and forth until the final artwork reflected the vision in my head. Below you see the final painting, before any of the text was layered on top.

Below you can see how Julie cropped the image to fit the proportions of the final cover, and added the text and bar code on top, checked the alignment, and made sure everything aligned and matched with the other books in the series.

Finally, Julie gave me the print-ready PDF for my chosen printer, which looks like the graphic you see below: back cover, spine and front cover all in one layout.

If you are planning artwork for a full wrap book cover, notice how important it is to know the final page size and approximate location of the back cover, spine and front cover before you even start the initial sketches! Only this kind of planning can help you achieve a truly professional-looking book cover. One of the biggest mistakes independent publishers make is creating artwork without thinking through if the proportions are correct for the final document sizes or without leaving space for title or body text! — Julie

When did you submit your book files to Julie for design and layout?

Once I had written my series, I tried the traditional route to publishing but was having no luck and felt so disempowered that I nearly gave up. Then I looked into self-publishing and employed a book publishing service to help set my book files up and promote my book. Unfortunately, as mentioned in the introduction, this company sent files to be printed with thirteen pages missing! Which I only discovered some time after so pre-sales had already been shipped. I was unable to stop the faulty copies from going out and was left distraught. This led me to seek another service and luckily I found Julie to help me with the design and layout of books two and three. I cannot say enough good things about her, she has been such a pleasure to work with.

What was the biggest surprise during your book project?

The biggest surprise for me is the amount of time needed to edit and check for typos! I use beta readers first for the big picture, then I use multiple people to do edits and proofread. Sometimes despite all this, I still find a typo after print!

Which part of your book project was the most fun or rewarding? Which was the most challenging?

I love outlining the plot! This is such a creative process and I can find myself having ideas throughout the day and even getting ideas in my dreams.

When you write another book, what will you do the same way? What will you do differently?

I have learned to take my time with the editing process and not rush it in my enthusiasm to get the book out.

The image above is of "the beacon" (white structure used to guide boats into harbor), a landmark which Victoria used in her map of "Ballymore" and which she based on the village of "Baltimore" near her holiday home in West Cork, Ireland.

This stone with a hole is a "fairy stone" found on a beach in Ireland. Cara, the main character in "The Otherworld" series, has a fairy stone and you can see her holding it on the front cover of "Wish".

How did you get into writing novels? 

I did an online creative writing course to get feedback on my writing. Then I attended a writing course at the Faber Academy in London. It was really helpful to share work with others in the group and get feedback and guidance. I learned so much from listening to the others attending the course. There are also some excellent books and free online information about writing out there! It was a learning curve! I was helped by developmental editors who gave feedback. The editing process is where a novel really takes shape.

What service providers or partners did you have in creating and producing your book?

I needed an illustrator for the book cover, used a sensitivity reader because of the themes of loss and mental health, beta readers, copyeditors and proofreaders (I use at least 2 different people), Julie for book design (cover and interior) and Julie referred me to a publishing assistant who helped me with uploading files to Amazon’s platform and doing keyword and categories research.

What is a sensitivity reader? How did you find beta readers?

A sensitivity reader is a professional who reviews manuscripts, scripts, or other content to identify and address potentially harmful or inaccurate portrayals of marginalized or underrepresented groups. They provide feedback to ensure that the content is respectful, accurate, and free from stereotypes, biases, or offensive language. Sensitivity readers often focus on aspects related to race, gender, sexuality, disability, religion, culture, and other areas of diversity to help creators produce more inclusive and culturally sensitive work. I hired someone to read through the manuscript to give feedback on the mental health themes in the book. Usually, an author hires a sensitivity reader based on the reader’s lived experience.

I found and hired 3-5 beta readers through an online freelancer platform.

What is your best advice for marketing a book?

This is so hard yet important. There is so much competition out there and a self-published book can easily get lost. For Amazon, keywords and categories are vital, and then getting as much press as possible. I do use Amazon advertising at times, especially key times such as the run-up to Christmas, but it can be very expensive. You have to invest time and money into the marketing (within reason and depending on what is doable) in order to get book exposure. I do have an Instagram account, but posting there is mostly a hobby and not an income source; I love creating art inspired by my writing. It helps to have a platform where your readers can find you and learn more about you and your books or get additional resources. On my website people can find out more and download free parent/teacher guides that go with my books.

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Book Done Technical Details for “Wish” (Book 1)

Your printer needs these kinds of details to give you a quote for printing a similar book. If you are using a print on demand printer like Amazon KDP or IngramSpark, you can enter your book details on their website to know your printing cost per book.

Page Count: 230
Dimensions (Page size): 5 x 8 inches
Binding: Paperback

Interior Details
Ink colors: Black
Interior paper: Creme
Bleed: No

Cover Details
Binding: Softcover, perfect bound
Ink colors: Full-color
Laminate: Glossy

Printer: Amazon Kindle

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Thanks to Victoria for sharing all these amazing tips she learned through her journey. To follow Victoria, visit her Instagram or her website.

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If you have a novel series that you are wanting to produce independently in a creative but professional way, and have questions or don't even know which questions you should be asking, a good next step might be to book a consultation call, especially if your book has a lot of artwork or images.

If you know what you need, go ahead and fill out this book project questionnaire (journal projects have their own questionnaire) or just send me a message with any question you have about book planning, design or formatting, through my contact form.

Maybe your novel series will be featured here next!

Case Study - Poetry Book Interior Design and Layout

Last year I was asked to design the interior for Unsalted Blue Sunrise, speaker and Sparkitivity founder Kathryn Haydon’s sixth book. This book is a captivating collection of poetry inspired by the ever-changing scenery of Lake Michigan, and I was thrilled to bring the author’s vision for this slim and elegant volume to life.

Working closely with Kathryn, I typeset her heartfelt words into a beautifully-crafted book that reflects the depth and artistry of her poetry. This collaboration was not just about designing a book; it was about creating an experience that resonated with readers and honored the essence of the lake’s beauty.

Kathryn came up with the idea for this book when her aunt showed her a book of photos she took of Lake Michigan, through the window of her apartment, over the course of a year. She was amazed at the nuance and stark difference in the scene from day to day. Kathryn set a challenge for herself to walk to the lakeshore each day over the course of a year to capture her thoughts and impressions through poetry.

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Kathryn's Book Done Timeline

✍️ Writing started: June 2021
🎨 Files ready for design and layout: April 2023
✔️ Book done (released): June 2023

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Kathryn’s Book Done Takeaways

Here are my questions for Kathryn about self-publishing and reaching book done. 

Tell me about how you came up with your book's title.

For this poetry collection, I thought it only right that the title read like a poem. A creative writing teacher of mine had recently decreed that he doesn't think one-word titles are specific enough, so I avoided those. Unsalted Blue Sunrise came to me as a fully-formed idea. I brainstormed dozens more only to return to this one!

What was the biggest surprise during your book project?

This book was different from my others as I did not set out to write a book, I set out to challenge myself to see the lake with new eyes day after day. So it was a very organic process, and I was surprised how eagerly readers have embraced the book, including many who have never read much poetry.

Which part of your book project was the most fun or rewarding?

I promise that I'm not just saying this because it's going in a newsletter, but I loved working with Julie. It was like a gift each time she sent an update of the design. The feeling of seeing my words that started as pencil scrawls in a notebook transformed into a beautiful typeset format is delightful. I also enjoyed working with another graphic designer on the cover.

Tell me a bit more about the cover design you chose.

My cover designer had a vision for this cover and asked me if I'd mind if he involved his daughters in the process. Russell and his young daughters spent a morning creating abstract lake art and Lily, age 8, created the final drawing we used for the cover. She has participated as a speaker in three of my book launch events, starting with an assembly at her elementary school for fellow second graders! Russell gave me many cover layout options to choose from and a designer colleague of mine told me to choose the cover that would best stand alone as an art piece on a wall. This was a perfect prompt.

Which part of your book project took longer than you expected, and why?

Editing. Editing poems is a different process than editing prose, and I sent this manuscript to two professional poets as well as another editor. There were a lot of eyes on it, and for that I am grateful. I still haven't spotted a typo!

What is your best advice for marketing a book?

I've been down this road and wanted to take a fresh approach to this book, one that would motivate me and also match the inspiring and artful content of the book itself. I started brainstorming all of the ideas for connections and outreach. After narrowing these initial ideas down, I posted many on my whiteboard. Instead of holding myself to a particular timeline as I've done in the past, I looked at my board each day and thought, "Which one am I inspired to pursue today?" This made it a joyful, almost natural process and it continues just as naturally, with one connection leading to another. I do try to do at least one outreach on the book each day, whether that means a post, an email to my list, making a new connection, following up on a conversation, or a note to a reader.

You have done a lot of in-person book readings and sales. Could you explain how you get those opportunities? 

I’ve learned valuable book launch lessons with the release of each of my books. In 2019, I found success using a dual approach for my earlier book, The Non-Obvious Guide to Being More Creative. I put a lot of effort into garnering an online launch team, revving up my email list, and securing Amazon reviews. At the same time, I hired a local PR agent to make community contacts with newspapers, radio, and publications. I personally made connections with local independent bookstores and scheduled readings. This localized approach was not only enjoyable, but I believe sold quite a few books and increased excitement in the launch. I repeated this process for Unsalted Blue Sunrise, but this time I focused more heavily on the local approach. This was extremely successful for this particular book, which carries not only international but local interest, and it made the process much more personal and meaningful to me. 

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I loved Kathryn’s idea to ship her poetry book about her favorite lake in shiny blue envelopes!
— Julie

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Thanks to Kathryn for sharing all these great insights into publishing a poetry book independently.
To follow Kathryn, sign up for her Spark Report emails (and free stuff) here.

Her book page on her website is here.

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Book Done Technical Details

Your printer needs these kinds of details to give you a quote for printing a similar book. If you are using a print on demand printer like Amazon KDP or IngramSpark, you can enter your book details on their website to know your printing cost per book.

Page Count: 68
Dimensions (Page size): 5.25 x 8 inches
Binding: Paperback

Interior Details
Ink colors: Black
Interior paper: Creme
Bleed: No

Cover Details
Binding: Softcover, perfect bound
Ink colors: Full color
Laminate: Matte

Printer: IngramSpark (Note from Kathryn: I used Ingram because I’m set up with them already and know how to use their system.)

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If you have a poetry or artistic book that you are wanting to produce independently in a creative but professional way, and have questions or don't even know which questions you should be asking, a good next step might be to book a consultation call, especially if your book has a lot of artwork or images.

If you know what you need, go ahead and fill out this book project questionnaire (journal projects have their own questionnaire) or just send me a message with any question you have about book planning, design or formatting, through my contact form. The only way to reach #bookdone is to get started. ✔️

Before and After of a Complex Book Interior Design and Layout

Last year I got an email from a first time author who had hired a family friend to typeset his non-fiction book. She had some experience in graphic design but his was a very complex book with many tables, images and endnotes, and his designer did not know typical book typesetting conventions. The author knew enough to realize at the “final proof” stage that that the book she had typeset was not looking like other non-fiction books on his shelf. The lack of justification of the body text was bothering him, among various other things.

He sent me a plea for help and I agreed that the original formatting left a lot to be desired. After he mourned the money he lost on the first typesetting attempt, we started completely from scratch again and designed a book he is proud to have his name on. We started with the cover design in November 2023 and then moved on to full book interior layout as well as ebook adaptation. He released his book in March 2024. Here’s what he had to say when we finished his book:

In the following post I am going to compare the original layout to my final layout and point out some book typesetting basics that need to be in place to end up with a professionally-produced non-fiction book interior. I am thankful I was able to give Drew’s book a professional polish worthy of the five years of labor he put into his manuscript.

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Book body text needs to be serif font.

I have written about this extensively over here but generally speaking all non-fiction English books use serif body fonts. This makes them easier to read. The original design (seen below) used a body font that the author liked, but it just wasn’t body font material. I ended up using a typeface called “Miller” which is a bit more modern than some serif fonts, keeping the modern feel the author wanted without losing the readability of serif. We used his brand font for headers, running heads, etc. but just not for the body font.

Book body text needs to be left justified (ie: straight on both the left and right margins).

One of the biggest changes between the original layout and revised layout was that I justified the body text. This was something that the client had already noticed as a problem. Industry standard is to justify body text in a non-fiction book of this nature. The blocks of text are easier on the eyes and simply what we have come to expect in English language books. Below you see the unjustified text and sans serif body font…

…compared to the serif body font and left justified blocks of text. I also used thin lines to separate some headers from body text, which helped distinguish the sections without losing a lot of space like in the original layout.

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The most important information on the page should be the most prominent information.

In the original layout the chapter numbers were more prominent than the chapter title, but the opposite should be true…

In the revised design, the titles are easier to read than the chapter numbers, which are much less significant. On a chapter opening page you like see below, the reader’s eye would go first to the chapter title, probably after that to the chapter number, and after that to the opening paragraph (drop cap drawing attention) or the subtitle below. This design provides a much more natural flow for information viewing.

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Running headers or footers should appear on both sides of each spread (ie: on both left- and righthand pages).

“Running heads” are the bits of text that usually appear on the tops of the pages that tell you (more often than not) the title of the book and the name of the chapter or section. You will notice that in the original book the running heads were only on righthand pages. This might be permissible in a quirky or artsy book, but in a stardard non-fiction book, there should be running heads on both pages. In this case, the book title on the lefthand pages and the chapter number and title on the right. If you hire an amateur designer this is often an area where they slip up because they don’t know what the conventions are, and if it’s your first book, you may not notice their errors.

Text in the book must be legible without a magnifying glass.

Unless the book comes with a magnifying glass! 🔎 Optimizing caption sizes for the page size, reader’s eye, content, etc. is challenging for a new designer. In the original version of this book, the captions were tiny and while the information was technically there, they were hard to read….

In the revised version, I made the captions small but legible, and gave the graphics a rounded, stylish look to break up all the hard corners in other parts of the book.

The legend on the left of the table below was illegible…

…so I found a better solution. In some places the text needed to stack to fit at a larger point size. I also made the rest of the table easier to understand and added more contrast than in the original graphic.

Weaving the captions in next to the graphics created a much smoother flow in this layout. Below you see the original captions, which stretched out wider than the images and were too small. At the same time, there was a lot of awkward white space around the photos.

…and the new format that I used which incorporated the captions next to the images, and made the captions more legible:

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Tables should be styled to fit the book’s page size and margins while still being readable. They should also be styled consistently.

For the tables and charts, I made them easier to read and more consistent in the styling and spacing. Here you see two of the tables from the original book…

And here is what I did with them…

Sometimes the best option for a table is to rotate it 90 degrees. I took various tables in this book and rotated them for a cleaner look. Here is one table that was squished into a half page…

…which I rotated 90 degrees and spread over a whole page.

The original designer took this excel graphic and rotated it 90 degrees, but it was difficult to understand and hard to read...

…so I worked with my assistant designer to create a graphic that fit across two pages, staying within the regular margins on both of those pages.

Note that on the table/chart pages, the editor recommended removing running headers for a cleaner look. This was done consistently on that type of page. Here you see another table…

…which worked a lot better spread over two pages, as seen below.

The following table needed more space to be understandable and manageable:

In my final layout, it spread onto two pages but was much more legible. We were able to break the table at a logical point so it did not ruin the reader’s understanding of the information. I also added a small header stating “Table 5, continued” on the second page, saying that the table had been continued from the previous page.

By Appendix 3 at the back of this complex book, I think the previous designer had given up hope of finding good solutions for the complex content and started pasting excel charts into the book file, even on top of other text.

The author hired me to rescue him, so my solution looked like this. It took four pages instead of two to list all of the info from Appendix 3 and Appendix 4, but it was readable and clean:

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Endnotes should be legible, clean…and not blue.

The endnotes of a book are not cute on the best of days but the endnotes in the initial design of this book were too small, too close together and the links were blue (a carryover from Word styles) which will not print nicely in a black ink only interior.

I cleaned up the endnotes section, dividing the endnotes into neat chapter sections and even shortening some long URLs if there was an option to make them shorter. (See more about making URLs in your book look good and work well here.)

(One particular link was so long that my software didn’t know how to handle such a long string of text! Here’s a funny email I sent to Drew about the link he sent me, and the shorter link that I was able to find and use!)

Don’t use tables where tables are not needed.

Sometimes an author provides their manuscript with certain information organized into tables but logic says that there is no special reason that text needs to be in a table. This original layout had the lists of images and tables in table format, but this just made the information harder to look at…

I formatted the lists as lists and it made them simpler and easier to understand.

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Whew! Re-doing this book was a months-long endeavor but I think you can see that it was worth it! If you’re working on a complex book, particularly one with lots of tables, images and charts, and want it to have a professional look, be sure to hire someone who can show you complex books in their portfolio. Take a look at my services page if you are looking for a book designer!

Is Print on Demand (POD) the Solution for Your Book Project ?

Printing on demand (POD) has driven an independent publishing boom, as it has made printing and distributing a professionally produced book into readers’ hands much more attainable for the everyday writer. It has democratized publishing in a way perhaps the internet did for writing in general, allowing everyday people to be able to get a book out to the masses without needing a publishing contract or a huge lump sum of money for printing and distribution.

Your book might be a good fit for print on demand if:

Your book is black and white (grayscale) in the interior.

While print on demand does have the capability to print color, the consistency and quality of the color is significantly less than on a professional offset press. The cost is also signifincantly more. I have had clients print full color cookbooks on Amazon KDP, Ingram Spark, or other POD websites, but the cost of printing can be 3 to 6 times more than printing offset in the USA or China.

Your book doesn’t require any special papers, finishing techniques or spot/Pantone colors.

POD printing is great for trade paperback and hardback type books that are standard sizes, generally bound on the left or right side, use glue binding, printed on standard paper, etc. If you are wanting coil bound or gold foil on the cover or rounded corners or thick paper, you’ll have to look somewhere else (although POD companies are starting to offer more paper options!) If you need the color of your cover to be a Pantone, neon or spot color that matches your specifications perfectly, POD is not for you because it uses CMYK color. POD is for mass market use but not really for custom books.

Your book is not a journal.

I don’t recommend using POD printing for journal products because the paper and binding of a POD book is not strong and thick enough for the heavy wear and tear most journal users apply to their book. I design journals regularly but they are usually printed in Asia. I have a whole section about journals on my articles page.

You are willing to lose a little bit of quality control for a lot of convenience.

There are some things about printing a one-off book that are out of your control. Your book might look a little different when it is printed and shipped on October 7 in Mumbai than on October 8 in Munich. Color shifts, spines that are slightly off center, and sometimes the occasional worse faux pas can happen with one-off book orders. There are not 1,000 perfectly printed and matching books somewhere that you have checked and approved for distribution. POD adds the possibility of a bit of error with each printing. But someone just ordered your print book from Munich or Mumbai and got it within a couple of days—how cool is that?

You are a bit tech savvy (or have a friend who is).

Uploading your book to Amazon KDP or a similar website, troubleshooting any issues that come up, etc. can be tough if you are technologically challenged. I refer my clients to someone who can deal with a lot of the technical issues, but you need some basic computer and internet skills to keep up with your own book launch.

You are OK with paying more per unit for the convenience of not having to pay for a full print run up front.

Printing on demand has a higher cost per unit compared to traditional printing, especially for large print runs. POD printing is ideal for smaller print runs (1 or more) but can easily cost 5x or more what it would cost if you printed a bulk run of your books with an offset printer. If investing in offset printing is not a problem for you, you can save a lot of money in the long run, if you have buyers for your books.

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If you have read all of these items and still think your book is a good fit for POD printing, congratulations! It really is a wonderful option for self-publishers.

And if print on demand is not a good option for your kind of book, you’re still in the right place. I cut my book design teeth at an offset book printer and am familiar with that method of printing books as well. It’s still going strong for colorful books, custom books, journals, or books being printed in a big quantity. You might want to start here, to find out what a book printer needs to know price your book printing project.

Let’s talk about your book design: fill out this form for book design projects and this form for journal design projects.

Case Study - Top Product Marketer on Self-Publishing, Branding and Launching Your Book

How long does it take to get a book to market?

It almost always takes longer than a first-time author thinks!

But sometimes extending the development, production and release process over a longer period of time is the best thing for the marketing of your book.

When Harvey Lee from London, UK first approached me about designing his book interior, I could tell he understood that releasing a book is a time-intensive project. He is a product marketing expert with 25+ years working with big brands, and knows what it takes to get a product to market. 

Harvey booked a brainstorming call with me in March 2023, we worked together from June to August of 2023, and his rockstar of a book is out now—as in, today!—February 14, 2024. ⚡

Harvey put a lot of research into his decision to self-publish, his book brand, and his book launch. He let me pick his brain so that you can understand how he made key decisions about his book as well as the timeline he planned on.

Believe it or not, even Harvey was still surprised how time-intensive some stages of independent book production were. We'll talk about that in this case study, too. I hope Harvey's insight will help you see how much planning goes into a rockin' #bookdone.

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Harvey's Book Done Timeline

✍️ Writing started: Early 2019 (with a break in 2020)
📩 First contact with Julie: March 2023
(while book was being edited and proofread)
🎨 Files ready for design and layout: June 2023
🖨️ First copy of the book printed: August 2023
✔️ Book done (released): February 14, 2024 (today!)

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Harvey's Book Brand: Creation, Research and Implementation

Part business book and part personal memoir, Backstage Pass is an entertaining mixture of tales from the music, video game and tech industries overlaid on stories of grit and determination, equipping readers to embark on an adventure of their own making.  

From early on in the process, Harvey developed various visuals and words that he would associate with his book which he tagged "50% Rock & Roll, 50% Business, 100% True". The red color and neon glow, backstage pass theme, tag line and lightning bolt became mainstays in his book design, book website, book marketing, and so on. This marketing thinking before the book design even began made sure Harvey developed a strong book brand. 

Being a marketing pro, Harvey did market research about how these particular visuals and words would communicate with his target audience, and discovered some interesting things, such as:

With his book's branding nailed down, Harvey moved to book cover design. His designer created a book cover that implemented all elements of his brand. When he came to me to talk about his interior, his front cover was done and he was finalizing his back cover and dust jacket flaps. I generally don't design an interior until the front cover is finalized, because I like the two to match.

When I designed Harvey's book interior, I played off of the book's branding as well as the typefaces and design elements used on the cover and dust jacket flaps (above right) to create an interior that jives perfectly with the Backstage Pass brand and the look of the book cover. Below are selected pages from the interior—lots of photos, memorabilia and direct dialogue in this book!

Don't tell Harvey, but I removed scratches from this original photo of him in Reno, NV to improve this half-page picture [insert joke about Harvey's 90's short shorts here!]

Harvey and I decided during our brainstorming session that it didn't make sense for him to pay upwards of 3x as much for full color POD book interior printing. The print interior would be in grayscale. (As he said, "I am an author, but I am also a businessman!") But my developer Luca and I took a few extra steps to make sure the photos were in color in the ebook, for ereaders that can display color.

The body text in the interior was based on the style of "The Lives of Brian", a memoir with a font size Harvey found comfortable to read. I ordered a print copy of that book and matched the body font size, line spacing and typeface as closely as possible, to make Harvey's book an equally easy read. Harvey and I reworked various paragraphs where the line breaks were awkward and reworded sentences or changed letter tracking, justification settings, etc. to make every line perfect. When Harvey finally received his first print copies, he sent me a video of them and said, "My book doesn't 'look self-published'. It looks like a professional book from a big name publisher!" I told you it would, Harvey! 

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Why Harvey Choose to Publish His Book Independently (Self-Publish)

You may be wondering whether self-publishing is a good idea. Harvey had the same question and did a lot of research about whether he should self-publish or sign a deal with a traditional publisher.

Here is what he learned: self-publishing used to be for people who could not get a traditional publisher interested in their book. But this is no longer the case;over the past ten years, the self-publishing industry has exploded. 

Some self-published book end up on the New York Times or Sunday Times bestseller lists. Being an Amazon bestselling book within a particular category has become possible for independently-published books. A huge range of support services have emerged for self-published authors, depending on the author's needs and budget. Because of this, there are and more high-quality self-published books.

A critical factor for a self-published book reaching a wide audience is the author's own platform or network. Through social media (anything from LinkedIn to TikTok), today's authors have direct access to their target audience and can share their material in a cost-effective and scaleable way. (Even traditional publishers rely on an author's platform to reach a wider audience, so this is important no matter which way you choose to go!) 

Self-publishing gave Harvey the freedom to:

• Control the content he wanted to include in his book.

• Set his own timeline for the entire project. Traditionally-published books are usually released 18-24 months after a book deal is signed and unless you are a household name, you have little say in the publishing date.

• Choose his own book formats. Ultimately Harvey chose to release it in hardcover, paperback, e-book, and audiobook.

• Determine the pricing and give away ebooks or run promotions whenever he wants. 

• Handle his own marketing (especially good if marketing is your profession!), manufacturing (in this case, he used Lightening Source POD for printing), and distribution. 

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Important questions every independent author should ask before getting started on their book

• What is my key objective in publishing a book? 

• Should I self publish or work with a publisher? 

• What is my book's genre?

• What books would compete with mine?

• What is a reasonable timeline for releasing my book?

• What costs will I incur and what can I charge per book?

• What visual identity do I want my book to have? (ie: branding)

• What formats (softcover, hardcover, ebook, audiobook, etc.) should the book appear in?

• Which channel(s) will I use to promote my book?

• Which team members do I need to accomplish this goal?

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Harvey's Tips For a Successful Independent Book Launch

1. Define clear objectives. 🎯

The cornerstone of an effective book launch strategy is defining clear objectives. Take time to think through your end goal in creating and producing a book, as it will dictate your subsequent decisions. 

On my (Julie's) book project questionnaire, I ask people to share their objectives with me:

2. Make decisions about book formats. 📖

The choice of book format—hardback, paperback, ebook, or audiobook—is pivotal. While certain formats may be mandatory, such as producing at least one paperback, the associated time and cost considerations vary significantly. Creating both a hardback and paperback creates a few additional complexities and it's important to determine whether it is worth the extra effort or expense.

Audiobook production is also a nuanced process. Ask yourself if your book is suitable for audio format, and whether you should narrate it yourself or get someone else to narrate it. Harvey ultimately chose to narrate the book himself and have the audio files professional mastered, but it was a time-intensive process! 

3. Make smart decisions about release timelines. 🕒

Just because your book files are ready does not necessarily mean it's time to release your book. Print-on-demand might make it easy to say that your book is launched, but allowing time for a pre-order campaign and to build your author platform may allow you to rank higher on book distributor websites when your book becomes available. Audiobook distribution requires a longer lead time than POD printing, and to have all formats available at once, you must prepare the audiobook well in advance. (Julie's recommendation is to record it after the print copy is finalized, because content changes always occur after typesetting!) Research what time of year is best to release books in your genre or to your particular audience. Harvey picked February 14, 2024 as his release date because it is memorable (💘) but also to allow enough time to build awareness of his book and get more pre-orders. He could have released in November but learned from Nielsen Book Data that Q4 was full of big book launches already and didn't want his book to get lost among many other new releases. January is not a good month for book sales, so February was the next best month to enable him to meet his original objectives for his book release.

4. Recognize how important your author platform is to obtaining a wider reach for your book. ✍🏽

Ann Handley says that authors are in the business of sales. Building your author platform ahead of time gives a great boost to your marketing, whether your book is traditionally published or self-published.

5. Strike a good balance with your marketing, to limit unnecessary costs. 📢

Marketing is critical to getting your book to a wider audience, but it is also often a weak spot for independent authors. While you can choose to hire all of your marketing done for you, the slow, organic process of word-of-mouth marketing and the power of social proof, reviews and a well-prepared market are even more powerful. 

6. Plan the time you need for overseeing proofreading. ✏️

Despite having a substantial team helping him with his book editing, design and launch, Harvey discovered that he had to personally, meticulously oversee multiple rounds of proofreading. Keeping track of various file versions takes great attention to detail, and errors can sometimes be introduced during format conversions. While you can (and should) hire professionals for proofreading, the onus is ultimately on you, the independent author, as to what content is in your final book. 

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How Harvey got book endorsements

• Before design and layout (one year before release): Harvey gave home-printed manuscripts (before design and layout) to about 30 early beta readers. This was part of the review and editing process. He got some great endorsements/quotations.

• After design and layout (six months before release): 

  • He asked me to make a special copy of the book pdf labeled "Review copy. Trade only." This pdf had the front and back covers embedded in the same pdf as the interior layout and could be read on-screen or printed.

  • He printed copies of the "trade only" version and sent them to influencers and tastemakers from his own network.

  • He also got his PR team to distribute the PDF to media outlets. He found the digital PDF was great as a "first show" but that those who wanted to read the whole thing asked for a printed copy. All told, he printed about 200 trade copies.

  • Harvey used Book Sirens for general advanced reviews but found it to be most useful for advanced digital distribution for the ePub/Kindle or PDF versions for media.

  • He collected the endorsements he received and used them in his marketing.

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Of course, a book like Harvey's came with a playlist!

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Along with the boom of self-publishing, I have seen a boom in marketing professionals coming to me for the design of their self-published books.

Marketers are full of ideas and fun to work with. Harvey was no exception. Thanks for sharing your insights with other marketers and writers of all backgrounds, Harvey!
 

Follow Harvey on
Instagram 
or LinkedIn.
or via his website.

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Launch your book this year!

Or take longer if you need it. I hope Harvey's planned and well-timed approach has given you some ideas about all the details behind a successful book launch.

Usually authors reach out to me about two to six months in advance of needing my print book design and ebook services. Even if you don't know exactly when your files will be ready for design and layout, you can get on my schedule ahead of time and I'll get started when your manuscript is complete. 

Fill out this book project questionnaire (journal projects have their own questionnaire) if you're ready for an estimate. 

Hang in there! Soon you'll be on the other side with your #bookdone. ✔️

Tips for Marketing Your Book

Some time ago I started following Emily Enger from Good Enough Book Marketing. We both apparently like the color yellow (though I go a bit more mustard and she goes a bit more lemon) and we both work with authors getting their books out into the world. While marketing books is not my shtick, I often end up in conversations with my clients about marketing ideas and I feature their best marketing ideas in my newsletter. And so it was time to talk to someone who knows more about all of this than I do, and pick her brain for some advice for you. Marketing your book should start before you're ever ready for my services but never really ends. No matter where you are on your author journey, I hope you’ll find Emily’s marketing tips and tricks in this article helpful!

Emily, I was interested in your business as soon as I saw the name “Good Enough Book Marketing”. How did you pick that name and why?

Haha. I knew that name would be a risk: people would either love it or hate it. So I really debated whether to use it. But I am a recovering perfectionist, so my journey into the marketing mindset I have today was hard-won. And I wanted to honor that journey in the name of my business. There have been a few negative comments from people who think I may be teaching authors to be lazy with their marketing or that success is bad, but overall I get great feedback on my business name. I think it gives authors permission to prioritize their writing. The marketing gets to be secondary when you’re an author. That’s okay.

Yes, the vibe I get from you is that book marketing is important, but not the be all and end all of being an author. I like that.

Maybe a good initial topic is developing a brand guide. What is this and how can an author or content creator develop this?

A brand guide is a document authors create to help them define what they want their “brand” (or public image) to be. It helps authors figure out things like:

• Who is my target audience?

• What is my professional “tone” or voice that I use when marketing my books?

• What is the mission statement that is driving my desire to be a writer?

• What do I want to be known for?

Many people think the idea of a “brand” is too business-focused to apply to authors, but the truth is that all of us are a type of personal brand. Especially if you are on the internet.

By gazing inward to develop a “brand guide,” authors learn more about who they are both personally and professionally. And it helps them keep their messaging on-point (no distractions) as they market their books.

Once a writer or author has thought through their brand guide, they can start to think practically about marketing their book. The biggest mistake I see first-time authors make is thinking they only need to start marketing once they have their book in hand. Can you talk about when book marketing begins?

The success of book marketing really does hinge on how early you start. Marketing is like a slingshot—the farther you pull it back before your book is out, the farther your book will launch on release day.

Is there such a thing as too early? Yes, there can be. When you are writing the first draft of your book, it is important to remove any distraction—and that includes marketing. So if the marketing is getting in the way of your creativity, then it’s time to hit pause. Just hone in on your craft and enjoy the story.

Once you have an initial draft created, then I recommend some “light” marketing, usually in the form of networking (or building relationships). Go to a few writing retreats, which will provide both connections as well as support for your craft as you are revising your book. You can also create social media accounts or a newsletter at this point, if you don’t already have them. Since you have at least one complete draft, you can be confident that your book is coming together and feel less imposter syndrome about showing up online as a writer.

Once your final draft is done (and you have had it professionally edited and proofread), the marketing will vary by publishing path. If you are going to traditionally publish, then keep maintaining the “light” marketing as you pitch to agents. If you are self-publishing, it’s time to research and submit your book to professional reviewers or trade magazine reviews (Kirkus, Publisher’s Weekly, Library Journal, etc.), because you won’t have a publisher to do that for you.

Do you have any advice for an author who is wanting to get his or her online presence set up? What is needed and what is the best way to go about it?

I believe websites are an important part of an author's online presence. While they are not a big connection point with one's readers, they go a long way to make a positive impression with other professionals inside the book industry, including journalists, book reviewers, book event coordinators and more. I even had a client's website help land his publisher! Websites used to be much cheaper to set up than they are now. If you have some technical abilities, Wordpress is still the cheapest route for DIY options, but it can get complicated. Take the time to price out some local web designers in your area, because they might be cheaper in the long run than doing a more expensive drag-and-drop website building platform—those have started getting pricey. I would also be cautious about platforms that "specialize" in websites for authors. They are usually priced high, too, in exchange for the convenience. Remember that you will have this website forever, so that monthly fee to maintain/host your site matters. Sometimes paying a large amount up front to a designer, but smaller maintenance fees going forward actually ends up being less money long-term.

The other piece about an online presence that is often forgotten is high-quality photos! In order to have a professional, engaging social media presence or website, you need to have several photos of yourself. These photos should not just be boring headshots! Go on a fun photo shoot with a friend and find some of your favorite spots—a state park? a coffee shop? a bookstore? Stage some photos that match your personality but also look like you are an approachable, engaging person. Maybe you are laughing or rolling your eyes or enjoying a giant cup of coffee with your eyes closed and a relieved expression on your face. You will want an entire folder of fun photos that you can pull from at a moment's notice when you need something to post.

If you are going to start a podcast, the most important thing you need is a quality microphone—you can find lots of inexpensive options online or at Target. You don't need the fanciest one out there. Any external microphone is going to be good enough and much better quality than your computer's internal mic. There are a lot of other podcasting tools you will find for recording or uploading each episode. Whatever you choose to use, I always recommend using either the cheapest option or tools that are free. Remember that you can upgrade as you get more confident and your platform grows, but when you are just starting, you don't even know if you like podcasting yet. So don't throw a lot of money into something until you have been doing it for awhile and know that it fits your style and is actually helping your career grow.

Whatever you decide for an online presence, remember to start small and attainable. The key to marketing has always been consistency. If you do too many things and can't regularly show up for them all, your career will not grow. It is better to pick a couple of paths and regularly give them your attention.

What are the book marketing strategies that you think are working best right now?

The best strategy to focus on before your book comes out is your platform. Your "platform" is any online presence you have that connects directly to your readers. So that could be social media, a Youtube channel, a podcast, a newsletter, a blog, etc. Pick just one or two places you want to show up online and give it/them your attention. What do you talk about before your book is out? You have to find topics that those who enjoy your future book will also love—because you only want your audience to be made up of people who will eventually buy your book. So you could recommend books by other authors who are similar to you (maybe even interview some of those authors on your channel!) Or you could focus on topics that come up in your book. Will your book deal with women's issues? History? Food? These are all things that could make great angles for your posts/episodes now, too!

My favorite strategy is applying to have your book promoted on a promotional email list. There are so many, but here are a few of my favorites for you: BookBub, Written Word Media, Robin Reads. These companies email their massive list of followers, segmented by genre, about really cheap ebook deals currently available. And they are pretty good about only including a handful of books per email, so if your book is listed, it won’t be lost in a huge sea of other books. And remember: these emails are opened by people for the express purpose of finding a book to read today. So the conversion rate is usually great. It is worth it to put your ebook on discount to be included in these!

Another important marketing strategy people forget about is building relationships with bookstore owners, particularly at local bookstores. Book sellers love pushing local books because readers typically enjoy discovering local authors. When you make a relationship with a bookstore, you have salespeople who are pushing your book on your behalf, so you don’t have to do so much of the “sales” talk. Do keep in mind that bookstores need a wholesale distributor to buy your book from, not Amazon. So if your book is exclusively on Amazon, you won’t be able to pursue this path. (I recommend IngramSpark as a print on demand wholesale distributor.)

You talk about book marketing activities you can stop doing today. Can you tell us about some of those and why?

Which activities you can stop doing depends heavily on your genre. It also depends on your goals for that marketing strategy. Is your goal awareness or is it book sales? Those are very different things—both important, but they require different marketing tactics.

Let’s start with social media ads. These are not very effective at selling books, and they are getting more and more expensive. Why are they ineffective? Because when I am scrolling Instagram, I am busy looking at photos of my friends and tutorials from influencers. I am not thinking about buying a book in that moment and am not in the mood. Save your ad money for places like Amazon or another bookseller site—or for websites like BookBub that email subscribers good deals on books. Those ads will target readers right when they are looking to buy a book, thus will have a better conversion rate.

However, if your goal is not book sales, but platform growth, then social media ads are very effective. So if you just need a little boost in followers, then go ahead and take out an ad on the social media platform of your choice.

Another marketing tactic I find unnecessary is the trend of “writing to market.” This is when an author researches the topics and genres that are currently popular and then writes their book along those lines. It’s meant to be a way to “crack the code,” per se, of writing a bestselling book. And it could work if you are a very fast writer. But trends are changing faster than ever before and the market is bouncing around like a ping-pong ball. So getting your finger on the pulse of what is truly popular is difficult to do. I recommend writing the book you want to write, the one that keeps you up at night. Because the more you love your book, the more that love (and excitement) will be noticed by others.

When an author publishes with a publishing house, what is their responsibility in terms of marketing?

This varies from publisher to publisher. It also varies based on how valuable an author is to their publisher. Traditional publishing can be very unfair and biased when it comes to marketing, I’m afraid. If you are a publisher’s golden goose, they are going to fully take care of you so you can keep laying them golden eggs. But if you are a debut author that they are taking a risk on, the marketing support is going to be more limited for you.

The most important thing you can do in a traditional publishing deal is communicate well. Make sure there have been discussions—ideally in writing—about which party is going to do what. And don’t be afraid to nag or remind them of what they promised to do if you notice they aren’t fulfilling their end.

Typically, though, at bare minimum a publisher will distribute ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies or Advanced Review Copies of your book) to media and trade magazines, they will reach out to their media contacts list requesting feature interviews or their bookstore list for reading events. This could be personalized emails to those contacts on your behalf, or as basic as a mass email blast listing all their upcoming titles for the year. You don’t really know how hard they are going to advocate on your behalf, so it doesn’t hurt to follow up to some of those known bookstores or reporters yourself, too. In fact, it can only help your odds because it will remind the reporter about you and increase your name recognition in their mind.

Regardless of your publishing house, it is always the author’s responsibility to do any direct-to-consumer (or direct-to-reader) connecting. This could be through social media, a newsletter or blog, a podcast, etc. The way in which your nurture relationships with your fans is all on you.

Do you have any tips in particular for authors who are publishing for the first time or only publishing with Amazon KDP or another print-on-demand service? What are some tips to help your POD book get found on Amazon?

Amazon wants to make money off your book. But their best chance of making money is to push the titles that are already selling because there is some safe, “guaranteed” popularity there.

So if you want to stand out from the noise on Amazon—and have Amazon’s algorithm organically feature your book to new audiences—you have to prove that your book is popular through reviews. You need to convince your audience to not only buy your book, but to then leave a review once they have finished it.

The other important way to get Amazon to notice your book is to make your book available for pre-order before it launches and focus substantial marketing effort to convince readers to buy in that window. A bunch of early sales gets the attention of Amazon’s algorithm and they will then favor your book in hopes to keep making money off of it.

Can you share any tips for getting Amazon reviews and Amazon preorders, since these seem to be central to being successful with Amazon sales?

The key to success with Amazon reviews is to concentrate on them early. Although no one can leave a review until your book is live, you can start preparing to get reviews during the pre-order phase or when you are sending out ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies or Advanced Review Copies of your book). I like Book Sirens , which distributes your ARC to interested reviewers whom you would otherwise have no contact with. They are fully compliant with Amazon's Terms of Service and are very affordable. But you need to submit to them before your book is officially launched. So it requires some preparation. There are other services you can use that connect you to book influencers on social media. These influencers usually also post their review to Amazon and Goodreads (if they don't, just ask them to!) The service I have used is Book Influencers. However, this is also paid and will end up being more expensive than using Book Sirens. So it always helps to be "on the ball" and start working on this stuff as early as possible.

Of course, don't forget to just ask your current fans and friends to leave a review: make social media posts about it, newsletter topics, etc. And if someone mentions liking your book, follow up with them and ask that they leave an honest review on Amazon. I don't recommend immediately begging for a review the minute they give you a compliment—that can come off as desperate. But maybe a day or two later, send them an email saying "Hey, I was thinking of your kind words about my book. I really appreciate your feedback. Would you be willing to leave an honest review of your thoughts as an Amazon review, too? That would mean so much to me."

Sometimes my clients even ask for reviews on the final page of their book or journal. Depending on the genre, this can be effective, too!

Do you think book merchandise or swag is worthwhile to create? If so, what works best?

This also depends on your goals as a writer, as well as your genre. Some audiences adore swag, while others would never consider purchasing it. Knowing your audience is key to understanding if it’s worth it for you.

The other big piece to consider is what your goal with the swag is. Swag makes great pre-order bonuses, which encourage more pre-order sales and can help you get the attention of Amazon or land bestseller lists. So even if you don’t make your money back on the swag, if it increased the number of pre-orders enough to open new doors or hit important goals, then the expense was worth it.

I also think swag makes good “awareness” marketing—meaning your goal is not book sales, but just to get your name out there in people’s minds. But when you are choosing swag for awareness, keep in mind that you need to find products that are both useful and long-lasting.

I do not recommend bookmarks or stickers. Paper products tear too easily, only to end up in the garbage shortly after they’ve been given away. Those things don’t last long enough to get you a good ROI (return on investment). Look into things like pens, t-shirts, tote bags…things that people would use regardless of whether or not they like your specific swag. For example, your t-shirt might not be the favorite shirt I own, but I will probably wear it anyway, even if it’s just on laundry day.

My favorite swag is pens. They are cheaper than t-shirts or tote bags, but very useful. Until the ink is dry, no one throws away a pen!

Agreed! I recently had to go out and buy a bag of everyday pens because some swag pens that had served me for almost a decade all started to die at once!

Thank you so much for everything you have shared about book marketing! Where can my clients/readers find out more about you and learn more from your marketing insights?

They can learn more about me at emilyenger.com. I have a free download they can get titled “7 Book Marketing Activities You Can Stop Doing Today.”

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Thanks for reading this post about book marketing! For more marketing insights, follow Emily Enger! Check out these ideas for journal marketing and how to use the final page of your book for marketing. Dig through my case studies for more ideas (search for the word “marketing” — most of my featured authors have shared their best marketing tips!)

A Non-Fiction Book Copyright Page Template for Self-Publishers

Authors often contact me about where to get an example of text to put on their copyright page. Editor Chandi Lyn gave me this template for a Non-Fiction book copyright page, which you can copy and paste and update to suit your book. Your book may require less or more information than is included here.

The copyright page of your book usually appears on the back of the title page, and contains your book’s copyright notice, publisher notice, edition notice, copyright restrictions, credits, your biographical record, legal disclaimers and any third-party permissions. The following text can be centered or left aligned on the copyright page.

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Publisher Information
(If you are publishing under an imprint, include Name here.
Contact information for the publisher is optional.)

Edition Notice
(“First Printing” or “Second Edition”)

Copyright © (Year Published) by (Name Here)

Cover Designer (Name Here)

Illustrator (Name Here)

Book Interior Designer (Name Here)

Editor (Name Here)

Photographer (Name Here)

ISBN number (Number Here) [Purchase here]

Library of Congress number (Info Here) [Request here]

Printed in (Country Name Here)

Author’s Note

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regards to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that neither the author nor the publisher is engaged in rendering legal, investment, accounting, or other professional services. While the author has used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional when appropriate. The author shall not be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, personal, or other damages.

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Third-Party Permissions

If you’re reprinting content under copyright from third parties, this info should appear at the bottom of your copyright page, after the Author’s Note. You must first obtain written permission from their publisher. You’ll need to contact their publisher’s rights-department in order to make this request. Keep in mind that reprinting grants are a source of revenue for publishers, so expect to be asked for payment. Here’s an example of a permission grant:

“Our deepest fear…” from A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson. Copyright © 1992 by Marianne Williamson. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishing, Inc.

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Please do your due diligence to make sure that your copyright page includes the details and information that you need for publishing a book in your state/country. We accept no legal liability for the content of this copyright page. If your book is particularly complex, I suggest talking to a copyright lawyer.

Why You Can’t Afford NOT to Work with a Professional Editor

One of the most common problems new authors face is knowing whether their manuscript is really ready for design and layout. Inevitably, they send their work off to be designed but still wonder if their manuscript really was as finalized as it should have been. But rest assured. I am here to help. 

One of the most important things to do before formatting and design is have your manuscript (including all endnotes, footnotes, appendices, etc.) professionally copy edited and proofread. Most new authors skimp on professional editing and proofreading either because they don’t think they need it, or think they can’t afford it.

I bounced some questions off of Chandi Lyn, an editor who regularly helps first time authors get their manuscripts ready for publication, to help authors understand why neither is true.

Photo credit: iStock

Julie: I occasionally come across a first-time author who does not understand the value of hiring an editor. How would you explain how essential an editor’s services really are to an author? I mean, they can write, right? Isn’t hiring a proofreader to fix a few comma errors here and there enough?

Chandi: First, writers should do a little reading on the differences between editing and proofreading. This will save them money and time. You don’t need a proofreader until the very end of your project—right before formatting and designing. You need a developmental editor at the beginning. And a line and content editor in the middle.

Anyone can write. But most can’t write well—at least not on their own. As the writer, the creator of your masterpiece, you know everything. You know the characters and plot. You know your advice and expertise. You are too close to be objective and really see your creation through your reader’s eyes. A great copy editor can draw your attention to things you didn’t know you needed to address. They can fix character flaws, point out that copywriting and copyrights are different, save you some unwanted criticism for poorly-worded phrases. And your copy editor will point out that if your character has blue eyes on page one, they must have blue eyes on page 75—unless you have a really good reason for the transformation. A great copy editor will also let you know where you are breaking with your target audience—where your writing is causing you to lose credibility and the trust relationship is weakened. 

Copy editing is more than just fixing a few commas and running a manuscript through spell check. It’s making sure that your message is being communicated effectively.

How can an author actually save money in the long run by hiring a copy editor earlier on in the manuscript preparation process? 

Right now I am working with an author who had their nonfiction book designed and their cover art finished. They were ready to go to print. Then someone noticed an error. Then another. And another. This author hired me to proofread. After completing the project, I let the writer know of some major issues in their manuscript. I gave them clear feedback and they said they had “wondered if this wasn’t an issue.” This writer had used friends and colleagues to edit for them. The advice they received was wrong. Now we are doing a full overhaul of this book. All the way back to the chapter outline stage. There is no way around it, all of the book design and layout will have to be done again—though they can keep the cover art. This writer would have saved thousands of dollars and months of work if they had hired a professional from the beginning. 

Even when you are at the developmental thoughts-in-your-head stage, talk with an editor. When you draw up your chapter outline or character traits, talk with an editor. These critiques and brainstorming sessions are inexpensive and will make your writing stronger. And if you can start with stronger writing, you will have fewer edits and revisions—that saves time and money. I have prevented a lot of bad plot holes, developed nonfiction book layouts that actually make sense, and saved my writers a lot of frustration by being involved early in the process. Once a plot hole is written into the book it’s much harder to adjust.

How important is it to have an editor who has experience with your particular book’s subject matter? I have noticed that sometimes editors give significant feedback about the content of the book (ie: the appropriateness or veracity of the content), well beyond just fixing sentence structure here and there.

Editing is all about making sure you are communicating your message clearly. If you are writing for an expert audience with lots of industry lingo, you need an expert copy editor who knows the industry. If you are drafting a terrifying thriller, you need someone who knows the obligatory scenes of your genre and has a myriad of ways to describe ice running through your veins—don’t use this line, it’s not good. While I am a general factotum, I shouldn’t copy edit a textbook on phlebotomy—though I could proofread one. 

Find a genre-specific copy editor in the beginning of your project. Get all the advice you can as they critique your plot, characters, and outline. If they are too expensive for general copy editing, it’s ok. There are some fantastic editors who are multi-disciplined—like me—who can provide excellent service.

I recently had a client bemoan that she had paid a significant amount of money for editing and still did not have the final product she had hoped for. How can first time authors avoid expensive mistakes like this one? Does an editor guarantee their work somehow?

That’s frustrating for her and, unfortunately, it happens a lot. 

Let me answer the second question first because it’s the simpler response. There is no guarantee. 

On sales: You can have the most incredible literary masterpiece the world will ever know and never sell more than a few copies to your friends and family. Ultimately it all comes down to marketing, audience purchasing patterns, and whether you are connected to the right people. If Oprah is your mom’s best friend, you might be ok. 

On writing: An editor’s job isn’t to change your writing. We help writers to write better and point out what’s wrong and what’s right. We can’t make you accept our edits or suggestions, nor should we. A great copy editor should be invisible in your work. What your work looks like is ultimately up to you. It’s your name on the cover, not mine.

Now, how to avoid hiring an editor and not getting what you want in return. Whew. This is a big question.

First, ask around. Good copy editors have a reputation and you probably know someone who can point you in the right direction. If you are hiring someone on a freelance platform, be clear in your job description. What is your genre? What is your deadline? What is your word count? Being specific will help you attract better matches for your manuscript. Once you have some editors to interview, look at their client feedback. See what their clients are really saying about them. Phrases like “They turned in their work on time” that aren’t followed up by something like “And I would definitely hire them again!” can be a red flag. Ask lots of questions. “Do you use Grammarly?” should be your first one. If they do, let them know that you will know if they just run your book through Grammarly and call it copy editing. This does happen and there is no excuse for it! There is no program currently on the market that can do what a human brain can do. I have had some clients hide a random word in their manuscript just to see if I found it.

Second, be clear with your editor. Tell them exactly what you want them to do. They will tell you whether they can. (I don’t edit and proofread at the same time unless it’s short like a social media post or email.) Most writers want their work edited using track changes (MS Word) or suggestions (Google Docs). They want to see every change. Some writers want their editor to just fix what’s wrong and don’t care about seeing the changes. If you are expecting your editor to rewrite your book, tell them—then be prepared to share the author credits. Be clear. Be communicative. Be open about what you don’t know and let your editor help you through the process. 

Third, ask for a test edit. Many editors will do this for free, but you should offer to pay for it. Before agreeing to any contract I ask the writer for a few pages of their work. I want to see the quality and style of their writing. Then I return those few pages with my edits and suggestions. This way they can see my style and opinions. It weeds out a lot of grumpy clients who can’t handle being truly critiqued and bad editors who just pretend to edit by using Grammarly.

Fourth, if you are really concerned, start with a small project. Hire an editor to run some articles you wrote. Or a short story. Don’t go straight for the 84,000 word masterpiece. I have a client who hired six editors to work on articles to find the right one to edit their major works.

Do most editors and proofreaders work on a per word or per hour basis, or a set project price? How can an author be sure that they are paying a fair price?

I think all editors should charge per word or per hour. Sometimes an editor will agree to edit a book for a set price not realizing that the book is 150,000 words. I had a client hire me for a set-price project. What was supposoed to be a 40,000 word book turned out to be 80,000 words. I told them to either double my rate or find a new editor—of course in a much more professional way. I personally prefer per word price for long form copy (think books) and hourly for short form (think articles and social media posts). 

The industry standard for copy editing is $0.02–0.05 per word. You can always offer to pay less than this but you won’t get quality for cheap. I had a potential client ask me to edit their book for $0.0015 per word. This is so low it’s way below minimum wage for skilled work. They understood that but defended their position by saying they were offering consistent work. I responded that so was the grocery store but for more money.

If you expect expert work—or even intermediate work—be willing to pay for it. And if you think hiring an expert is expensive, try hiring an amateur. (Not my quote, but good advice.)

I notice a significant difference in manuscripts from experienced authors vs. manuscripts from first-time authors. Experienced authors understand how important it is to have a polished manuscript to give to their designer. How many errors would you consider normal for a proofreader to find after full layout and design?

A good proofreader should identify the majority of your errors. Some suggest one error per 1000 words is acceptable. Others say three errors per 10,000 words. I encourage my nonfiction writers to hire a few proofreaders—hoping more eyes will catch more issues. My fiction writers typically only go through one round of proofreading. Always have your proofreader use track changes or suggestions. Don’t trust them to proof properly. I had a client whose proofreader changed woke to awakened. Awakened was grammatically correct but wrong for the message being conveyed.

You mentioned once that every book has a few errors even in the final print. Is that really true? How many errors might be normal to find in a printed piece that has been professionally edited and proofread?

It’s quite normal for books to go to publishing with some errors. If you buy the first printing of a book you will likely find some—though some of those may be reader errors, not writer errors. And spell check doesn’t catch everything. It’s just how it goes. Not everything is perfect. And if you try to make it perfect, you may end up editing your work to death. At some point you have to say “This is good enough.”

What’s the worst thing a writer can do when going through the editing/revising process?

Once your editor has done their work, don’t make major plot, character, scene, chapter layout changes. This is the worst thing a writer can do. This usually happens after edits and revisions are complete and the writer has let family and friends beta read their book. They get so many new ideas that are sometimes pretty awesome—usually not great—and they just have to add them! Then they send the book off to proofreading not realizing that these changes cause cascading effects for the rest of their book. The chapter transitions may not work now. The character is inconsistent now. The pace and flow will be off. If you must make significant changes after edits and revisions are complete, you need to be willing to pay your editor to review the book again.

Any final advice or thoughts?

Hiring a copy editor is essential. And this person shouldn’t be someone who is emotionally involved with you in any capacity. As an editor, my job is to make you look good, not feel good. I can’t be honest if I am worried about your feelings. Your parent/child/SO/spouse/friend isn’t objective. Of course they want your masterpiece to hang on the fridge. We all do. 

Someone recently gave me some great advice: You never know when your work might go viral. So write what you want to be known for. If you don’t like YA fantasy, don’t write it, even if the marketing professionals tell you this is what’s selling.

And just have fun! If you have a book somewhere in you and you just can’t help yourself, put in the time to do it right. Put in the effort to do it well. It can be brutal soul-sucking work! But it’s worth trying. Who knows, you might be really good at it.

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One of the most common mistakes my clients make is sending me manuscripts that aren’t really ready for design and layout. I appreciate Chandi Lyn’s willingness to help you understand how essential it is to get your book copy edited. She has helped various clients of mine polish their messages and truly be ready for design and layout. If you are looking for an editor who will tell you the truth about your manuscript and make you look good, give Chandi Lyn a shout!

How to Make the URLs in Your Book Look Good and Work Well

It is common (in particular for non-fiction books) to have a lot of URLs, whether in the endnotes, footnotes or resource pages. Here are a few things that can be done to clean up your resource list or endnotes so that the text in your printed book looks as neat and easy-to-read as possible! These are ideas that I’ve come up with or seen other authors and designers use over my 15+ years in book design.

Take off the https:// or even the www if you don’t actually need it.

Some (not every) URL will work just fine with www but without the https://.

If you can write:
www.mybook.com
or
mybook.com
instead of:
https://www.mybook.com
why wouldn’t you?

Note: usually for something more formal (where a certain kind of formatting is expected, like endnotes) you should keep the www. to make sure it’s clear that you are referring to a website. But for a marketing message or copyright page text that is directing readers to your website, dropping the www. might make for a quicker read for your audience.

Take the final slash or hash off of the end of any URLs.

Instead of
www.mybook.com/slash/
make your URL read simply:
www.mybook.com/slash
It’s neater, cleaner and easier to read quickly.

Some URLs also end in an unnecessary “#”, which can also usually be removed, just double check that the URL still goes to the page you’re expecting it to go to.

Replace obnoxiously long URLs with shorter ones that direct to the same place.

Sometimes if you followed a link on LinkedIn or social media, you may have been given a super-long URL, like:
www.mybook.com/ifoundthislinkonFacebook/00010001/longlink
Through a quick google search, you may find that there is a much shorter link to the same article, like:
www.mybook.com/longlink

Another option can be to use a service like Tiny URL to make a shorter URL for a web link. Long and complicated links that have hard-to-type number sequences are hard for a reader to follow (except in the ebook!)

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Please note that this kind of clean-up should be done during the editing and proofreading process, before your book is designed and formatted. Often an editor will help you to create and format your endnotes correctly and consistently, if you have not done this already before submitting your manuscript to the editor.

When I receive a list of cleaned up URLs for design and formatting, here are some things that I do, to make the list present and work well. (When you work with me, watch to make sure I have done these things for your book, too!)

Make sure URLs are not hyphenated.

I always turn off hyphenation for Endnotes, resource lists, or similar, so that a link doesn’t end up with an extra hyphen that does not work. URLs already have a lot of hyphens in them, and it can be very hard to catch a hyphen that should not be there!

Depending on the look of the book, sometimes I even insert a soft return to force a URL to start on the next line, if I see that it is going to break over two lines. Sometimes it looks better to have two shorter lines of text than to have a long URL broken awkwardly over the end of a line.

Make sure body text with lots of links of different lengths is not left justified or full justified.

Generally body text that has lots of links in it should not be justified, because justifying lines of text that are not hyphenated and have long “words” like URLs can make the spacing look awkward.

Make URLs a different color or different font, or start them on their own line, to keep them distinct and easy to scan.

The book below has a fun tone and is full color, so I made the URLs brown to break up the solid resources pages in the back of the book. Please don’t make your links blue and underlined—the goal is not to make your text look like it was formatted in Microsoft Word!

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Put a disclaimer about links in your book before press time.

It’s possible for you to proofread all of the links in your book one week and to find out even a week later that one of them no longer works. So this last tip is more related to the functionality of the links, than to how they look. I encourage authors of books with lots of URLs to put a note near the front of back of the book that says something like this:

”The internet is always changing and you may find that some of the links in this book no longer work. Visit mybook.com/links to be updated as to any changes to the links in this book that have come to our attention since the last printing, or contact me at author@mybook.com to let me know about any problems you have had accessing any of the references in this book.

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Putting a book out into the world is an exciting achievement! And even more so, putting out a well-researched book with a helpful resource list! I hope this list helps your endnotes, footnotes or resource list be everything it can be. Use my book project questionnaire or book a live consultation to pursue working on a book with me.

Can I Print My Book in Both Soft and Hard Cover with Amazon KDP?

Just a few months ago, Amazon KDP launched their hardcover print-on-demand (POD) book printing service. Previously most self-publishers who were wanting hardcover books used IngramSpark for print on demand printing, because Amazon KDP did not offer any POD hardcover services. But times have changed!

Photo by Pontus Wellgraf on Unsplash

So, can you print your book in both soft and hard cover through Amazon KDP?

Yes, if you are using one of the sizes which they offer in hardcover.

As of this month, Amazon KDP offers sixteen book sizes in softcover, but only these five in hardcover:

• 5.5" x 8.5" (13.97 x 21.59 cm)

• 6" x 9" (15.24 x 22.86 cm)

• 6.14" x 9.21" (15.6 x 23.39 cm)

• 7" x 10" (17.78 x 25.4 cm)

• 8.25" x 11" (20.96 x 27.94 cm)

They will probably begin to offer more if their POD hardcover service is successful, but for now, if your book is not one of those five sizes, you cannot print it in hardcover with Amazon KDP. Check here to see all the sizes IngramSpark offers in POD with hardcover.

Yes, if your book’s page count is between 75 and 550 pages.

This means that for a 32-page kids’ book, for example, you can’t print in hardcover. If your page count is between 75 - 550 pages, you’re golden!

Yes, but you need two different cover files.

The interior file for your hard and soft cover books can be the same one, but you will need two different front cover files, because a hardcover book cover is a different size and needs extra image around all edges to wrap around the board.

If you already know at the beginning of your project that your book will most likely be released in both softcover and hardcover formats, this is something you should tell me at the beginning of the project, so that the image I create for your cover has enough margin to wrap around all the sides of the book.

If you already have one cover file but need it adapted to suit the other style of cover, contact me so that I can see if I can adapt the files you have. It is best if we can work from the original, editable cover files (like InDesign or Photoshop files) created by your cover designer, but depending on the visuals of the design and the type of file your designer gave you, we may also be able to work from a print-ready pdf.

Book Planning and Timeline Information for Self-Publishers

I often receive questions from authors about planning which service providers they need for their book, and how to figure out their book timeline. The more complex their book, the more service providers are involved, and the trickier figuring out a realistic timeline becomes, especially if you’re self-publishing for the first time or creating a complex non-fiction book that has a variety of appendices or resource lists, passages in a foreign language, or lots of endnotes / footnotes / captions. I get questions like:

• Does the proofreader look at the manuscript before or after design and layout?

• When does the indexer work on the file?

• How far ahead do I need to find and book an editor, proofreader, designer or indexer?

Photo by Thought Catalog

While every editor, proofreader, book designer or indexer works a bit differently, in this article I try to give a general idea of the timeline and order in which you will work with each.

The progression of book development, at least as it reaches it’s final stages, often involves the following service providers in the following order:

1. Editor - The editor may help you with substantive or structural editing (higher level editing) or line/copy editing. They may also help you to create things like appendices, bibliography, resources pages, endnotes, etc. or at least check the content you have created for clarity, style and accuracy.

2. Proofreader #1 - Depending on how complex the editor’s changes were to your file, you may want to hire a proofreader to go over the text with a fine tooth comb. Even though some editors proofread, it’s best to get someone different, who has not yet seen your manuscript, to look at it at this stage. Fixing typos after full design and layout gets very tedious (for me) and expensive (for you).

3. Book Designer - Once the manuscript is completely polished, it is put into one, clean Word file and sent to me, the designer. Depending on what I have been hired to do, at this point, I work on cover design, interior sample page design, and full interior layout. (Note: front cover design can start while the editor is working, if title/front cover text is finalized. But usually I do not start on any interior design samples until the manuscript is completely finalized.)

4. Proofreader #2 - I always recommend that a new set of eyes go over the fully-laid-out book cover and book interior at this point. Proofreader #2 is watching for regular typos but also for any layout errors, like an incorrect running header or page number. (At this point you should also read the whole book one more time, too.) This last proofread is especially important if you are printing your book traditionally (not print on demand), because once you have 500, 1000, or 2000 copies of your book printed, you really don’t want to find any errors in them.

5. Book Designer (Again) - At this point, I make any final changes from the proofreader or author and create a file the indexer can use to create the index.

6. Book Indexer - If the book requires a paginated index, at this point (once you are 100% sure the page positions or oder won’t be changing) the indexer begins the magic of indexing and provides a static index document (usually a Word file) for the designer.

7. Designer (Yet again) - Once the index is ready, I insert it in the back of the book. At this point I create the final, print-ready book files, and then adapt the print book to ebook if required.

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How far ahead should you book each of these service providers? And then how long do they each take to do their part? This depends a lot on the complexity of your book and how busy your chosen professional is. But here’s an idea:

• Editor: Book 2-3 months in advance, and plan at least 1 month for editing.

• Proofreader: Book 1-2 months in advance, and plan at least 2 weeks for proofreading.

• Book Designer: Book 2-4 months in advance, and plan at least 3 weeks for cover design, 4-7 weeks for sample interior layouts and full layouts (depends a lot on complexity: think black and white autobiography with 10 photos vs. full color cookbook with 200 images and 50 illustrations.) Add 1-2 weeks for ebook adaptation.

• Indexer: Book 1-2 months in advance and plan at least two weeks for indexing

There are many moving parts to coordinate with a book project, and every professional who works in this industry knows that self-published books may move at a slower pace than the author originally expected. It’s not uncommon that a client asks me to shift them a bit later on my calendar, which is usually possible! I currently have a complex non-fiction book that has been at the final proofreader for over a month, which has shifted my schedule, too. But as you can see from the list above, it is wise to plan for at least 4 months for editing, proofreading, design and indexing, and to start finding professionals well before you need them. So from the time that you think your manuscript is as finished as you can get it, plan at least 4 more months before you expect to hit print.

If organization is not your strong suit, you might consider hiring an assistant to coordinate all the parts and pieces of a large book project, or at least using an app like Tyme to keep your timelines, service providers and information organized!

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If you have more book design and production questions, visit my articles page. I have written about many of the topics above in much detail, such as:

Editing and Proofreading Information for Self-Publishers

Indexing Information for Self-Publishers

Ebook Adaptation Information for Self-Publishers

What Does a Printer Need to Know Give Me a Book Printing Price?

FAQ about Cookbook Design and Layout

Cookbooks are one of the most complex kinds of books. If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed with your cookbook project, you are not alone! One cookbook creator said to me, “Thank goodness that ignorance is bliss. We didn’t know what we didn’t know, or who knows if we would have been brave enough to take on this cookbook project! I’m a little overwhelmed with pulling this all together…” I have compiled some of the questions my cookbook clients have asked me, to help answer some of your questions, too! If you have more questions, just fill out my contact form or book project questionnaire to get in touch.

Photo by Brett Jordan via Unsplash

I have a cookbook that I really love. Can you copy the style of that cookbook for my cookbook?

I always ask to see some of your favourite cookbooks and also some cookbooks from a similar genre (cookbooks that might sell next to yours) before I start designing. You may not have the words to describe the style that you like, but when you show me visuals, I can find the common theme flowing through all of the books you like and come up with a design that has the same feel without directly copying someone else’s cookbook!

What size should my cookbook be?

Please read my article here about what size to make your self-published book. This is something that must be decided before design and layout can begin, and may be influenced by what printer or style of printing (print on demand vs. offset) you are using. Learn more about getting pricing or info from a book printer here.

Are my photos good enough for a cookbook?

If you are working with a professional photographer, your images should be high enough quality for a cookbook. But if you are shooting your own images, do lots of researching and practicing to make sure you are producing images that are high quality. If you want me to check the resolution of an image for you, or give an opinion on the quality of the photos themselves, I can do that. Learn more about how to shoot photos for a cookbook at this link.

Some of my cookbook images need editing, can you recommend a good photo editor with experience in food photography editing?

I know an excellent photo editor and can put you in touch with her. She does both Photoshop retouching (like removing wrinkles) or general editing (giving all of the photos in the cookbook a similar look and feel).

Do I need to have all of my files (text and images) ready for you to be able to begin working on my cookbook?

Usually a cookbook project starts with the cover design. If you have everything you need for the front cover, and a draft of the interior text and images so that I get a feel for the cookbook, I can design the cover. I can also create sample layouts for the interior (such as a few sample pages for each main page style, like opening pages, recipe pages, photo pages, article pages) before everything else is ready. But after the cover design and interior sample layout are done, I wait until all the remaining material except the index (which cannot be created until the print layout is fully finalized and no page positions will be changing) is completely finalized.

For some clients, I divide the project into two stages. Stage One is the cover and interior layout sample stage. Then they approach publishers with those samples, and when they find a publisher (or if they decide to self-publish) they come back for Stage Two, which is the full interior layout and design, spine and back cover layout.

If I want to print my cookbook in both soft- and hardcover, can I use the same pdf files for both editions?

As long as the page size of your book is the same, the interior files are exactly the same. The cover needs to be adapted for the two different cover editions, because the hardcover cover files need to be a lot larger to wrap around the hard board of the book cover.

Do I need an ebook version of my cookbook file? If so, what kind of file do I need?

Many cookbooks are released as ebooks as well, but that is not always the case. Research your target market and other cookbooks in your genre to see if they release both paper and e-editions or just a printed cookbook.

Should my cookbook ebook be fixed format or reflowable format?

A fixed format ebook would look just like your printed book visually. The format is “fixed”. This can be OK if the readers view it on a tablet or bigger screen, but if a person looks at it on a small screen like a phone, the text will be very small because the whole page will scale down to the size of the phone.

A reflowabale format ebook will reflow the text size, page size, image size, etc. to fit the size of the screen or device, but in so doing it loses the original formatting and it a bit more plain (think of a simple website, all the information is there but there is not a lot of fancy formatting.) If you look at this cookbook on Amazon and check the “look inside” feature for the Kindle (ebook), and then check the “look inside” feature for the hardcover (print), you will see how the Kindle book (epub) is formatted more simply. This is a reflowbale ebook.

I think the reflowable format is the best option for a cookbook because people so often look at ebooks on small devices and for ebooks, usually the content is more important to the reader than the visuals. More ebook adaptation information can be found here.

What does it cost to adapt a print cookbook layout to ebook?

It is not possible to give an exact price without seeing the complexity of the cookbook formatting, the number of images, the amount of front and back matter, whether you want the index to be linked to each cookbook entry, etc. A wide range would be something like USD$600 to USD$1,500 to create an epub file from a print layout file that I have created. If I made the print files, then I know that I can make them into ebook files. However, if you are providing files I did not create, I have to check first if they are files that I can work with.

Do the cookbook files that you create belong to me in the end?

Yes, you own the rights to your cookbook files, both the pdfs and the editable (Adobe InDesign) files if you want them. Please be sure to request the editable files at the end of the project if you want them.

How to Transfer or Email Big Files for Your Book

If you are developing an image-heavy book and need to transfer a large number of photo or graphic files to me, especially tiff or psd (Photoshop) files, you will likely find that attaching them to an email will not be sufficient. Or you can attach them to an email, but only one by one (if you have more than a handful of images, please don’t send them one by one!) Here are fives ways to potentially get a folder of big files to me, for me to provide an estimate or for me to begin your book design.

Use a free file transfer service

There are various free file transfer services (usually they become “un-free” if your files are too big) and my favourite just due to easy of use is WeTransfer. All you need is your files, my email address and your email address. You should not have to create a username and password to use WeTransfer. WeTransfer is good for a “one-and-done” transfer, if you will be sending all the files all at once.

Ask me for a Dropbox folder link

The transfer method I use the most is Dropbox. I can email you a link to a folder that only you and I will have access to. Once you have that link, it may be as easy as clicking that link and pulling the files from your computer into your web browser and letting them upload. Or, you may need to create a Dropbox account (using your email address) if you don’t have one, but this is a straightforward process that just takes a minute or two. We can use the same folder link again if you need to add more images, or if I need to send you a pdf proof that is too large to attach to an email.

Send them via Google Drive

If you have a gmail account or are more familiar with Google than with Dropbox, you can use Google Drive to share files. This can be done for free up to a certain file size.

Get your photographer to transfer the files

If you are working with a professional photographer, the photographer will know how to transfer big files digitally. Connect your photographer directly with me and they can send me a download link.

Send them via mail on a hard drive or pen drive

Although sending your files via hard drive or pen drive is slow, it is still sometimes the most reliable and cos-effective way to send enormous, heavy graphics for your book. This is of course more efficient if you live in the USA like I do, but even when I lived in Europe, I had an American client send me his files this way. If you would like to use this method, just ask me for my postal address. 🇺🇸

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Self-publishing an image- or graphic-heavy book is a significant endeavour. If you are still at the research and conceptualisation stage of your book, or don’t have all the images ready yet, I recommend booking a brainstorming call to discuss how to create your content and collect your files/graphics efficiently. If your book has lots of tables, charts and graphics, here are some pointers for achieving a professional look and feel to your book. If you are still collecting images and want to make sure you find images that are print quality (as some images are too fuzzy-looking when printed), try searching on these websites.

Editing and Proofreading Information for Self-Publishers

Sometimes when I receive a self-published manuscript to review for design, it becomes clear to me that the manuscript is not really ready for design. It has not been properly edited or proofread, and is lacking the polish it should have before design and layout begins.

I try to alert my clients when I see these kinds of problems in the text, but sometimes they forge ahead anyway, sure that the text is OK—or not willing to add more money to the budget to give their text a professional polish.

However, when a manuscript is not properly proofread or edited, one of two things happens, and neither is good: either the book is published with a lot of text problems (embarrassing, unprofessional, leads to bad reviews), or the client finally gets the book edited or proofread after layout (requiring extensive, expensive changes to the layout).

I don’t like to see my clients in either situation, which is why I contacted Adina Edelman from Edelman Edits to help me untangle some of the questions first-time self-publishers or authors may have about editing and proofreading. I hope the insights she’s shared here will make your book a better read and a better sell!

Do I really need to hire an editor or proofreader? I've gone over the manuscript many times myself. 

Before you buy a used car off someone (if you do that kind of thing), do you inspect it yourself and say it’s fine, or do you take it to your mechanic for a thorough check? Obviously, you let a professional handle it. They know what to look for to ensure that this car you’re spending money on will last the journey. It’s better to pay money now than to realize later on that you messed yourself over.

Listen, you are the author of your book. No one can understand it quite like you do. And no one has spent more time on it than you. But that also means your head cannot look at your writing objectively. Putting it aside for a time certainly helps, but nothing can compare to having objective eyes look at it—eyes that have been trained to see what needs improvement and fixing. I’m not just talking about grammar and spelling. Editing is much more than that. There’s voice, structure, consistency, theme, showing vs. telling, and so much more.

The idea of paying for an editor or giving over your precious writing to someone can be difficult. But you don’t want to regret anything down the line. Your book deserves to be handled by a professional.

Do I need to hire both an editor and a proofreader? What's the difference between editing and proofreading?

This is a question many new authors have, and it’s an important one. A good editor is not cheap. Do you really have to hire an editor and a proofreader? Like, really?

Here’s what a proofreader does: quality control. A proofreader looks through the book after it’s already gone through rounds of editing. The manuscript at this point should be 95% clean—almost no mistakes. The proofreader catches the little errors that slipped through the previous rounds of editing, ensuring a quality book. Having a proofread after it’s been typeset is really helpful; the proofreader can see what the content looks like when everything’s been laid out and thereby catch mistakes that cropped up during typesetting.

So yes, it’s really important to have your book both edited and proofread. Sure, the proofread seems like an extra expense, but it’s really not. You’d be surprised by the blatant errors proofreaders catch. Again, your book deserves professional treatment.

Can one person both edit and proofread my book, or should I hire two or more different people? What are the pros and cons of each approach?

The ideal is to hire two different professionals, as the proofreader will be looking at your book with fresh eyes. They might catch things the editor, who’s been doing in-depth editing, might have missed. It’s always good to have more eyes before your book is published.

There’s also the fact that not every editor also proofreads. They really are different forms of the editing process. However, some writers don’t want to deal with finding another professional. It might be more expensive than sticking with one editor. It might just be more of a pain. They might be on a time crunch.

What I will say is that if you choose to use your editor to proofread your book as well, make sure there’s a good amount of time between the editing and proofreading. Perhaps you’ll have it typeset in between to create some space. But make sure there’s a good two to four weeks for the editor’s brain to reset.

Personally, I offer editing along with proofreading for the convenience of the author, but I use the above approach. I make sure there’s time in between. I also always suggest that the writer find a different proofreader, as that’s really the ideal. And what I’ll never do is developmental editing, line/copyediting, AND proofreading on the same manuscript. By the time I hit the proofread, my eyes would definitely overlook things.

What's the best way to find an editor or proofreader for my self-published book? How can I know that a particular editor or proofreader will do a good job? Do editors have specialties? 

It’s very easy to find an editor or proofreader. You can check the Editorial Freelancers Association or ACES: The Society for Editing to see their lists of professionals. You can do a simple search on LinkedIn.

The hard part is finding a good, professional editor for your book. Jane Doe might be an amazing nonfiction editor, but she wouldn’t be amazing for your sci-fi novel. Or you may be looking for someone with years of experience to help you know if your book is marketable. There are also different types of editing, and the one you need will determine whom you should hire. Editors have specialties, and you’ll likely want to hire one that works in the areas you need.

Overwhelmed yet?

Here’s a simple plan:

Do some searching. Make a list of five editors who work in your genre (whether its literary fiction, medical research, or romance) and message them. Explain what your book is about, the word count, what editing you think it needs, and what your timeframe is.

A professional editor (who has availability) will likely suggest a call or a sample edit.

The sample edit is SO important. This is how you see whether the editor will do a good job. The sample allows you to see their editing style, and it allows the editor to see your writing style. More importantly, it shows the editor what kind of editing your book needs, how much that would cost, and how long it might take. Do not hire an editor without seeing a sample edit. That’s asking for trouble.

The first step is to always reach out. If that particular editor says they can’t take on your book, perhaps they can suggest a colleague who’d be a better fit. It’s a matter of networking now.

At which stage in the book writing process should I first get in touch with an editor?

You’ve finished your manuscript. Hurray! Now is a great time to set it aside for a month or two (or three) and then come back to self-edit before you send it anywhere.

During that wait time is when you reach out to an editor. First off, many editors don’t have immediate availability. So waiting until your book is (in your opinion) totally ready for editing will only result in more waiting.

Second, in that sample edit phase, the editor may point out some major things that need work—things that would push off the editing process anyway until you make those big repairs. It may be that your book actually needs a book coach to smooth out the basics before it’s ready for editing.

Writers often have a mindset of “Let’s start the editing NOW,” but their books or their editors might not be ready for that. This is something you should be prepared for. Reaching out during that downtime is a great way to determine how much more work your book needs and when you might actually begin the editing process.

How long does it usually take for an editor or proofreader to go over a manuscript?

This will depend on the editor, the type of edit, the word count, and the writing itself. So . . . there’s no simple answer. :D

A proofread should take the least amount of time. (Because, as I said above, it should be 95% clean.) A 50,000-word proofread will usually take me about a week if the writing is interesting and engaging. (Yes, that makes a difference.)

A line edit/copyedit takes me the most time because of the in-depth nature of the edit. A 50,000-word copyedit will usually take me two-and-a-half or three weeks.

A developmental edit of the same length would take about two weeks.

But again—there are so many factors at play here, which is why getting a sample edit is so helpful. That gives the editor an idea of how long it will take to edit the whole book.

What does it cost to get a book edited or proofread? 

Every editor has her own process for this. Some price by word, some by project. I do the latter, as I feel that’s the most beneficial for both parties. But to give you an idea, a 50,000-word copyedit might cost $1,500. I would suggest looking at the EFA’s rates page so you understand the range that’s out there. That will help you know how much to save up for a professional edit.

Does an editor or proofreader usually get credited in a book? If so, where is the credit line?

This is up to the author. If you choose, you can credit the editor/proofreader in the acknowledgments. (We do a happy dance when you do this.)

Is there anything else you’d like to tell self-publishers about editing or proofreading?

Remember that an editor is there to help you. Any critique or suggestions are made for the book’s benefit; it is never a personal statement on the author. Remember that the book always remains yours. You are in control of every decision. Accept or reject an edit as you feel is best for your story. Just keep in mind that the editor wants this book to be great almost as much as you do, and they’ve been trained to make it so. The editor is your guide through this refining process. Let them help you make your book shine.

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Adina Edelman is an editor based in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. She runs her own editing business for authors and small publishing companies. Her editing style comes down to two things: honesty and value. Learn more about her developmental editing, copyediting and proofreading services here.

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Do you have more questions about editing, proofreading, book design or book interior layout? Feel free to send me a note and I’ll do my best to help you, or to connect you with someone who can help you!

Publishing a Book with Lots of Tables, Charts or Graphics

If you're working on a book that has a lot of tables, charts or graphics, it's best to talk to your book designer sooner rather than later to figure out the best way to create or supply those graphics. Here are some of the common problems I see when checking files from authors, especially when they are publishing (or self-publishing) for the first time.

Photo by Anthony Tran on Unsplash

Graphics that have been used illegally.

This should go without saying, but graphics that you did not create yourself should be used with permission. This sometimes means you need to find the original source of the image and buy it, other times you just need to give an attribution in a caption or on your copyright page. If a colleague or friend made the graphic, you can ask if they want to be credited. But please, don’t use photos, graphics, tables or charts that you did not create without permission and attribution, if required.

For example, one of my clients wanted this image that she found online in her book, but did not know the original source and did not want to risk using it without permission or attribution:

I built her a similar graphic using the fonts and graphic style that we were using in the rest of her book:

Graphics that are too low resolution for print.

Graphics that have been pulled from Google images or that have been passed around on the internet are often too low resolution for printing. You can usually tell if the image is low resolution by checking the file size (the smaller the file size, it is less likely it is that the quality is good). Another way to tell is to zoom in on the image on your screen and see if you quickly begin to see a rough, pixelated edge to the graphics. This is not a good sign!

Your book designer will ultimately need your graphics as separate files (not just placed into a Word file) and it can save your designer time and you money if you provide them as individual, clearly-labeled files that the designer can easily insert one by one into your book. (Any graphic that has been placed into Word has lost quality; your designer will want to work from the highest quality file you have!)

It is especially important that graphics that have text in them be crisp and easy to read. This client had this low resolution graphic:

I kept the same content but made the text crisper and adjusted the greys to work well in print:

Graphics that are not understandable in black and white.

This is important if your book interior is going to be black ink only (grayscale). If you have graphs or tables that can only be understood because of the colors on them (such as: the pink slices of your pie chart represent watermelon, the red sliced represent strawberries), you either need to rebuild them to be understandable in black and white (such as using a dot pattern vs. a checkered pattern to show the difference between two slices) or get your book designer to rebuild them for you!

For example, the distinctions between the different shades of purple on this graph were not understandable in black and white, so we had to add some patterns to the graph and the key:

Graphics that don’t match.

It is often the case that graphics for a book have been collected from a variety of sources and don't match in style or format, giving the book a messy, unprofessional feel. If you want your self-published book to compete with a publishing house’s book—or to catch a publisher’s eye in hopes of getting a book deal—you need to make sure the graphics have some kind of commonality to them: this might be as simple as making sure they appear at the same width and height with the same styling (such as a black border around them and an italicized caption under each one) or might be more complex, requiring redrawing them in design software to make them all have a similar feel.

Graphics that don’t fit the proportions of your book.

It is sometimes the case that a full-page graphic does not fit well to the proportions of the book. In this case it may need to be reworked to fit inside the margins of your book.

I took this complex, oblong graphic:

And reworked it to fit the format and match the fonts and style of the book:

Graphics that are not editable (but could be).

If you are creating tables, charts or graphics yourself, it is good to talk to your book designer about what format would be best (jpeg? pdf? tiff? ai?). For example, many people create graphics in Powerpoint or Canva and give them to the book designer as jpegs. However, giving them to the book designer as pdfs might be better, because often that means the designer can edit different parts of your graphics (especially text/fonts) more easily. This saves your book designer a lot of time if they don’t have retype text or redraw graphics, time he or she can better invest in styling the look and feel of the graphic to match the others.

For example, my client drew this graphic using Google’s suite of tools:

She gave me access to the Google file, which I was able to export as a PDF. I used her basic design, but was able to use design software to edit the style and fonts so that they would match her book’s look perfectly. And I added a few fun graphics suiting the theme for good measure!

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Talking through your needs with your designer ahead of time can save you a lot of time and money! Sometimes authors contact me months in advance of their book being ready, just to talk through the best way to collect or create their images. If tables, charts or graphics play an integral part in your book, consider booking a brainstorming session with me or at least email me your questions before you create all your graphics. This can potentially save you—and me—days of work! Here’s to your complex book, and making it as neat, beautiful, and readable as possible!

How to Use the Final Page of Your Book for Marketing

The final page of your book offers a great opportunity for a bit of marketing or self-promotion. This page can come after the about the author page, and faces the inside back cover. It can be a great place to ask for reviews, share links or hashtags, encourage readers to place another order (of a journal or similar product) or buy another book from the same author or publisher.

Below I have some simple text-based template samples to help you make the most of this prime piece of real estate. Copy and paste a sample from below and tweak it to suit your needs, replacing the text in brackets with your own details! I will update this page as I come across new ideas for how to use the final page of your book to further establish your brand or name.

Photo by Stas Knop via Pexels

Sample 1

Thank you for reading
[your book title here]!

Please share your impressions on social media using the hashtag,
[your hashtag here].

Please visit [your web address here]
which features [list the cool stuff on your website here].

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Sample 2

Thank you for reading [your book title here]!

Please share your feedback on social media using our hashtags and handles:
[your hashtags and handles here].

For a downloadable [cool freebie here] and additional resources,
or to book [your name here] to speak at your event
please visit: [your web address here]

If you enjoyed this book, please consider writing a review with your honest impressions on Amazon, Goodreads, or the platform of your choosing. Your feedback is incredibly valuable for helping independent authors like us to reach a wider audience.

[Your logo here]

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Sample 3 (Journal)

[Your logo here]
Order your next journal at [your website here]

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Sample 4 (Other Books or Resources)

Check out [author’s name here / publishing house name here] ’s other books / resources!

[Book title]
[Cover image]
[Book summary and ISBN]

[Book title]
[Cover image]
[Book summary and ISBN]

[Your website or other contact information here]

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Sample 5 (About your Company or Non-Profit)

[Company or Non-Profit logo here]

[Mission Statement here]

[Summary of your offerings, resources or products here]

For more resources and events, go to:

[Your website here]

What Does a Printer Need to Know Give Me a Book Printing Price?

I give my book clients PDF files that are ready to send to the printer of their choice. But if you’re a first-time author, approaching a printer to ask for a price for printing your book can be a bit intimidating. What do they need to know in order to give you a price? Printers sometimes talk in their own special language: what is bleed, or CMYK, or perfect biding?

I reached out to Amanda at Priority Printing Ltd. in Edmonton, Canada (the book printer where I worked many moons ago) to ask her to help me to make a list of everything a printer needs to know to provide you with a basic book quote. The information in this post was provided by Priority Printing Ltd., and they’d love if you’d reach out to them for a book printing price.

Photo by NordWood Themes on Unsplash

Here’s what you should tell your printer, to get an accurate book printing estimate:

• Quantity - How many copies of the book do you need? Usually the printer would like to know the minimum and maximum quantities you would be interested in, and quote about 3 different quantity options. Once the printer has set up your book and is ready to print, it doesn’t cost a lot more to print a few more copies, so the price improves as the quantity increases.

• Page count - How many pages does your book have? If you don’t know yet, give an estimate, and ask the printer to update the pricing once you have an exact page count.

• Dimensions - What size are the pages of your book? Some common North American sizes are 5.5x8.5”, 6”x9”, or 8.5”x11”. However, one of the perks of printing your book with a traditional printer (as opposed to a print-on-demand printer) is that you can virtually choose any size you want.

• Binding - How will your book be bound? The typical options are:

  • Perfect Binding (for softcover books, most common binding style for most self-publishers)

  • Hard Cover Binding

  • Saddle Stitch (“folded” spine with stitches or staples to keep the book together, only works for thin booklets)

  • Plastic or wire spiral binding

• Interior details:

  • Will the inside of your book print in black ink only, or in full color? (The printer might also call full color “four color” or “CMYK”, referring to cyan, magenta, yellow and black.)

  • What kind of paper do you want for your book? Uncoated paper (“offset” or “opaque”) is a great option for books with black ink only interiors; coated paper (gloss, semi-gloss, or dull) is great for a book that has a full color interior.

  • Does your book have “bleed”? This means, does your book have text, graphics or images that go right up to the edge of the page? If it does, your book needs to have “bleed”, and the printer needs to know that.

• Cover details:

  • Will your cover print in full color or black ink?

  • Does your book have foil, emboss, or any other finishing effects on the cover?

  • What laminate finish would you like for your cover? This is a coating that helps to protect the cover paper, making it more durable. There are three basic options: gloss, matte or soft touch.

If you are not sure how to answer some of these questions, just talk to your printer. This is another privilege of working with a local or traditional printer, you should be able to talk directly to a customer service representative, asking your questions and getting any explanations or samples that you need!

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Feeling like you’ve bitten off more than you can chew with your book project? Sign up for my “Book Done” Newsletter to hear stories and tips from other writers who’ve been in your shoes and gotten their books done! Or, looking for a book designer? Let’s talk.