Although the US book trade is enduring difficult times, self-publishing is more popular than ever. Perhaps that is actually a causal link — declines in traditional publishing lead to increases in non-traditional options. Many self-published books are intended only for a limited audience — the author's family, or a specific group. The Book Designer blogs about options for more ambitious self-publishers. Much of it is US-specific, but there are plenty of ideas that Australian authors can apply to their own promotional campaigns.
Preparing Material for Us
A few guidelines to assist our clients in supplying material to us.
- detailed instructions are essential, including design directions, preferred typefaces, corporate style guides if relevant
- dimensions of the job and preferred page extent
- text supplied in finalised form where possible
- image files as large as possible (anything under 200Kb is likely to be too small)
- image files supplied separately, not embedded in a Word document. Instead, place a tag in the text eg. <image no.7 here> and number the image filename to match
- text files supplied clean and using styles (particularly important with long documents). If styles are not used, then make sure the heading and text hierarchies are very clear
- If files for the project are too large to email, try www.yousendit.com or upload directly to our site (and notify us you have done so). Failing all else, snail mail to PO 72, Eltham Vic 3095
Authors doing it for themselves
Self publishing or small press publishing does not have to be a royal road to obscurity and crates of unsold books. Active, savvy authors can drive healthy book sales. Here are a couple of tips from a multi-thousand selling Australian author:
Jacqueline Dinan, author of "A Woman's War", a work of fiction dealing with World War One, has focussed on giving talks about her book to interested groups. She says that:
- The book came about because I married a history buff and realised that other than watching ‘The Sullivans’, my knowledge of Australia’s war history, was very limited. So, we set out to write a book for women like me.
- Writing the book was the history lesson that I never received at either girls’ school that I attended.
- I present to groups – Rotary, Probus, View, U3A, Legacy, War Widows, Educational, Shrine, RACV Club (they are all keen for speakers)
- The power point presentation is about the research I did into Women on the Home Front & Men on The Western Front
In addition, Jacqueline was very active in soliciting reviews for her book prior to print publication. Reviewers included the Herald Sun, the Weekly Times and Dame Elisabeth Murdoch.
Stay tuned for further practical tips for authors.
Barcodes on the Cheap
Most books destined for print need a barcode to facilitate tracking and sales. The barcode is generated from the thirteen digit international standard book number (ISBN). Bookstores prefer that the barcode is placed against a very light or white background, and is approx 36mms across. The width of the barcode is more important than height for scanning purposes. Chameleon Print Design generates barcodes for our clients at no added cost (via a plugin built into the book layout package). Otherwise, the issuer of ISBNs in Australia (DW Thorpe) can supply the electronic barcode file for a fee.
Cataloguing in Publication (CiP)
Cataloguing in Publication (CiP)
Cataloguing in Publication (CiP) is a free service offered to publishers by the National Library of Australia to provide a bibliographic record for a book before it is published. When the book is published the CiP data is printed on the reverse side of the title page. The CiP data is also included in the National Bibliographic Database (NBD) available on Kinetica, Australia’s Library Network. Visit www.nla.gov.au/services/CIP.html for further information.
Libraries are both major purchasers and supporters of books published in Australia, so utilising this service makes a lot sense.
Indexing Essentials
Indexing is a simple concept, but difficult to execute properly. Too often indexing is an afterthought, compiled without much planning. Authors and publishers sometimes begrudge the expenditure involved, but it is an investment in reader satisfaction. A well constructed index adds immeasurably to the value of a non-fiction book, making search and navigation simple and satisfying. An index automatically generated by a word processor or layout package is useless without the hand of an experienced indexer.
The Book Show on ABC Radio National recently ran an interesting program on the finer points of indexing.
If you are considering engaging an indexer, visit The Australian and New Zealand Society of Indexers and take advantage of their directory of available indexers. All people listed have completed the appropriate training.
ISBNs
ISBN
All books published in Australia and elsewhere should have an ISBN (international standard book number). The production of the barcode for the book cover is included in the service provided by Chameleon Print Design.
Thorpe-Bowker holds the Australian agency for the distribution of ISBN numbers. As stated on their website (http://www.thorpe.com.au/en-AU/products/servident_isbn.shtml) “The ISBN (International Standard Book Number) is a 13-digit number that uniquely identifies books and book-like products published internationally. Each number identifies a unique edition of a publication, from one specific publisher, allowing for more efficient marketing of products by booksellers, libraries, universities, wholesalers and distributors.”
You do not have to be publisher or organisation to obtain an ISBN number allocation. Self-publishers are known as “self-allocators”. At the time of printing, Thorpe-Bowker was charging $55 to register as a publisher, $40 for an individual ISBN and $80 for a block of ten ISBNs. Application forms are available at their website or contact them at the number/address below:
ISBN Agency
Thorpe-Bowker
Level One, 607 St Kilda Road
(PO Box 6509, St Kilda Road Central VIC 8008)
Melbourne VIC 3004
Telephone: +61-3-8645-0385
Email: isbn@thorpe.com.au
Cataloguing in Publication (CiP)
Cataloguing in Publication (CiP) is a free service offered to publishers by the National Library of Australia to provide a bibliographic record for a book before it is published. When the book is published the CiP data is printed on the reverse side of the title page. The CiP data is also included in the National Bibliographic Database (NBD) available on Kinetica, Australia’s Library Network. Visit www.nla.gov.au/services/CIP.html for further information.
Libraries are both major purchasers and supporters of books published in Australia, so utilising this service makes a lot sense.
Be a Dummy
Awaiting the return of a book from the printers is a nerve-racking time. Authors worry about errors, page ordering mistakes, the cover design and the overall feel of the work. In the end, a book is an artefact as well as a collation of words and ideas. If the book looks flimsy, poorly bound, the cover curls up and the paper type feels wrong, disaster may be in the offing. What many authors don't know is that printers are happy to make up a 'dummy' of their book before printing. The dummy replicates the paper type, weight, cover stock, binding style and page extent, but is completely blank. It is not a proof -- that comes later in the process. A book dummy allows the author or publisher to assess the feel and quality of the book before printing it. In conjunction with the printers proof and thorough checking, it is a means of ensuring the quality and accuracy of the whole production. In addition, your leftover book dummy will make a dandy notebook.