Archive: December 2016

Finished manuscript? What next?

You’ve done all the hard work and you have your finished manuscript. What’s the next step?

Here is a brief outline of the process of going from finished manuscript to the final outcome; a stunning, high quality printed book.

1. Contact us and receive a complimentary 30 minutes consultation. This allows us to ask you a bunch of questions and enables us to put a quote together for you.
2. If you accept our quote, we will then set up a timeline for your project. Working back from your launch date, we factor in design, revisions and printing. The timeline will be altered depending on if your book is printed in Australia or overseas. Please note: 30% deposit is due upon acceptance of our quote.
3. You then send your finished manuscript file electronically to us. From here, we will set up the document.
4. We will provide 2 different internal page designs for your consideration. This usually includes variations in fonts and spacing. After a bit of to and fro, we get to what will be the final design.
5. Once we have bedded down the design, we set to and put the book together. We create the 1st draft. This will include all front matter, body and end matter. We send the 1st draft to you and this is often where you, as the author, see the manuscript very differently than when you were working on it. It can be like seeing it through different eyes and presents the perfect opportunity to pick up on any anomalies. We like to leave the 1st draft with you for as long as you need for a thorough read-through, proofread, edit, etc.
6. During the time that you have the 1st draft, we can be organising some of the nuts and bolts like ISBN, CiP data, sourcing quotes from printers, etc.
7. 1st draft returned to us. We then proceed to make all your requested changes. Your book will be taking its final shape and this is when the page count is usually locked in and the Imprint data and any other details are complete.
8. The 2nd draft is sent to you for final checking through, ticking off all your requested changes and noting any other changes that may need to be made. When you are ready, you send this back to us and we set about making your changes or additions.
9. Now we are up to the 3rd and usually final draft. We make any last-minute changes and prepare the press-ready files for the chosen printer.

Cataloguing-in-Publication (CiP data)

The National Library of Australia offers this service to publishers. It is to provide a catalogue record for publications. National, State and Regional libraries use the CiP data to create a catalogue entry for your book.

The best part is that allows the general public to easily find your book.

This is important for all books. Especially for Family Histories as it allows future generations to locate your family history.

This data states the name of the author/s and or contributors, such as editors, designers, etc. It also provides the genre and target audience. The Imprint Page displays this information.

To be eligible for this data, you must have an ISBN.

The only thing you need to do is to provide a copy of your finished printed book to your State and the National Library.

We can organise the CiP data for you.

What is an ISBN?

International Standard Book Number
An ISBN is a unique product identifier used by booksellers, libraries and internet retailers for ordering, listing, sales and stock control purposes. This unique number identifies the publisher, title, author, edition and format.

We can provide you with an ISBN or you can purchase this yourself. The purpose of the ISBN is to identify one specific version of a book. We register the ISBN with Thorpe-Bowker™ Identifier Services, the only official ISBN Agency in Australia.

Do you need an ISBN?

• If you intend to sell your book, yes, you will need an ISBN. Most retailers also use ISBNs to track their book inventories.
• Having an ISBN also allows you to obtain a CiP entry from the Australian National Library.
• ISBNs are the global standard for identifying titles. Their purpose is to identify one specific version on a book. Your unique ISBN identifies your book correctly.
• Once you have an ISBN we can then generate a barcode for the back cover of your book. If you intend to sell your book through retail outlets, you will also need a barcode. The barcode is generated from the ISBN number. We can produce barcodes too.

Different Formats

Thinking of making an eBook? You will need a different ISBN for each format of your book. If you wish to have a hardbound copy, a softbound copy, an ePUB, a PDF, a MOBI, or even register a new version, you will need a unique number for each version.

How much does an ISBN cost?

• Single: $50 +GST
• Package of 5: $180 +GST

We offer special deals if you bundle your ISBN with a barcode.

• Single ISBN and barcode: $80 +GST
• Package of 5 ISBN and barcode: $320 +GST