OUR MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
FAQs
Who should self-publish their book?
There are lots of great reasons to self-publish your book!
- You want the same quality as traditional publishing without having to give up control of the final product or your rights and royalties.
- You want to have much more creative control and, if the book does well, reap much higher royalties than with traditional publishing.
- The topic of your book’s is very tightly focused on a specific niche market and won’t attract a big enough audience to be considered by a traditional publisher.
- Your book is particularly “timely” and you don’t want to wait the 1.5 years or more for a traditional publisher to take you book to market.
Why should I hire a professional book designer?
We specialize in designing books and stay current with the latest trends and technologies so we can offer you the best possible product based on your publishing needs.
Shoppers are very savvy these days and they can spot an unprofessional book cover from a mile away. You want our book to look professional so it will stand out in the crowd and look great next to traditionally published books. We know what it takes to make your book stand out and look every bit as professional as a traditionally published book
Your book cover should give the reader a sneak peek into what the book is about, what genre it is, and set the right tone for what’s to come.
Here are some of the design elements that are essential for a professional-quality book cover that stands out:
- a compelling and memorable image that captures your book’s essence
- a typefaces that have the right “feel” for your book’s content and be easy to read
- colors that convey the right emotions
- a book cover layout that’s balanced and leads the reader’s eye through the cover
What’s included in your services?
You’ve worked hard to finish your manuscript, and you’re ready for the next step: to transform it into a finished book.
A Custom Full-color Book Cover We will create a book cover that will make a great first impression and accurately reflect what concept, topic, or ideas you want to relate to your potential reader.
All Pages Custom Designed and Typeset Your book’s interior pages will all work together to create a pleasing and well-balanced experience for your readers. Every detail matters, from your book’s trim size, margins, fonts, type size, space between the lines, hyphens, widows and orphans, page numbers, running headers (or footers), chapter openers, images with captions, front matter (title page, copyright page, table of contents, introduction) to the back matter (author photo and bio, glossary, bibliography, index) and any other signature elements in your book.
All Digital Files In High-resolution Format Your book will be designed in InDesign and Photoshop, the industry standard software for designing for print. All final digital files are 300 dpi, the resolution required for printing.
Digital Files Uploaded Directly To Your Printer
We’ll upload your final high-resolution digital files to your printer with instructions, to ensure your printing is completely trouble-free for you.
Low-resolution Cover Images
When your book is finished, we’ll provide you with various sizes of low-resolution images of your book’s front cover to use for promoting your book online. Use these for websites, emails, and uploading to online book vendors such as Amazon.
All your final digital files for your records and safe keeping
After your book goes to press, we’ll provide you with all your digital files, both high- and low-resolution, for your records and safekeeping. Down the road, if you choose to reprint your book anywhere in the world, you can simply upload your digital files and know that your book can be printed completely hassle-free.
Full Rights to Your Final Book Design
You will own all the rights to your final book design.
A Page On This Website For Your Book
We’ll create a webpage for your book—in our portfolio section—while it’s being printed, so readers can find your book on the Internet while you’re still waiting for it to arrive from your printer. We’ll add links to your website and/or online book vendors where your book can be purchased, to help spread the word.
How long will it take to publish my book?
Will I have a say in the design process?
Yes! We like to build a close, collaborative relationship with our authors. You can participate in every stage of your book design for a creative, rewarding experience. Together we’ll transform your ideas into a top-quality book you’ll be proud of. We know how to make your book the best it can be. You’ll enjoy the creative process of participating in your book’s design and seeing it evolve, and you can leave all the production details to us with complete confidence.
Why do I need to have my manuscript edited by a professional before my pages are typeset?
Nothing screams “amateur” like a book full of typos. Unfortunately, there are plenty of unedited books out there that do just that. Great books have been edited by a professional. It’s that simple.
Having your manuscript edited by an experienced editor can also save you time and money in the long run. Even the smallest changes to your text after your pages have been typeset can have a domino effect on many pages to follow. This can be time-consuming and costly in the end.
Will my book get into stores?
Can my book be produced using sustainable print options?
We love working with printing companies that put the planet first.
Forest Stewardship Council®
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC®) is a global not-for-profit organization that sets the standard for responsibly managed forests world-wide, both environmentally and socially.
You can rest assured that any paper that’s been certified by the FSC has been created with sustainable practices from start to finish. FSC certified paper is indistinguishable from traditional paper, so you don’t have to compromise on quality to have an eco-friendly book.
Ancient Forest Friendly™
The Ancient Forest Friendly™ designation and logo from Canopy represents the highest ecological qualities in the paper industry. Ancient Forest Friendly pulp and paper is free of ancient or endangered forest fiber, made with 100% recycled or agricultural fibre paper, and is whitened without chlorine.
“Linda is a wonderful person to work with. She has remarkable design skills and she's a tenacious problem solver. We cannot imagine working with anyone else on future books.”
“Linda's knowledge of all things book-related, from covers and colors and captions, to fonts and layout and photos, along with prompt and competent responses to questions, made the journey enjoyable and the end product terrific!”
“Working with Linda was a lovely experience and my book looks absolutely great!”
