FIND YOUR TEAM
Resources
One of the most difficult tasks in publishing your book is finding the right team to help you. You’ll probably require the expertise of an editor, proofreader, possibly an indexer and/or illustrator, and a book printer.
To help you put together your team, we’ve compiled this section listing people and companies with lots of experience and expertise working on books, as well as a special interest in working with authors. We’ve worked with everyone listed in this section, and recommend them all.
Editors
Whether your manuscript needs a structural edit, a copy edit, an index, or simply proofreading, it’s important to find a book editor who understands your work. Your editor will help you clarify your text and streamline it, so there are no “bumps in the road”—your reader will find it smooth traveling from cover to cover.
Here are links to freelance editors, indexers and proofreaders who have a special interest in working with authors. You’ll find descriptions of their areas of expertise, as well as a link to contact them. I’ve worked with these editors in the past, and highly recommend all of them.
Robin Fowler
Since 1996, Robin Fowler has worked with individuals, families, and organizations to create and complete remarkable memoirs. She has provided editing assistance to many writers. She has offered vision to those starting out on a writing journey. She has coached novice personal historians in the art of project planning and business development. She has spread her passion for memoirs as invaluable legacies for generations to come. In 2020, Speak Memories’ focus shifted to provide a narrower selection of services, including Coaching, Interviewing, Editing, and Project Management.
Arlene Prunkl
PenUltimate Editorial Services provides fast, top-calibre, professional freelance editing, proofreading, manuscript consultation and other editing services to authors throughout the English-speaking world. With my guidance and expertise, you’ll have the smoothest editing experience possible. Together, we’ll make your words sparkle! (Bonus: I’m very gentle with authors.)
Dania Sheldon
Holds a doctorate in English Language and Literature from the University of Oxford and has sixteen years’ experience editing a diverse variety of non-fiction and fiction materials. She is eclectic in her interests and very comfortable working with a wide range of subjects in the humanities and sciences. Dania also is a trained and experienced indexer.
James R. Coggins
Freelance editor, specializing in copyediting and substantive editing (including plot and character development) of book manuscripts. He has experience editing both fiction and non-fiction and both popular and academic books.
Joanna Eng
Copy editor and proofreader who loves working on a diverse array of fiction and nonfiction books. She can also tap into her eleven years of professional web experience to work magic on the content and strategy of your author website, newsletter, or social media efforts.
Editors’ Association of Canada
provides a service for getting quotes from editors. Search their Online Directory of Editors by name, location, or editorial specialty, or post a notice on their Job Board to get quotes from editors who are interested.
Illustrators
As a book designer, I’m always looking for illustrations. Illustrations contribute so much to book cover design and pages. An illustrator can capture a scene, create a mood or depict characters in your story, all with color and style.
Every illustrator has a distinct style, so it’s important to choose an illustrator whose style suits your book. You can probably tell from looking at an illustrator’s samples whether they’re the right illustrator for you.
You may need your full-color children’s book illustrated, or you may just want one or two technical drawings to explain a paragraph of text. Whatever your needs, the illustrators listed below have a special interest in working with authors. You’ll find descriptions of their areas of expertise and samples of their work, as well as their contact information.
Dogfoose.com
An illustrative contributor to Kids Discover magazine for more than 20 years, Michael Kline also lists such companies as Penguin Publishing, Family Fun magazine, Storey Publishing, and Ideals Publishing among those who receive his hand-addressed invoices. He is the author/illustrator of WordPlay Café, a phonetic romp for the knee-high generation, and recently released his first attempt at left-handed imagery in The Doodles of Sam Dibble (Penguin Young Readers; Grosset and Dunlap). He crafts his illuminations from his modest and nearly-paid-for home in Wichita, KS.
Lori Joy Smith
has been working as an illustrator since 2000. She has done work for American Girl magazine, Today’s Parent magazine and does a monthly drawing page for Chirp magazine. Lori illustrated “Noisy Poems for a Busy Day” in 2012 and will have another children’s book coming out in 2013, published by Simply Read Books. Lori lives with her family in Charlottetown PEI.
Printers
Here are links to printers for Digital (printing of 50 to 1,000 books), offset (1,000 or more copies) and POD (print on demand – printed after purchased online).
Digital
Adibooks
Offers one stop book printing along with resources and guidance for first time authors, seasoned pros as well as book publishers, including Online Instant Quotes. Affiliated with King Printing.
Blitzprint
Blitzprint is based in Alberta, Canada and specializes in short-run printing. They also offer add-on services to authors, such as distribution, fulfillment, and marketing.
Bookmasters
Bookmasters offers short run printing (minimum 100 copies) plus a variety of services including storage and fulfillment, marketing and an online bookstore.
BookMobile
Bookmobile offers digital printing for trade paperbacks, hardcover books and full-color illustrated books.
Edition One Books
specializes in creating short-run digitally printed books for art and design professionals. They offer an exceptional selection of cover materials and special options such as foil stamping to make your book stand out.
Printorium Bookworks/Island Blue
prints quality books in small or large quantities. They also offer color printing and some special treatments such as printing on the inside cover and flaps for softcover books.
Offset
Friesens
Specializing in full-color hardcover and softcover books. With a full range of prepress services, printing and many types of binding options. Located in Manitoba, Canada, they give very competitive quotes for printing and shipping books to the US.
Hemlock Printers
Recognized for excellence in book printing at the various international printing industry award competitions. They have the latest technology available for any size or type of book. Located in Vancouver, Canada, they are not the cheapest but do very high quality work.
Replika Press
Based in India, Replika Press has excellent prices for color printing. They manufacture softcover and hardcover books for publishers worldwide.
POD
Kindle Direct Publishing (Amazon KDP)
An Amazon company, offering full services including printing, distribution, and marketing.
IngramSpark
POD printing and eBook distribution for authors.
Lightning Source
Affiliated with Ingrams and offers color POD as well as reasonable prices for offset printing.
Photos
Generally, online images fall into two categories: royalty-free and rights-managed. Royalty-free images can be used for any purpose, and have a fixed price for each size. Rights-managed images are more expensive, and you purchase the right to use the image for a specific purpose (your front cover), for a specific circulation (5,000 copies), and for a specific geographical area (North America).
iStockPhoto.com
My personal favorite! Just enter a word or phrase in the keyword search box, and away you go! You can save images in a lightbox to keep track of the images you’re interested in.
Can Stock Photo
offers over 4 million professional royalty free stock photos at prices you can afford. High-quality images start at just $1.00, and a generous license agreement gives you the flexibility you need. We offer free weekly downloads with thousands of new images added every week.
First Light
represents over 200 of its own photographers, and in combination with Design Pics Canadian based photographers, has the most extensive collection of Canadian content available anywhere.
FotoSearch
For over 20 years Fotosearch has provided high-quality images to creative professionals for use in their designs and presentations. We bring together thousands of photographers, illustrators, and videographers to provide “The World’s Stock Photography at One Web Site.”™
Getty Images
We are a leading provider of digital media worldwide, creating and distributing a range of assets—from royalty-free stock photography and editorial images to video, music and multimedia—that help communicators around the globe tell their stories.
Go Graph
Stock Photography offers over 18 million affordable royalty free stock photos, illustrations, vector clip art and royalty-free footage clips. Our database contains images on a wide variety of topics and can be viewed for free or purchased for any project.
Image Zoo
Specializing in royalty-free stock illustrations, rights managed and custom illustration. Hundreds of artists in all different styles.
Masterfile
Buy photos, vectors and illustrations for web, mobile and print.
RGBstock
All images on RGBStock are free for personal and commercial use. You may use them in digital format on websites, blogs, multimedia presentations, broadcast film and video or in printed material such as magazines, books, brochures, flyers and text books.