The publishing process explained
Every publishing project follows a step-by-step process to ensure that your book is 100% publishing ready. At BK Publishing (Preflight books) we follow a tailor-made process especially designed for our self-published authors.
Each new author enters a new world when they start looking into publishing their manuscript. It may even feel like the entire system is kept a secret from the general society. I can promise you this is not the case! Publishers and editors want the authors to understand and be part of this step-by-step publishing process. This is especially true in the self-publishing industry where the author’s input is very important.
Step-by-step: The 5 step process
At Preflight books we have put together a simple and easy to follow 5 step publishing process for our authors. This process starts after you have finished writing your manuscript and it ends with your printed book in your hands. Your publisher or editor will help guide you every step of the way.
Step 1: Editing
After your manuscript has been written it is important to get it polished by a professional editor. The editor will work through your manuscript and eliminate all of the errors. The level of editing required will depend on your manuscript. It may only require minor editing for typos, spelling and punctuation mistakes. Or the editor may need to look at sentence construction, the overall flow of the manuscript and plot holes.
Step 2: Design
There are two aspects related to design. The first being the typesetting of your manuscript and the second the designing of your cover.
Typesetting: This is where a designer will design the inside of your book. Typesetting will include fonts, paragraph spacing, margins and chapter headings. If you want your book to look professional it is important that your book be designed by a professional designer.
Cover design: The cover of your book is very important! It is the first thing that people see when they pick up your book. For this reason, you need to have a cover that looks professional and striking. A professional cover designer will design a cover where everything will work together to communicate the essence of your book.
Step 3: Proofreading
You and your editor will have the opportunity to read through the book once it has been placed in layout. This proofreading phase will eliminate any small errors that may have been overlooked. Once you look at your book in a different format all of these small errors will jump off the page. These can be corrected in the next step. It is vital for everyone in your circle to look at your book carefully. Having more people looking and reading the manuscript will result in fewer errors missed at the end.
Step 4: Corrections
During proofreading some mistakes can pop up, these will be corrected during Step 4 of the process. All corrections and changes should be finalised before the book is printed or the e-Book is created. After all of the corrections have been made your publisher or editor will have a quick look through your book. They will check that everything is consistent and sign off on the book before it goes to print.
Step 5: Printing
The designer will use the corrected files to create a print ready PDF file to send to the printers. This PDF will include crop marks to indicate to the printers where the pages should be cut. It may look a bit strange! But, these small marks in the corners of the pages will not be visible in the end.
Now it is your turn
Step 6 is in your hands: The marketing and sales of your book. Once you have the hardcopy of your book in your hands, you can start planning your big launch. Let your publisher or editor guide you through steps 1 to 5. So when you take over, you can be assured that you have an exceptional product to sell.
Read more about the publishing process and the Preflight Journey at https://www.preflightbooks.co.za/your-publishing-journey/
For additional reading check out Jane Friedman’s article ‘Understanding the book publishing process’ at https://www.ingramspark.com/blog/understanding-the-book-publishing-process.
