FAQ SECTION

What typeface should I use for my text?
What margins do you recommend?
How do I prepare my text for my one color trade book the printer?
How do I prepare my text for my full-color children’s book?
I have a children’s book with only 18 pages, what should I do?
How do I convert a file to PDF?
Can I supply camera copy?
What types of originals are used for illustrations?
Is there one medium for illustrations that’s better than another?
How about if my illustrations are computer generated? Is that OK?
What size should my original art be?
What is a scan?
Should I provide my own scans?
Do I need to use four colors to create an effective cover/casewrap/jacket?
Should I have my book cover/casewrap/jacket professionally designed?
How do I know how wide the spine will be?
How do I prepare my cover/jacket/casewrap for the printer?
What about bar codes?

DESIGN QUESTIONS

What typeface should I use for my text?

You need to use a serif typeface, or font, if you want your text to be easy to read. Serifs are small extensions or “ticks” on the bases and tops of letters. They lead the eye from one letter to the next making the type easier to read. Times New Roman is probably the most widely used serif typeface.

If you want something different I suggest Century Schoolbook, Baskerville, Garamond, Goudy Old Style or another easily readable serif font. Avoid any sans serif font—“sans” from the French meaning “without.” This sentence is written in Arial, a sans serif typeface, and reading several pages of it will tire your eyes.

What margins do you recommend?

Probably the single thing that amateurs do most often is not allow enough space for margins. The printer needs to have white space all around the page and that includes your heads and folios. We suggest a minimum of ¾” in the gutter (center of the book) and ½” on the other three sides. You should never have anything closer than ¼” to the edge of your trim size.

How do I prepare my text for my one color trade book for the printer?

One of the most significant changes to have taken place recently is the file format most requested by book printers. Adobe PDF appears to have won the race when it comes to preferred text format. It works with virtually all imagesetters, platesetters and digital output devises. Most popular file formats, including MS Word, Word Perfect, and MS Publisher are easily converted to PDF. Like postscript, PDF is a “locked” format so there is no problem with reflow when the files are opened on different computers. Unlike postscript, which can only be viewed on a postscript viewer (which most people do not have), PDF can be read on any PDF reader. PDF readers are free either at the Adobe Web site, the BooksJustBooks.com Web site or through half the Web sites on the Internet. Adobe has made working with Acrobat even easier by removing any pricing obstacles by offering a file conversion service at adobe.com for $9.95 per month (which can be canceled at any time).

Like everything else in the electronic world, the word “easy” is relative. It may take a little time and patience but for all you “word” users, it’s certainly easier and cheaper than purchasing and learning how to use PageMaker or Quark. Of course, if you’d like, you can hire Jonathan Gullery at Budget Book Design who, for a reasonable fee, will lay out your book in the proper format for you. Since our computers save us thousands of dollars on typesetting costs, we should be able to afford several hundred dollars for the services of someone who specializes in making sure our books make it from PC to press smoothly and efficiently.

How do I prepare my text for my full-color children’s book?

Text and art are two different things. Text typically prints in black (and black only, not black made up of four-colors). And art typically prints in four-color. So, when creating your artwork remember to leave space where your text is going to be placed. This can be either an area with no artwork or an area that is light in color, and an area that is not too busy. Remember, you want to be able to read your type, and that won’t be possible if type is in with your artwork. All files submitted to BooksJustBooks.com, need to be hi-res single page PDF files. We need a file for your text, a file for your casewrap and a file for your book jacket (if you have opted to have one). Printouts of all files submitted are also required.

I have a children’s book with only 18 pages, what should I do?

The minimum number of pages required to do a hard cover book is 32 (and that can include the endpapers), so you will have to “add” a few pages. Usually that’s easy to do with tricks such as having a “half-title” page, and a full title page spread (2 pages) and you can often “open up” some other pages to give you what you need. Remember, many children’s books have text on one page and a picture facing it, so not every page is “full”.

How do I convert a file to PDF?

See “Tips on Scans and PDFs” in the Production Center at BooksJustBooks.com

Can I supply camera copy?

Five years ago I would have answered, “Of course! It costs about $10 per page for camera work, film and layout.” Two years ago I would have answered, “Sure, but it will cost you $5 per page to scan your laser proofs into a digital format.” Today the answer is just “Sure!” Most printers today have scanners that will scan in excess of 30 pages per minute. A 320-page book takes about 10 minutes to scan. In short… it’s no big deal. Some printers still have slower scanners and need to charge a couple dollars per page but the marketplace is going to force these printers into line with the ones that are not charging at all. Remember though, scanning your laser copy puts the final printing another generation away from the original in a quality manner. But for straight text with no halftones (pictures) or screened graphics, few people will know the difference. I suggest that if you are leaning in that direction, you go out and buy a ream of good paper, (you know the kind I mean) and set your printer to as high a dpi as possible and give it a whirl. For books with screens or halftones you still need to figure out how to get your files converted to a PDF format. You’ll be happy you did!

What types of originals are used for illustrations?

The answer to this question has changed in the last few years, because of advances in technology. Illustrations can either be original artwork, photographs, transparencies (35mm and larger), computer generated graphics (in Illustrator, Photoshop, etc.), digital photos (photos taken with a digital camera) or photo CDs (traditional film scanned to CD

at time of processing). Certainly the current trend is for more and more of the artwork to be computer generated. If you do have physical artwork, keep in mind that it must be able to lie flat and the largest size that can be efficiently handled is 11" x 17". Art any larger than that needs to have a “picture” taken of it so that it can be scanned. This used to mean that a transparency was made, but now as digital cameras have improved, that is another option. If it is a transparency, that is then scanned. The last option is for the oversize artwork to be scanned on the more expensive drum scanner. Note that in making

a transparency you are a generation away from your original from a quality standpoint, but the cost can run several hundred dollars per transparency which could ruin the budget on a 32-page book. So, sometimes, large artwork costs you more.

Is there one medium for illustrations that’s better than another?

No, not really, but keep in mind that scanners “see” everything. So if you have layers of watercolor, or if you erased anything, those things will get picked up. If you are in doubt about how your artwork will scan, we suggest you send us an image to test.

How about if my illustrations are computer generated? Is that OK?

Yes, computer generated artwork is very good as long as the resolution of the images is OK. This is the way more and more artwork is produced today and highly recommended to the self- publisher.

What size should my original art be?

Always keep in mind the trim size of your book and work proportionally with that size. In other words, if your book is going to be an 8" x 8" (square) book, the artwork should be square. If it isn’t, when you reduce or enlarge your artwork, something will be lost in order to have what you use be square. Also, ALWAYS ALLOW FOR BLEED if you indeed want the illustrations to bleed. Bleed is when your color goes to the edge of the book. In order to do that, the printer needs a minimum of 1/8" “extra art” at each edge. So, don’t have a character’s head at the edge of your artwork unless you intend to crop the head on the page.

What is a scan?

Simply put, a scan takes a continuous tone picture and separates it into dots that a press can print from. These dots are not always visible to the naked eye. All scanners are capable of producing adequate scans for use on the Internet. Not many canners used by the average consumer are capable of producing a scan that can be used for quality printing.

Should I provide my own scans?

Yes, if you are confident that your scanner is a good quality scanner (can scan 1200 x 1200 dpi or higher) and that whoever scanned your artwork knows a bit about what they are doing. If that is not the case, then we recommend you use the services of Budget Book Design. They can scan your images and create files ready for the printer for a very reasonable cost.

Do I need to use four colors to create an effective cover/casewrap/jacket?

No. Look at the books in your own library. Many of them, I’m sure, have very attractive two-color covers. The designer really has three colors to work with since the white of the paper is already there. Then, he or she has a whole variety of color shades to work with. You can save a little money using a well-designed one- or two-color cover.

A well-designed one- or two-color cover is more effective than a poorly designed four-color cover. I am not suggesting that you forget about your four-color cover idea. Four-color covers are nice, but sometimes they’re just not necessary.

Remember that if you are using a bar code, it must be black or a color dark enough to be scanned. Keep this in mind when counting the number of colors on your cover.

Should I have my book cover/casewrap/jacket professionally designed?

Yes. It is worth every penny. The next time you’re in the bookstore, take the time to examine the cover designs. I can write with confidence that ninety-nine out of every hundred of those book covers were professionally designed. If there are exceptions to this rule, they will be found in the bookstore section featuring local authors, and nine out of ten of those books will have covers designed by people who knew what they were doing.

Normally you are attracted to a person because of his or her face. The cover is your book’s face. Acne, bed-head, and snarled lips discourage interest in your book, if you get the analogy.

How do I know how wide the spine will be?

There’s a simple formula which determines that width. Just take the number of pages in your book and divide that figure by your text paper’s PPI (Pages Per Inch). Where do you get the PPI? It depends on what kind of paper you’re using and it usually appears on the printer’s estimate or quote. If for some reason it doesn’t appear there, ask the printer for it.

Let’s say your book has 200 pages and you are printing it on a web press using novel news, which has a PPI of 400. Then the width of your book’s spine will be 200 ÷ 400 or half an inch. That’s for a paperback. For a hard cover book, you have to add the thickness of the boards. The easiest way to do this accurately is to have your printer provide you with a template. At BooksJustBooks.com you can download templates from the Production Center.

How do I prepare my cover/jacket/casewrap for the printer?

Let’s deal with the front, the spine, and the back of the cover in that order. On the front, put the book title, the subtitle, and the author. Place any graphics you want here. On the spine, the author’s last name is usually at the top, the book title center, and the publisher at the bottom. On the back put a four-sentence description of your book. You can put endorsements here, too. Leave space for a very short bio on the author, a photograph of the author (if appropriate) and the ISBN and bar code. Remember that if you are using a bar code, it must be black or a color dark enough to be scanned.

If you are doing a hardcover book with a jacket, then you can use your flaps for some of these items that would be on the back of a cover. The front flap is typically a bit about the book, and the back flap will have some copy about the author. That means that the back of the jacket may have graphics (or an illustration) or more space for selling copy.

These are the traditional places to put all these things, but, of course, you can break any or all of the rules whenever you want! Remember, however, that you do want to sell your book, so people have to know very quickly why they should buy it.

If you are designing your cover, make sure you have some “bleed.” If your artwork goes all the way to the edge, it must extend at least one-eighth of an inch more, so when the book is trimmed there will be no white showing. Budget Book Design usually provides about a quarter inch bleed to be safer. Cut out the cover and wrap it around a book on your shelf. How does it look now?

When you put your cover on disc, you must include all the fonts and graphics you have used. It’s even a good idea to include any items which have been embedded in other programs during the design process. Then, if there’s something wrong, it will be easier to fix.

If you are having a designer create the cover, explain clearly what you would like to see. You can also just give a designer an idea of what’s in your book and let the expert go for it! If you have covers you really like, copy them and send them along. Remember though, you are hiring a designer, not commissioning an artist to create an original work for you. Budget Book Design told me a story about one customer who wanted a cover showing a cave halfway up a mountain, a bear and a donkey sitting on the nearby ledge, symbols from the I Ching surrounding the door of the cave, and the moon setting behind the mountain! What the author needed in this case, they concluded, was not a cover designer but an expensive artist!

A good designer will take your concept and give you something that will work. Remember, despite what you have heard, you can sometimes judge a book by its cover.

What about bar codes?

The ISBN for your book is easily translated into a worldwide compatible bar code format called a Bookland EAN (European Article Number). Every bookstore chain and most smaller bookshops use bar code scanning at the checkout register. If you didn’t know that, you haven’t been to a bookstore in the last ten years, and I’d say it’s time for you to visit one.

Putting the bar code on your book is part of the book cover designer’s job, and it’s a simple one. Using a software program, the designer types in your ISBN and out pops the bar code in just the right place on your back cover. You can put your book’s retail price near the bar code on the back cover if you want to. That doesn’t mean that retailers will always have to charge the full amount. Using their computers, they can tie your Bookland EAN code to a sale price, and that’s what will appear on the register when your book is scanned.

If you are using a bar code, it must be black or a color dark enough to be scanned. Keep this in mind when counting the number of colors on your cover.

For more details, click on UPC/EAN in the Publishing Related Sites section on the BooksJustBooks.com Web site.