When I first became a book coach, I thought the biggest challenge for my clients was writing their books. Which is true, but …
… their second biggest problem is to understand the publishing process – how to get the words from your computer and into a published book.
This process can be easy to underestimate. For the best results, the process involves three steps.
Step 1: EDITING
Editors improve your book without losing your author’s voice. They talk to you about who you are writing for and then read your book. They help make it clearer, more succinct, or more logical. They correct all the typos and grammatical errors. They are also “continuity experts”. You know those folks who make sure that all details in a film or TV show are consistent from shot to shot, and from scene to scene. Editors do that in your book.
Step 2: DESIGN
Your book cover design can spell the difference between your book’s success and failure. The wrong cover can put your audience off. The right cover can have them queuing up. Yet designers are much underappreciated folks. And, by the way, the cover is only half the job. As editors are to words, designers are experts of “visual continuity” in your book. They make your words look easy to read and exciting on every page inside your book.
Step 3: PRINTERS/PRODUCTION MANAGERS
Printers/production managers are technical wizards and generous people. If you listen to them, you will discover the subtleties that make some printed books stand out from the rest. The perfect choice of paper for the pages or the cover. Colours that blow your mind. And ways to digitally distribute your book around the world.
Here is a list (alph order) of some of the best editors, designers and print production managers I know.
Bernadette Foley, Broadcast Books https://www.broadcastbooks.com.au/
Liz Seymour, Seymour Design https://seymourdesign.net/
Lorna Hendry http://lornahendry.com/
Lu Sexton https://lusexton.com/
Michael Hanrahan, Publish Central https://publishcentral.com.au
If you have worked with an editor, designer or printer, what help did you value most?