Do yourself a favor and do not use Art Bookbindery (ABB) to self-publish. It is not worth whatever they would charge you.
Someone just hired me for a project. In the project description, it said they needed me to format a children's book for CreateSpace (CS). Normally, this means I take their MSWord document, format it, and turn it into a PDF.
Wrong. This person had gone to Art Book Bindery. All she had was a PDF that was not set up for CreateSpace, the images (JPEG), and the text (Word Document) in three separate files. Because I was not hired to do page layout I did not want to re-set up the pages (This would have taken much longer than the four hours I spent on the project). So, I had to print out the PDF at Staples, physically cut the pages apart, and rescan all the pages back into the computer.
Here is where it got interesting. When you are setting up a children's book, you want the font on every page to read the same size. Well, I was cutting and pasting into the same sized JPEG, and the words were getting larger and smaller depending on the pictures. At first, I thought I was doing something wrong, but then I checked the original. Yes, the ABB did not do the layout very professionally (Yeah, I know. It's free if you don't have pictures and cheap if you do. You get what you pay for). Now, maybe my client did the layout and did it wrong. However, why wouldn't she have JPEGs with text and pictures combined if that is what happened?
I went to the ABB website, just to check things out, and I wasn't pleased. First, they encourage you to get an ISBN. They claim that if anyone else gets an ISBN for you and gives it to you free, then you will be signing away your rights. Say what???
I read CS' contract. Basically what it says is that if I choose another publisher (one that isn't CS), I have to use a different ISBN number. To make matters worse, if you do what this woman did and go to ABB first, purchase your ISBN number and then go to CS, you will lose the ability to be distributed through the libraries and institutions channel. Why limit any of your distribution options? (ABB will not distribute - they offer everything else, including free layout, but not distribution.) You also have to pay for a minimum of 25 - 50 books.
The fact that comb binding is even mentioned on their website should scream "Stay away!" I am not a fan of vanity presses, but this one is tricky because it doesn't come right out and tell you that is what it is. Instead, it offers to give you services that aren't really a service.
I'm a senior citizen & not very good at technology issues. I want to self publish a children's book of cartoons/drawings with a little dialogue on each page. Would "CreateSpace" be a better place to go?
ReplyDeleteCreateSpace/KDP/Amazon is free--if you know what you are doing. For children's books with images, the formatting and upload process for Kindle is tricky and requires the use of an app. You could also look for and hire a high-rated, reputable freelancer to walk you through it at: https://www.upwork.com/ or https://www.guru.com/
ReplyDeleteI'm looking at self published some letters written between family members while my great-grandfather was dying. They are sweet and tender. I really want to have them bound like a journal...like the Dear America series.
ReplyDeleteDo you have any recommendations for possible publishers?
I do not recommend any vanity presses. In general, they cost a lot and frequently do not do what they say--from promoting your book to paying you royalties.
ReplyDeleteIf this is just for your family, I recommend looking into local printers. They might have to outsource perfect binding (paperback), but they would be cheaper and would probably help you with the file set up and cover design. You could then order as many copies as you need for your family. Office Depot and Staples also have these services, but they are not as high quality as a local printer (they may be cheaper, though).
If you want to market this book once its published, I recommend using KDP (Amazon). (https://kdp.amazon.com) You can hire freelancers to help you through the process on Guru.com (where I work) or Upwork (https://www.upwork.com/hire/landing); or you can work through it yourself. If you hire freelancers, please use the escrow/SafePay systems where Upwork and Guru hold the money you pay until the job is completed as described.
Regardless of the method you choose, this is an outline of the process:
1. If you currently have letters, you would want to organize them in a logical manner (usually by date) and type them carefully into a MS Word file (or InDesign if you have an prefer that). You will need a title page.
2. Reread through the entire document when you are done, looking for typos. If you know how to use the "Styles" feature, you should. If it looks the way you want it to look, save the file as a .docx and also as a .pdf with fonts embedded.
3. Create a KDP account and create a new paperback on your bookshelf, uploading the .pdf file. Make sure the title of your book that you enter is exactly the same as the title on your title page.
4. Use the layout previewer to check the layout. There are many guidelines on the KDP website that help with margin sizes and layout information. The layout previewer will flag things that are wrong.
5. Go through the cover design process (there are limited choices, especially if you don't have a royalty free picture or image to upload). You can also have someone design your cover and give it to you as a .pdf that meets KDP specifications for your book. You can then upload the .pdf instead of going through the cover creation process.
6. Set your prices and publish your book. Once it is published, you can order author copies for less than what the book will sell for on Amazon.
7. Promote and market your book. This is the hardest part (and most expensive if you hire someone). Even if you hire someone else for this step, you need to familiarize yourself with the methods that should be employed and how to check to make sure the person you hire is doing what you want him/her to do.
If you get a freelancer, you will probably need to use different ones for different steps. Some might do everything, but you want to find someone who is best at their job. For example, I design covers, but I primarily edit and format for KDP. It would be best to hire a freelancer like me for the editing and formatting, but find someone who specifies in graphic design/ book cover design for the book cover. Similarly, find someone who specifies in marketing to do the marketing end--and make sure they can show you past results from other books they marketed.