|
Publishing
Changes through the Years
Jean Sheldon
In 1978 I worked for my first publisher I can truly say from that moment
on it was in my blood.
I hadn't started writing yet, but I was typesetting and designing
books.
That was at the end of hot lead typesetting and even the cold
strike typesetting of electric typewriters were losing ground to the
stand alone computer typesetters of Mergenthaler and Compugraphic.
It was also in the days when we didn't have WYSIWYG (what you see
is what you get) monitors. I worked for a
scientific publisher and we typeset long lines of equations without
being able to see what they looked like. Everything was sent
directly to photographic film and mistakes were a big and expensive no-no. I sound a bit like my mom telling me how they walked everywhere in
Chicago when she was a kid. In this age of software a thousand times
more effective than those typesetting machines, I feel like I did a
great deal of strolling through type cyber space. So,
why do I think people who want to self-publish need help?
A few years ago I tried my hand at
writing mysteries and once again fell in love. This time with the
writing part of the publishing world. Unfortunately I found
this passion at a time when the publishing world was not very
interested in fiction writer's and I was one of the last three or
four million to jump on the band wagon. I've never been good at
simply giving up and believe that if you want something, you have to
do what it takes to get it. Since I'd spent my life in the
business, I knew some of the ins and outs and since
the mountain hadn't made any attempt to come to me, I got to work.
I was very disappointed at what I
found in the industry. I had thought that since
everything about publishing (except marketing) had gotten easier and
less costly, the prices would be reasonable. I was wrong. When I saw
prices ranging from $3 to $4 per page to convert a word document to
a pdf page I was shocked. I won't even tell you the high end prices
they were so ridiculous. Novel Type &
Design
charges a one time set up/design fee of
$150
+
Typesetting
.50
per page. Example =
(350 pages × .50)
= $175 +
(design fee) $150
= $325.
Additional charges will be incurred for authors changes after
final proof. We expect from authors completely edited and
finished manuscripts on a disk or sent as an email attachment.
We'll set it up
in the book format. Take a look at our
samples.
The prices
are reasonable because I and those who work with me believe in
fairness. We always have and always will, no matter how unpopular
the idea seems to become. Of course after years in the trade we've
learned about other parts of the industry. Please see a few of my article on
self-publishing. We'd be
glad to point you in the right direction for any and all information
you need to publish your book.
I'm glad
you stopped by and hope you'll consider our services.
Jean
Visit my site
at www.jeansheldon.com
or contact me at
Email
|
