by Rosie Gaynor

If your text is long—and if you want it to be read—then chances are it’s going to need some typesetting.

How much?

An easy way to decide how much time and money to devote to typesetting is to consider your choice of printing house and paper stock. For text that is meant to be read, I’d recommend that…

• The typesetting be as good as or slightly worse than your printer. A bad print job is going degrade your type, so it’s worth paying for good printing.
• The typesetting be as good as or slightly better than the stock. Good stock cannot cover up bad typesetting. Good typesetting, on the other hand, can help the reader forget a lesser stock. (Bad stock can degrade the type, though, so go for stock that is at least good enough.)

It feels so heartless to do this kind of triage, to engage in lowly budget-based bargaining when books are involved. But our goal is to get the book out the door and into people’s hands without losing our shirts (or hair), so we do the very, very best we can with the resources we have at the moment.

The illustration below shows the difference typesetting can make. (To really see the difference, download the PDF and print it on a good printer.)

Book designs differ, but usually a good typesetter’s goals look something like this:

• Word spacing, letter spacing, and line length work together to create lines that read evenly and easily. (It is important to see a print-out of this. An onscreen PDF is not going to show you what you need to see here. Print out the PDF of the sample above and you’ll see for yourself how big a difference it makes to view type printed on paper.)
• Hallmarks of good typography have been considered, such as curly quotes, hanging quotes, curly apostrophes instead of prime symbols, proper use of hyphens, en-dashes, em-dashes, and real small caps (instead of InDesign’s approximated small caps). Old-style numerals, lining numerals, proportional numerals, and tabular numerals have been used purposefully.

DIY? Maybe.

If you are used to looking carefully at type (say, maybe, you’re an editor?) and if you’re comfortable on the computer, you could probably pull off something like Example #1 above on your own. I did, years ago, before I took design classes.

You’ll need to know the basics of InDesign and you’ll need to have a good feeling for what typeface and type size fits your text block well. If you go this route, I’d highly recommend you take a short class in InDesign (at, say, my favorite: School of Visual Concepts in Seattle) and that you find a copy of Mitchell & Wightman’s Book Typography: A Designer’s Manual. (It’s a gem of a book, content-wise and beauty-wise. Just turning the pages—a Precision fine 130 gsm stock—is an experience!)

Example #2 above? That kind of work takes some training and a really good eye. And it takes time. And dogged patience. Generally speaking, it takes a pro.

If you do hire a typesetter, ask to see a hard copy of a book that s/he has typeset. One page is not enough, as you’ll want to see how s/he managed the awkward paragraphs. (There are always paragraphs that refuse to cooperate.) With that book in hand, you’ll also be able to tell whether s/he had the stamina to make the type look even throughout the entire piece. If you go with a printing company’s in-house typesetter, ask to see a sample book done by the person who will be working on your book. They might fuss a bit, but I’d ask anyway.

How Much Do Typesetters Charge?

Typesetting fees are all over the place. But, like olive oil, cheese, chocolate, and shoes, the cheapest ones are generally not the best. The 2013 Graphic Artists Guild Handbook of Pricing and Ethical Guidelines suggests $6–$12 per page for a simply formatted book, like a novel. Figure $900–$1,800 for a 150-page novel.

It’s daunting. I think it helps to consider the printing–stock–typesetting balance. And to go back to the very basics: What makes the most sense for your goals, for your budget, for your preferences, and for your timeline? What’s your gut telling you?

Why bother? Because good typography will set you apart.

Scribes of old knew: Well-drawn pages paid respect to the words and to the author. Eventually, we figured out that well-set pages allowed for easier reading, greater comprehension, and better sales. And we book lovers today still know: When we hold a well-set book in our hands, we are holding a treasure.

We live in a world of typographical atrocities. Alas. But it’s also true that we live in a world of near-perfect typographic masterpieces. Your book will be somewhere on that typographical spectrum. The nice thing is that you get to choose where.

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Rosie Gaynor owns Seattle Scriptorium—the business of beautiful communication. She has worked in the design departments at Tiger Oak Media, Puget Sound Business Journal, and TCS World Travel. She has typeset three books and would love to work with you on yours. She can be reached at rosie[at]seattlescriptorium.com.

Are you a publishing professional or a service for publishers? Would you like to submit an article to Book Publishers Northwest? Email bpnwnews[at]aol.com.

by Wendy Hinman, author of Tightwads on the Loose

You’ve spent months or years crafting that perfect book. Now you need to get it into the hands of readers. Readers read to help them make sense of the world and the struggles they face and to explore what interests them.  If your book offers this, they will be glad to learn of it. Effective marketing means finding the people who would be most interested in your book and letting them know about it. It’s like finding the right match, so your story can do what it is designed to do: engage your readers.

Get creative. Brainstorm. Just as you spent countless hours finding clever ways to tell your story, you can be innovative with generating exposure for your work. If you use creativity to make marketing interesting, you’ll want to do it. Enthusiasm is contagious.

Below is a list of ideas for marketing that have worked well for me. Each author and book is different, so do what feels most comfortable for you and your book.

Crystallize your book description and bio into 25, 50, 100, and 250 words. Find that universal truth. These blurbs will come in handy.

Identify your audience and the topics your book touches upon. 

Create a professional website to use as your home base (see www.wendyhinman.com)

Add your book title and website address to your email signature line and all materials you produce, so people can find you.

Plan to send periodic newsletters with links to information housed on your website.

Draft a press release. Be sure to include images, such as your book cover and a professional author photo.

Keep in mind what’s in it for the reader and why the media would be interested.

Identify local media/publications in each market where you have a connection (an event, an audience, places you lived/worked/studied/are doing a book event).

Tailor press releases for each purpose or event with addresses, dates, times, and contact info

Use various angles to appeal to specific topics that your book touches upon.

Craft a good story and headline (specific event, timely topic, anniversary) so media can use it without extra work.

Send a release one month and, again, two weeks before an event.

Post book events on local DIY website calendars (Chamber of Commerce websites, local blogs, clubs); Look up officers for local clubs and contact them.

Reach out to your community in a mutually beneficial way.

Share your knowledge through articles, blog posts and public speaking. Make sure each party gets something out of it: audience, attendee, and you.

• Libraries, clubs, conferences, schools, stores
• Radio and TV need good stories. (Pitch program producers with info from your press release.)

Plan to give away books.

Identify media, bloggers and online publications that are likely to be interested in your book.
Send Advance Review Copies (3-6 months prior to release)
Run ads on Book Bub and Goodreads for discount eBooks.
Auctions, fundraisers where your book is seen by many prospective readers.

Leverage your travel to reach new readers.

Always carry copies of your book or at least promotional materials.

Do something every day

Steadily working at it will produce tangible results and lay the foundation for future success. Think of yourself as an entrepreneur and keep in mind that old saying “If it’s to be, it’s up to me,” because no one is as likely to care as much as about your work as you do. Good luck and happy marketing.

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Wendy’s recommended resources are:

How to Become a Famous Writer Before You’re Dead by Ariel Gore
Other authors

Bethany Joy Carlson recently gave a special workshop on Kickstarter for BPNW members in February. For those who couldn’t attend, she offers the following advice:

Popular crowdfunding platform Kickstarter has raised over $1Bn for artistic projects, including over five thousand projects tied to publishing. But most Kickstarter publishing category campaigns fail to raise even a fifth of their targets. Since Kickstarter fundraising is all or nothing, this means only a third of book projects launched actually go on to publication. Data nerds like me may want to visit kickstarter.com/help/stats for the full post-mortem. Suffice to say: raising money to publish your book is really hard.

A book project that was successfully crowdfunded by the author.

But it’s not impossible. I have produced successful Kickstarter campaigns for writers, ranging from a gritty New Jersey mob memoir with a ten-pin twistto an adorable children’s picture book introducing entrepreneurship. Their successes were not a coincidence. Despite their very different audiences, their paths to success were similar.

Three of the ten essentials of Kickstarter success that worked for these books were:

1. Tap into your extrovert and PROMOTE. This is conjecture, but perhaps the reason book campaigns fail disproportionately is because writers tend to be introverts. We want that loophole whereby our work will be found without us having to tell anyone about it. Nope. The Kickstarter campaign is excellent sales boot camp. For both Bowling For The Mob and Camila’s Lemonade Stand, we had a month of promotion prior to the campaign before launch. The goal was to make sure everyone relevant heard about the campaign at least 10 times during the 30 days before launch, through the 30 days up to close.
2. Map out the money in advance. The occasional Kickstarter campaign goes viral, even books. However, all 136,000 campaigns in the history of Kickstarter have not. In all likelihood, yours will not. So you need to know both exactly how much money you need to produce your book, and exactly where that money is going to come from. After learning the nail-biting hard way on Bowling For The Mob, for Camila’s Lemonade Stand we went through a detailed Kickstarter Estimator process before the campaign launch. This was like a wedding guest list, but with the added columns of how much money the invitees were likely to pledge, and for what kind of reward. Then we applied the 65% rule – because not everyone we invited to the campaign was going to show up (they didn’t).  So let’s say we need to raise $6,500 to produce a book. We sit down and tally up all of our friends, colleagues, family, and fans, and what they’re likely to pledge. That comes to $10,000. We multiply by 65%, get $6,500, and voila, this is a campaign that has a chance to succeed. If, on the other hand, we need $20,000 to produce the book, and then we tally up our likely pledges and that comes to $5,000, well… we don’t even need to bother with the 65% rule. This campaign is almost certainly going to fail.
3. Shoot a decent, short video. Kickstarter makes a big deal about having a video – any video. People want to see and hear from you. Good light and good sound go a long ways towards making a homemade video watchable. For Bowling For The Mob we had Bob sit directly under a skylight and used a microphone and an iPhone propped on a soda cup; for the Camila’s Lemonade Stand video we used a bright floor lamp with the shade removed behind the camera and a Samsung Galaxy phone with a tripod and microphone. Neither of these videos will win any awards, but they are watchable, informative, and they are SHORT. Don’t underestimate how brief attention spans are. Keep it under 3 minutes.

These three tips are the tip of the iceberg. Please feel free to contact me at bethanyjoycarlson@hotmail.com at The Artist’s Partner to discuss your project and how Kickstarter might work for you.  If you’re considering Kickstarter to fund your book, it’s hard – but possible. No hocus pocus required.

Bethany Joy Carlson is a co-founder of BACCA Literary, a WriterHouse board member, and founder of The Artist’s Partner.

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Do you provide a service for publishers?  Would you like to write a guest article for Book Publishers Northwest? Contact us at bpnwnews@aol.com.

It is difficult to make a living as an independent publisher if you view yourself as a purveyor of books through bookstores. Typically, when one responds, “I’m an author,” to the question, “What do you do for a living?” the inquiring party usually follows with, “But what do you do to earn money?” However, if you reply, “I’m a publishing professional,” you are usually received with nodding understanding. The difference is as enormous as it is subtle. A publishing professional runs a business, relying on multiple streams of revenue for maximum income.

Relying exclusively on book sales can limit your income. This wall could be reached because of seasonal demand for your content, or your reliance on sales only through bookstores – bricks and clicks. You may have a small target market, inadequate planning or insufficient funds for promotion. The list goes on, but the fact remains that a variety of circumstances can conspire to limit the sale of your books, and subsequently your income.

This concept of multiple sources of revenue does not mean adding additional titles. It implies various ways in which you could generate funds. This can be accomplished through a combination of products and services, such as product sales (line and brand extensions) combined with author extensions (conducting seminars, making personal presentations and consulting) or other activities that stimulate additional cash flow.

Two characteristics go into creating a profitable hybrid offering. The first is that the products and services are complementary. This refers to the degree that the value to the customer increases when both are used together. An example would be consulting with clients after they purchase your book. The other is independence, or the ability for your customer to derive value from each separately: your customer can learn from your book without also attending your seminar.

When combinations of products and services are examined through the lens of being complementary and independent, three bundles emerge. These are product-focused, brand-focused or author-brand focused bundles. Taken together as a hybrid marketing strategy they deliver a single message to several audiences in different ways. The result is increased revenue and profitability.

1) Product-focused bundles. If you prefer to focus on selling tangible products, you might choose a strategy of creating line extensions. Line extensions consist of introducing additional items in the same product category under the same brand name. Examples include offering an author’s content as an ebook, audio book, booklet or in a large-print edition.

The Chicken Soup for the Soul series provides examples of independent line extensions reflected in the titles Chicken Soup for the Dieter’s Soul, Entrepreneur’s Soul, Parent’s Soul and Writer’s Soul. Yet this series may also be complementary because the content is delivered in the form of cartoon books, picture books, daily inspirations, large-print books and Spanish titles.

There are many benefits of product-focused bundles. They are independent because customers could buy them separately, yet complementary because combining them can enhance their value. For example, I added a CD-ROM to my book, Beyond the Bookstore. The content of the individually available CD-ROM augmented what was in my book without duplicating it. Product-focused bundles also expand your brand’s presence on retail shelves, offer customers more variety and can increase overall sales, revenue and profits. These extended lines yield more efficient prospecting since numerous titles and forms are more likely to meet the varied needs of potential corporate buyers. Independent, complementary extensions yield greater marketing efficiency since overall promotional costs are spread among a variety of products.

2) Brand-focused bundles. Implement this strategy by using an existing brand name to launch products in other categories. Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen again provide good examples of brand extensions. There was a Chicken Soup for the Soul television series in addition to branded greeting cards, pet treats, giftware, puzzle books and sleepwear. These are also complementary since they may be sold in similar places and ways. These could be sold near their books online and through gift shops, direct marketing, pet stores, specialty stores, supermarkets and pharmacies.

There are many benefits for the publisher who implements a branding strategy. It can enhance brand equity among present and new users as it makes your brand more relevant and visible. It encourages sales of multiple products at the same time. And if you “own” the shelf it identifies you as the genre leader. In addition, it can help you build a customer following, maintain higher price and profitability levels, and meet price competition with one imprint while maintaining a higher price on another.

3) Author-brand focused bundles. Multi-talented authors may chose this strategy to stimulate revenue. While the publishers are not paid for the author’s additional services, they receive the revenue from the concomitant books sales. And the halo-effect from a well-known author stimulates book sales for current and future titles.

Your authors can extend their brand through writing articles, consulting or making personal presentations on their topics. They can also build revenue and an aura of expertise by conducting seminars and webinars, producing podcasts and contributing to blogs.

These actions are complementary since your authors can speak to groups and then sell books following their presentations. In addition to demonstrating their command of their subject they are paid a speaking fee and for the sale of their books. As their reputations grow from contributing articles and blog content their book sales increase proportionately.

An author-brand strategy is highly independent since each element stands on its own. Yet the combined impact of an assorted marketing strategy increases long-term revenue as it solidifies its base. It also helps authors differentiate themselves from their competitors while selling a commoditized product.

A hybrid marketing strategy can increase you top and bottom lines by using these examples to customize a productive bundle for each author. It can improve long-term market share and profitability by being scalable. Multiple sources of revenue permit sub-branding to leverage the halo effect. Hybrid offerings attract new customers and increase demand among existing ones by giving them more ways to purchase content. And they enable publishers to boost their revenue and improve liquidity at low risk.

Brian Jud is the author of How to Make Real Money Selling Books and now offers commission-based sales of nonfiction, fiction and children’s titles to buyers in special markets. For more information contact Brian at P. O. Box 715, Avon, CT  06001-0715; (860) 675-1344; Fax (860) 673-7650; brianjud@bookmarketing.com or www.premiumbookcompany.com  or follow him at twitter.com/bookmarketing