Frequently asked questions about the best and most economical way of presenting a book for publication.

We give inside to some of the most frequently asked questions about self publishing, but when people decide to go ahead they will doubtless need advice about other things. This is only a basic online guideline.

What should I do before deciding to ask you to publish my book?
You may like to telephone us on 01344 882416 and discuss it, or
write, or e-mail us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

What would it cost me for Wilton 65 to read it and advise about likely costs?
We like a printed copy if possible (together with a s.a-e.for its return, if wanted) so that we may read it and advise. It is helpful to be given as much information as possible about illustrations, likely quantities and preferred size of the book so that we may give as accurate an estimate as possible. The charge for this service is £100. which is fully refundable if we publish the book.

Can you give me advice, if the book is not yet typed, of methods of doing this most efficiently and economically?
It is advisable to check with us which software program it is set in and when typed to send it to us on a CD. We have found that most people now use Word, but we can also accept work from other programs.

Are there any points it would be helpful for me to know before preparing the text.

Yes, there are several things which help to keep the cost down as well as enabling us to present a professional book.

• Please number the pages.

• Underline everything which is to be in italics - and nothing else. This greatly cuts down our time setting the book. As you will know, italics are normally used fortifies of publications - books, magazines and newspapers; cinemas andplays; names of ships as well as Latin text. You may want to add to these.

• Use single carriage returns unless there is a break in the story. In which case it is best to use treble ones. Double carriage returns complicate the setting and preferably should not used.

• It is helpful if all gaps between punctuation are consistent. We suggest one gap after commas, colons and semi-colons, and 2 gaps after full stops, exclamation marks and question marks.

• Unless you have a strong opinion otherwise about quotation marks. Use double ones (".....") only for reported conversation, and single ones for everything else for which you want to use them ('.....'). It is best not use single quotation marks where the text is underlined, as italics will take their place.

• It saves much time if the tab key and not the space bar is used for gaps where they are wanted.

• Likewise, if using several dots (e.g.....) in the text try to make sure that there are always the same number (five works very well) and with a single gap on each side of them ..... (as printed here).

Should I start new Chanters on a new page?
There is no need and we find it best to do this ourselves.

Should both margins be justified?
No, only the left hand one. The right hand should be left jagged and we will deal with it when we put it into the booksetting program.

Is there any special way you like to receive the work?

Preferably in two files, one with the Foreword &/or Preface, Acknowledgements, Dedication and lists of Contents and Illustrations etc. The second CD just with the main text.

For quick identification it helps if the Contents and Illustrations are numbered with the existing page numbers so we can easily identify them and change them quickly when the book is set.

I have got some illustrations, mainly photographs, some in black and white and others in colour, also a map. Should I send you the originals?
We are happy to have these, though the best way is probably for you to have them scanned in and sent to us on CDs. They can be downloaded from the Internet, but it is preferable to send them on CDs. If you have them done professionally it helps if they are in CMYK. Otherwise as TIFF orJPEG, with a preference for the latter.

Do I get proof to read and correct before deciding ic is as I want it?
Yes, we send a proof when the book is first set, and then a final one for you to see and approve before signing a Form of Approval telling us it is exactly as you want it. You can have as many proofs as you want, though all extra ones are charged for.

I may want to alter things, take things out, and add in other things or pictures when it is set. Is this possible?
Yes. several people do. We charge £25 an hour for this work but warn that it can be expensive if it alters succeeding pages or Chapter headings, involves moving pictures and altering Index etc. So we always strongly advise people to avoid doing this unless they feel it to be essential and they really want it knowing that it could be expensive.

If I want an Indes how is this organised?
Authors who want to compile their own Index should await the proof, and then list names, places etc., as they want. Set them in one long column and we will transfer it into two and indent as necessary. Alternatively, we often do this for people and we charge the standard Indexer's fee of £2.20 per page of the book.

How do I get a design for the cover of soft backed book or for a dust cover?
We can help you with this and will suggest possibilities having in mind the subject matter of your book.

Is there anything else I should know if the book is not just for private circulation but I want to sell it?

Yes, there are one or two things you should consider as, other than sending out a quarterly Book List, we do not ourselves deal with the marketing.

• Consider our allocating you an ISBN (International Standard Book Number) so Booksellers can find it. This costs £25 and the downside is that you are then legally responsible for sending 5 free copies to the National Libraries when they ask for them.

• We strongly advise having a Bar Code for those who have an ISBN. This costs £25 and it is helpful for books sold through shops.

• Many people now ask us to design them a flyer/Order Form, which is cheap to produce and can be sent to shops, Museums, Regimental Associtions, Garden Centres or anywhere likely to have an interest in the subject matter. We have found this to be very helpful in generating sales.

• At some time you will need to decide whether to have a soft backed book, which is cheaper to produce and means that coloured illustrations can be printed throughout the book, or a hardback which had many advantages despite being more expensive to produce and it is costly to have coloured illustrations with them. Within these two choices there are a number of smaller ones involved, including the question of dust covers for hard backed books, and also the option of having some hand bound in quarter- half- or full leather. But these things need not be decided at once.

 

A FEW ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS WHICH ARE SOMETIMES ASKED

I would like to try to find a Ghost Writer. Can you help?
We have done so on a few occasions and would always try to advise.

Are you willing to help with Editing?
Yes, when the writer requests it we always do this. But it is their decision whether or not they want this.

The book I have found is handwritten. Can you deal with this?
Yes, we do occasionally and can then arrange for it to be typed.
The current price for this is £25 per hour.

I have an old family book I would like to have reproduced in facsimile. Is this something you do?
Yes, we have done so very successfully on a few occasions and the results have been good. It means unpicking the original, and though in most cases this can afterwards be sewn back into its original binding it is a slight risk which the owner should have in mind.

My book was typed and I have no disk for it. Can you work with tvoescript?

Yes, normally we can scan it in, but we would need to try a page or two first to see if this is possible. Sometimes with very old type the scanner can fail to do so. If it does, and this is rare, we can arrange for it to be re-typed as we do for handwritten text and it is considerably quicker to type from.