Getting Ready to Print

Most people think of writing a book as sitting down and pounding out a manuscript, using the word processing program on their computer. Maybe they have in mind including a few photographs or other kinds of graphics (clip art, charts, tables, screen shots).

Getting that far is a lot of work, of course, but it still leaves the author a long way from a professionally printed book. Just how much important work remains became clear to me recently. I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Douglas Holleley at the Rochester Institute of Technology's "Getting Into Print" self-publishing fair.

Dr. Holleley's presentation on using your desktop computer, scanner, and printer to produce a book led me to his book, Digital Book Design and Publishing. In the Introduction, he reminds us of many of the tasks that go into making a book:

To make a book one adopts a series of roles that, in the not too distant past, were whole fields of specialized study. Consider for a moment the steps involved and the level of skill required at each stage.

When one makes images for the book, one is a photographer. When one writes the words that accompany the images, one is an author. When one places these words into an appropriate format, making decisions about type styles and typefaces, one is a typographer. When one commences to assemble all this material into a coherent package, one is both editor and graphic designer. One then proceeds to turn to the equivalent of a reprograhic camera operator, a platemaker, a printer ...

You get the point. Finishing the manuscript certainly is a major step. But several equally vital steps remain before you can hand over a disk, or upload the files, to a printer and expect a quality book to come back.

Fortunately, there is help. Holleley's book provides an enjoyable trip through the history and important concepts behind the typographic, page layout, and graphic design tasks that can now be performed with the help of powerful software, such as QuarkXPress or Adobe InDesign (for typography and page layout) and Photoshop (for image preparation). He then shows how anyone willing to learn these programs, who has access to a computer, a digital camera and/or scanner, and a printer can turn out a professional quality book.

I've read and used Holleley's book and found it extremely useful, despite the fact that he focuses on QuarkXPress loaded on a Mac and I use InDesign on a PC. It's a tribute to how well he explains the fundamentals that his tips and techniques translate easily to newer versions of the software on a different platform.

For those who want to write a book, but don't have the time or inclination to learn all the skills, or adopt all the roles, required to get the manuscript ready for printing, we suggest treating it in a business-like fashion: Staff your weaknesses. Hire a professional editor (this one is probably essential, regardless of your skills), a graphic designer, and a skilled page layout professional.

Or, connect with an author services company (like WME Books) who can create a customized package of services to handle only those tasks you don't want to do for yourself.

You don't have to do it all alone - a probably shouldn't.

Comments

[Maryanne]

JoAnne
Writing is simply taking your thoughts and ideas and putting them down on paper or into a computer so they are displayed on a monitor. It's that simple. We all started once. We all questioned whether we could consider ourselves a writer or an author. The thing I would recommend to you is to just..write. Practice does make perfect. Use the resources we've already posted on this blog. Look for other resources, books, blog, websites etc. It starts with desire, an inkling, a spark and from there it depends on your commitment. Don't spend valuble time questioning yourself, spend it writing and remember to breathe. Get yourself relaxed and in a quiet place. Thats where you'll get your ink flowing and don't forget to share! Its all about the process, not the final product. The process is what we learn from. Good Luck and please stay in touch. We love to see writers blossom and we are here to help.

[Tom]

JoAnne,

Yvonne is absolutely right, you ARE a writer. The moment you started consciously thinking of yourself as a writer, you became one -- and probably for a long time before that you were unconsciously working your way toward being one.

Don't stop now! You say you've been journaling and writing notes to your husband, which (I hope) means you have a supportive set of eyes and ears at home.

Here's the great news: I think you've just taken the next step by posting your thoughts and feelings here. Now you've starting writing for publication. No, it's not War and Peace. And no, this is not The New Yorker. But putting anything you write out there were others can see it is a HUGE step forward.

We'd love to hear more about your ideas, your goals for your writing, the kinds of writing your interested in ... and more about you, as well.

And don't belittle your journaling or note writing. Most writers find it useful to write small items on a regular basis (like book reviews, letters to the editor) and for centuries many have kept writing journals. Now we have blogs to serve the same functions.

So, a warm welcome to ours. We hope you'll continue to share your thoughts. Over time we're confident you can offer as much help to others, by your ideas and your example, as you receive.

Tom

[Yvonne DiVita]

Joanne, if you're putting words to paper...you ARE a writer. Perhaps an un published one at present, but you are already on your way. My best advice is to keep doing what you're doing-- and if publication is a goal, find a focus. WMEBooks will soon be offering a free book on how to get started--since your situation is a common one. Watch for "The 'How to Write a Book' Book" coming to our website, soon! Tom and Maryanne will, perhaps, have other suggestions. Come and check back to see what they think, also.

[JoAnne]

It all sounds so easy, this book writing business....it occupies the number one spot on my "Things to do while i'm on this side of the pavement" list. Getting started is the hardest part i think, but because i haven't done that i guess i can't judge what comes next.
Is it all just silliness? I'm not a writer. I mean, a real writer. I'm a journal writer and a notes to my husband writer. Technically the only reason I'm not a writer is because i've never written anything...much.
So, how do i stop thinking and start writing?