Processes Prior to Publication!

Processes Prior to Publication!When you have finished writing your book it goes through a few processes to ensure it’s ready for publication. 

  • You proofread and edit it
  • Professional proofreading and editing
  • Cover design
  • Formatting

It may not be in this order, but these are the main stages of publishing a book to ensure that it’s as good as it can possibly be. 

I wanted to write this post because in recent weeks I’ve been correcting a fair few eBooks as well as formatting them. This isn’t a problem in itself because I am happy to do this, I want my clients to have well written books and to be successful.

But, I do want to highlight how important it is to ensure you go through the stages above. Even if you can’t afford to get your book professionally proofread, you could ask a family member or friend to read it for you. They may not pick up everything, but any obvious typo’s can be picked up this way.

If you submit your book for formatting, whether it’s for a print version or an eBook the person formatting it puts a lot of time into getting it looking great. I advise my clients not to correct the book after it’s been formatted for eBook, because it’s likely that errors will creep in and may affect the formatting. For example, hidden bookmarks, extra spaces or returns, tabs. I always offer to correct any errors after I have formatted an eBook because I would rather the formatting wasn’t messed with.

So, when you’re considering sending your book off for formatting, remember the formatter will need a final version of the book – it saves everyone lots of time and effort and ensures your book is as successful as possible.

The article The Importance of Being Ernest About Editing by James A. Bresco goes into this subject a bit further from the author’s point of view.

Comments

  1. Great tips! And I agree with you. The editing and formatting process can be taxing and a little costly, especially if you’re a self-publisher. But you can’t afford NOT to go through this process if you want to get someone to buy your book, let alone read it. Last I checked, readers don’t take kindly to books that need a lot of proofreading and editing. I should know. I’m one of them..:)

  2. I find the cover design process a little stressful. My cover designer can’t seem to get it right. Probably because I’m meticulous and a perfectionist.

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