(Cost Saving Strategies, Hints and Tips)

Recently a well-known client of mine contacted me to tell me they were going to a publishers conference in NY. They were responsible for moderating a discussion that revolved around cutting manufacturing and production costs while DOING MORE with LESS...(isn't that the tune of the season!") To help them out I delivered a document they could take with them to remind their colleagues of some key printing areas where time spent truly equals money earned.

Although this is not a comprehensive list, below you will find an excerpt from the document I shared with the client (and now with you) to help get the most VALUE out of your printing dollars.

Design Phase

• Working with an experienced designer who is familiar with the printing process can substantially save you time and money. An experienced designer will know how to properly create your files (i.e. embed fonts, make sure linked artwork is linked, clear instructions, etc.) to save time in EPP thus saving you prepress dollars. Unfortunately, many publishers incur superfluous costs due to excessive EPP charges involved in poorly created artwork. So make sure your designer knows your printer’s file prep guidelines before sending your files.
Note: We live in a .pdf world and many EPP departments are setup to process .pdf’s more quickly than working with specific applications for your files. Processing “clean” and properly exported .pdf’s will translate into cost savings as well.
• Tell your designer what paper and stock you plan to print on. Paper is an organic material and reacts differently to ink densities and colors. As such, sharing the stock specifications with your designer will help him or her design your art in ways that will print more consistent with your original vision. I guarantee this will save you headaches and money down the road.

Paper and Stock

• Know what paper stock your printer has on their floor and readily available. Requesting stocks other than these will cost you time and will generally require the publisher to make a minimum purchase commitment (often 5000lbs or more) which may be too excessive for your project’s run length. Additionally, knowing that ordering special/vanity stocks may require more lead time, make sure you plan accordingly so you do not jeopardize your deadlines.
• Consider decreasing the weight of your paper stock. (i.e. 100lb. opaque to 80lb. opaque) Not only will you save on stock pricing, but you will save on freight as well.
• Know the signature count of your printer. Every printer is unique and will often print a certain signature count more efficiently than another printer, thereby saving you money. For example, Printer 1 might print in 16’s and 32’s, so if you have a 24 page book, it will likely cost more than an even 32 page book (even though less paper is being used).

Cover Finishes

• Know your cover finishes. Just as there are breaking points between digital and offset printing, there are also breaking points in cover finishes. A good thing to keep in mind is that Laminates are generally the most expensive, then UV’s and Varnishes. However, you may find specialty cover finishes like Acqueous coatings costing less at higher quantities than UV, therefore making your product stand out as well as keep more money in your pocket.

Prepress and EPP

• Consider using Black Inks and 1 PMS instead of using 2 PMS colors for your text. Keeping your PMS count down is a good rule of thumb in keeping your costs down.
• If you want to print text pages in full color, consider using 4 color equivalents (or 4c Process Inks) of your intended PMS colors. Specific PMS colors are often more costly and may cause delays in the proofing stage and production.
• Take advantage of printer provided Online Proofing tools. Although once regarded as inferior to the traditional "blueline" proof, many current Online Proofing solutions have highly sophisticated tools in which a designer can double check ink densities, upload changes and instantly approve pages without any charges.
Note: If you print a large volume of products, you will see SIGNIFICANT savings with not having to mail proofs back and forth.

Distribution and Freight

• Want to save on freight? Ask your printer if they have warehousing space and fulfillment/distribution services. Some printers often distribute products for their clients and are able to drop-ship directly to your accounts. This saves the publisher having to pay for freight twice: once, from the printer to the publisher’s warehouse and once again from the printers distributor to their retail accounts.

Digital Printing

• Go Digital. A lot of publishers may still be hesitant about utilizing digital presses for their work, but digital printing has quickly become a standard in the printing industry. In fact, black inks on a digital press often look much sharper than offset with far more consistency. Consider the numbers. 6 years ago there was very little digital (meaning digitally printed) book volume. Today, those same printers are printing millions of page impressions per month. As the offset world continues to see a decline the digital printing market is continuing to rise at a sharp increase.
• Confused on how digital printing can help with your bottom line? Digital printing makes sense when you can accurately forecast your sales. For example, if you know you will sell through 1800 books in the next 9 months, consider printing 3 runs of 600 digitally. Not only will the publisher be seeing increased savings in not having to pay for offset plate making, but they will also find significant savings in relation to their warehousing/inventory dollars.
• Additionally, when publishers order in shorter more frequent quantities, they will less likely have to pay for destruction and remaindering thus keeping their dollars down while providing more accurate sales data for their sales cycles. More accurate sales forecasting means more liquidity for their publisher. This excess cash flow then can be used in other areas of the organization or to re-release back catalog in short quantities (which has quickly become the trend for many publishers).

Other Ways to Save

• To more accurately project your printing costs, work with well-established printers. Vicks, located in NY, is one I highly recommend as they have been said to, "Have more integrity in their word than most people have in their signatures." They have been printing for over 90 years and continue to base their business model on their clients' needs. For other printers it is imperative to MATCH their quotes with their invoices. Unfortunately, in today's world, many printers will offer “below cost/bankrupt” pricing to get you in their door. However, when the actual invoice arrives you may see additional “AA” charges that you didn’t commit to and other administrative costs making the actual invoice reflect a much HIGHER figure than the original estimate.
• Be careful of where you send your projects to be printed. If a price looks too good to be true just remember, "You get what you pay for." This statement is especially true with printing.

Above all, don’t be afraid to ask your printer for cost-effective suggestions. Printers see a lot of different products from many different publishers and if they are truly working for you…they will be happy to make recommendations that are more cost effective while still achieving your product’s marketability, quality and integrity.

If you have any further ideas on this topic, please feel free to leave a comment. Additionally, you can contact me at my website with any questions about the printing process and I will respond as quickly as I can.
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So you've proofed your project and you are now pursuing agent representation. At this point, your 64 million dollar question is probably "How do I find an Agent and get published?" Before you blindly walk into an agent's office let us look at a few of the finer things you should know to avoid hearing "You've got something here, I'm just not quite sure what it is." In other words, "No."

There are many things you should consider before calling up an agent and conducting an interview. In fact, if you cold call an agent you've already taken a step back and could very well be running in reverse. Many agents don't accept phone calls, let alone emails. Rise above the rest and educate yourself about various agents to make your very best first impression.

Know your genre.
If you've done your homework by reading targeting your audience, you have already identified your customers and genre. This is an important key to finding an agent with integrity and qualified connections. For example, the world between nonfiction agents and fiction agents is vast and chances are your children's book agent is not going to have much to offer in finding you a publisher in the nonfiction market. If you have identified your genre then you have already saved yourself countless hours in prospecting the wrong market and have a much better chance in making the right contacts.

Evaluate your options.
I intentionally say "evaluate" as there are many agents who make a profitable living off your ignorance. This is bad business conduct and you do not want to be associated with these type of agents and their moral and ethical pitfalls. To avoid being scammed, simply type in the phrase "writers beware" into your search engine and educate yourself on what to avoid. This will help you survey the land so you can navigate and direct yourself to agents and firms of quality and integrity.

Researching 'Legit' Agents.
After you have educated yourself on what type of agents to avoid, you are now ready begin your agent search. There are a number of resources on the web that can help you find a reputable agent and/or firm. Try typing in "agent query" in your search engine or "[your genre] agents" and make a list of names to further research. Also, "The Association of Authors' Representatives" (aka AAR) offers resources on how to find legit agents as well as gives helpful suggestions for submitting your material.

All of these resources can help bring your project to the marketplace, but first make sure you have something to manage. If you don't have a winning script, an "offer" or any credentials, the ability of your manuscript finding itself in major retail chains are slim. If your name or product does not have demand, publishers will most likely go on to something that does. Be in the know and learn how to market yourself to have a solid platform to speak from.

Also, it is my belief that there is no substitute for networking yourself and having conversations IN person. Meeting literary agents, going to publishing conferences and getting referrals are for more valuable then writing any query letter or email. Above all, exude confidence in your work and your great idea and passion will help sell itself.

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Feel free to contact me with any questions about this process. Additionally, I am in the process of sorting through some of the most common questions and will post these on the FAQ section of my website and I will answer them appropriately. I look forward to hearing from you!

Say you were a vegetarian and you recently purchased a book on friendly vegetarian recipes. When you get home, you crack open the book for the first time and a handful of postcards and marketing material fall out of the pages advertising meat packer associations and where to find the best steak. Although good for your iron intake, these kind of pictures and campaigns would be poorly received by the reader, potentially damaging the loyalty the reader has to that particular author and/or publisher.

This is an extreme example, however you would be surprised to find out how much time many authors and publishers spend on considering the right artwork for their publications. Let's take a look at understanding matching concept with content.

Most of the time, the artwork chosen for a particular project is left to the designer and he or she is given a brief outline of the content of the book. The designer can then utilize their resources to choose or create their own artwork that matches the particular content. However, what the designer sees as "fresh" and "edgy" may not be effective for a book that is targeting a more traditional and conservative audience. When choosing artwork for your book or publication it is important to keep in mind the ideas discussed in the Targeting Your Audience post. Zero in on the culture that you plan to target and learn to see past your opinions on what kind of pictures can most effectively reach your audience.

Walt Disney once said, "Of all of our inventions for mass communication, pictures still speak the most universally understood language." Often, ideas can be communicated in one picture that words struggle to describe in an entire paragraph. It is vital to choose artwork that digs into your ideas that wraps itself around the essentials of what you are trying to communicate. The better your artwork describes your thoughts, the better impact you can have on your readers (and the more memorable your project becomes).

Now all of this may seem abstract and lofty, but the good news is that you already have access to the people that can handle this for you. "Sure..." you say, "for a fee!" Not necessarily. That is one option and below I have included some links of some very well established and trusted designers and firms that have proven their success within the publishing marketplace. However, you can also utilize royalty-free image galleries such as iStockPhoto.com or GettyImages.com among others. Here you will find a myriad of illustrations, images and photographs of practically any idea you have to communicate. (Tip: if you find yourself searching hours on end to find the "perfect" photograph, consider using more specific search terminology. For example, to find a photo of a beach, be more specific and use terms like "white sand," "footprints," or "coastal sunset" to hone in on your idea.)

For the more technical user, many professional designers use desktop publishing software such as InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop as their creative platform. These programs are not cheap and have a steep learning curve, however they are incredibly useful in creating high-end customized artwork.

While we have discussed artwork that is found within the body of your book, pay special attention to any artwork you choose for the cover. There is a concept among book publishers that states the 3 points of sale. #1 The customer first sees the title and cover. #2 If the customer grabs the book they turn it over to read the back, and #3 they look at the price. By this reasoning you have 3 chances to engage the potential reader and the FIRST chance you get is by the cover title and artwork so be sure to make a great impression.

Lastly, I highly recommend doing your homework and being thoughtful about the ways you consider matching your concept with your content because in the end, you can either choose a steak on a vegetarian cookbook or a mouth-watering french dish in front of the Eiffel Tower. Although you may not receive any free tickets to France, you will end up with a much better chance of laying the foundation for a truly engaged and loyal audience.

Recommended Professional Designers:

Mike Deitsch - The Vine Collective
Linda Bourdeaux - The Design Desk
Susanna Parrish - Texasus Design
Chase Carter - Revelation Interactive


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As the famous French writer and Nobel Prize winner, Anatole France once said, "To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe." Writing a book is by no means an easy task, but with your dedication and belief in your ideas, you can accomplish not only good things, but great things.

Believe it or not, some of your biggest obstacles in actually writing, or drafting, your book is yourself. You have probably heard the expression, "A relationship is only as strong as the weakest person in it." This can also be true with your creativity. Your book and ideas can take on their own identity and you enter into a relationship with your creativity. This "relationship" can have it's ups and downs and its important to identify this so that (1) you can learn to adjust to these times and (2) help ease your frustration levels along the way.

Julia Cameron, author of The Artists Way, is an expert on the foundations of creativity and explores some common beliefs about how we have been conditioned to allow ourselves the freedom to be creative. She states that many of the greatest artists are looked upon as having no self doubt. She goes deeper and says that we need to learn to move through self doubt, not avoid it. The Artists Way has a great way of explaining the concept of self doubt and provides excellent resources to improve your overall creative freedom. If you haven't read the book already, stop reading this blog post and go out and get it!

Another common frustration creative individuals experience is the weight of their vision. You probably have many great ideas but you may feel so overwhelmed with the weight of the process that you have a hard time getting started. This is very common and you should remind yourself that great things have never been accomplished overnight. There are a couple of ways to get around "writer's block." One way is to refuel your creative muscle. Julia Cameron calls this "taking yourself on an Artist Date." This will help refill your bucket of creativity and encourage you to be more productive. Another way is to schedule your writing time in your weekly calendar. You could schedule 15min in the morning or 1 hour, 3 times a week. It's up to you. The point is that if you plan your creative time, it is more likely you will stay focused, and you will feel more accomplished then if you just "wait" for your creativity to strike.

Lastly, be careful of getting into the habit of constantly editing your work before it needs to be edited. Many creative individuals are perfectionists and while perfectionism can assist your dedication, it can also inhibit your creative flow and keep you stuck in the process. Learn to resist the urge to "edit" your work at the beginning stages to allow your ideas to breath and capture the entire world around them. If you can turn off your "internal editor" at the beginning, you will begin to experience the freedom your creativity needs to better communicate your ideas later.

I hope this helps you during your creative process and remember, "In order to live an extraordinary life, one must be able to overcome extra-ordinary challenges." So when you find yourself getting stuck while writing your book, just say to yourself, "I'm just living to be extraordinary," and allow yourself the freedom to refill your creativity and pick up your pencil and start again.

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