Music Industry Illustrator
How do I format an illustrated book before I send it to the publisher?
I’ve never really been a writer, but I got an idea for a coffee table book that I had to write down. Since coffee table books are illustrated, should I find an illustrator first or send in the manuscript? If I don’t have to find an illustrator, do I format the manuscript all on one or two pages or split it up as it would be published? I tried doing a search on the internet for information or books I can read, but found irrelevant information. I had to take a class on how to get published for my music degree, but this is an entirely different industry, so if you could steer me in the right direction, that would be great.
This idea is for a 15-page illustrated coffee table book. I’m personally not an artist, but I know enough artists that I may be able to get an illustrator before I send in the book idea.
etting a book published involves the following 17 steps:
1. Getting organized. Together, you and your ghostwriter/editor determine what kind of book you want. You decide on the size and the approximate length. Then, you come up with a very basic outline.
2. You use the outline as a subject guide for compiling some information. That includes any articles, brochures or other marketing pieces you can find that explain the topics you want to include in the book. Use a file folder for each topic or chapter. Then send them to your ghostwriter/editor. This is also true when you consider finding some other professionals to contribute chapters to your book. (Contributors can also help underwrite the cost.)
3. Your ghostwriter/editor does extensive research to see what other people have to say about your subject. The search is vital because the more references cited in your book, the better you look. It shows that you’re not just a person with a wild idea. Two things are important here. The references must be recent and they must be sources your target market will respect. The internet or the Reader’s Guide to Periodical Literature at the library both afford you access to hundreds of credible journals and publications.
4. Your ghostwriter/editor compiles a chapter outline with rough copy ideas sketched in for you. He will ask you some questions along the way and send you some page layout ideas and layout ideas for the cover.
5. You go through the chapter outline and give your ghostwriter/editor your thoughts.
6. Drawing from the information, research and outline, your ghostwriter/editor produces a rough draft of your book. Typically, that is done in sections. (This is also a good time to submit articles to magazines your target market reads and/or respects.)
7. You go through the rough draft(s) and mark your corrections.
8. Your ghostwriter/editor makes your corrections and delivers a final draft to you.
9. You approve the final draft, page design and cover design.
10. Your ghostwriter/editor transfers the final version into the desktop publishing program for the printer. It’s important that you understand this step. The printer will not print your book from a word processing program like WordPerfect or Microsoft Word. All book printers work with publishing programs like Quark ExPress and Aldus PageMaker.
11. Once your ghostwriter/editor knows what the cover will look like and exactly how many pages we’re going have, he gets print estimates for you and determines which printer to use. (This is probably a good time to start sending news releases to local media, like newspapers, radio and TV stations).
12. You send your ghostwriter/editor a check for the printing charges.
13. Your ghostwriter/editor sends the final book package to the printer with the check.
14. The printer sends your ghostwriter/editor the “blue lines” for approval. “Blue lines” show exactly what the type will look like. Both of you should approve them.
15. The printer lets your ghostwriter/editor know what the final charges are. That’s determined by the exact number of copies printed and if there were any unanticipated print production charges.
16. The printer’s final invoice is paid.
17. The printer ships the books to you.
As you can see, you can be involved as much or as little as you want to be. Either way, the book you’ll receive will be clear, easy to read, easy for your target market to understand. It will make you look like the penultimate expert on your subject. You’ll be the accepted authority.
The success percentage. The exact number is difficult to gauge, but it is significant. In my research on what builds the credibility, I asked “authors” about the increase in business that they can directly attribute to book projects, the answer is overwhelmingly 50%!
How Much Publishing Your Book Will Cost
The confusion over how much publishing a book costs is tremendous. An insurance agent called me in January and wanted a complete book for $500. A financial planner was happy to pay between $20,000 – $30,000. To put the actual costs into perspective for you, I’m going to break your book into separate services and explain the services and their costs.
5 Steps. As you now know, there are 17 minor steps to getting your book published. Those 17 steps can be organized into five major steps: Research, Writing, Page Design, Print Production and finally Printing. I believe the most logical way to estimate the cost of a book is to spread the total over the length of the book. Thus, each page has a cost that is easier to understand.
1. Research. Finding magazine articles, reports and academic studies that support your topic can bring enormous credibility to you and your book. The question is, do you have time to spend a hundred hours in the library or on the internet? Of course not. But your ghostwriter/editor does. For instance, referring to a re
Billy White – ‘I Stick Up My Middle Finger’[Prod. by BeaT ILLustrator}
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