Professional Book Publishing for Canadian Authors
You've poured hours upon hours of your time, heart, and soul into your manuscript, and it's finally ready for publication. Now what?
When most people think about having their book published, they envision the traditional method of searching for a publishing company, sending them a query letter along with one or two sample chapters, and then waiting several months for a response as to whether or not their manuscript will even be accepted.
That's one way to publish a book, but it's not the only way….
What is a "Publisher"?
Webster’s Online Dictionary (www.websters-online-dictionary.org) describes a publisher as:
Noun
1. A firm in the publishing business
2. A person engaged in publishing periodicals or books or music
3. The proprietor of a newspaper
In other words, a “publisher” can be either an organization of people or an individual who prepares and issues information for public distribution.
Traditional Book Publishing
Traditional (trade) book publishers are organizations of highly-qualified people who have joined together to publish a specific selection of books each year.
The Selection Process
Most traditional book publishers receive thousands of manuscript submissions every year from which they select fewer than one dozen new authors to work with—a discriminatingly low acceptance rate. Due to the volume of material they must consider, their manuscript review process can take anywhere from three to six months; and most will reject multiple submissions (a.k.a. simultaneous submissions), meaning they will automatically disregard manuscripts that have been sent to more than one publisher for consideration.
Most specialize in select themes (i.e. history, romance, new age, etc.), genres (i.e. fiction, poetry, etc.), formats (i.e. trade paperback and/or hard cover), trim sizes (i.e. 5"x8"), and/or geographical regions (i.e. they may publish authors from their own province/state ahead of others).
When a trade book publisher agrees to pay for the publication of your book, they are essentially buying the publishing rights (a.k.a. ownership) of your book. This means you must relinquish primary control over the project and give it to them.
Editing
Once the year’s publishing line-up is finalized, traditional publishers engage in a meticulous editing process—with each and every title they’ve chosen—to ensure even “the best of the best” are polished and improved to meet their high-quality standards. An experienced editor is assigned to work with authors to correct any issues with spelling, grammar, and punctuation throughout the manuscript. He or she will also make helpful suggestions regarding word choice and sentence structure. (Be assured, even the best writers use editors to enhance the quality of their books.)
Production
Traditional publishers hire talented artists and graphic designers to pour hours of their expertise and devotion into designing eye-catching book covers. Fonts and interior style templates are also carefully selected to ensure they complement the mood of the story being told.
Proofreading/Polishing
Once the substantive editing and production processes have been completed, the book interior has been laid out, and the cover has been designed, traditional publishers will have test copies proofread at least two times over—by at least two different sets of eyes—to ensure every last period, comma, and semi-colon appears exactly as it should, and each line is kerned to perfection. Nothing is left to chance.
Administrative Services
Traditional book publishers employ staff to manage the administrative aspects of publishing, such as: assigning ISBN numbers (bar codes) to each book; depositing published materials with Library and Archives Canada (LAC); mailing out catalogues and standing orders; submitting titles for applicable literary contests; sending out review copies; placing ads; arranging book launches and author tours; and managing author royalties.
Printing, Warehousing, and Physical Distribution
Most traditional publishers will print hundreds, sometimes even thousands of copies of each new title. The physical books are warehoused in their own facilities and/or shipped out to various wholesalers/distributors where orders from retailers are fulfilled.
Sales and Marketing
Traditional publishers hire one or two marketing copywriters to create compelling back-cover copy, press releases, catalogues, and other promotional materials that are designed to sell more of the publisher's frontlist books. Each of these individuals is assigned to promote more than one author to the various wholesalers and retailers.
Traditional (trade) book publishers set the bar high. Unfortunately, their processes can seem painfully slow and inflexible to an anxious author, and the odds of being accepted are very low.
Fortunately, there is a professional alternative….
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The Polished Publishing Group (PPG) believes it is possible for authors to self-publish a comparable product if they are willing to go through the same steps a traditional (trade) publisher goes through to polish and perfect a book. Our team of professionals has over 100 years' combined experience with book publishing, editing/proofreading, copywriting, ghostwriting, and graphic design to help you produce a high quality product you can be very proud of.
Our Selection Process
We provide supported self-publishing services to Canadian authors of the following types of books:
Themes:
- will consider all themes
Genres:
- fiction
- non-fiction
- poetry
Physical Books:
- format: trade paperback (soft)
- binding: perfect
- cover: full-colour, glossy 10 pt. CS1 lamination
- trim sizes for black and white interiors: your choice of 5"x8", 5.5"x8.5", or 6"x9" (up to ten graphics allowed in package price)
- trim sizes for colour interiors: your choice of 5.5"x8.5", 7"x10", 8"x10", or 8.5"x11" (up to ten graphics allowed in package price)
- paper colour: your choice of white or crème for b/w interiors; white only for colour interiors
- page count: from 50-300 pages (maximum 90,000 words in total)
** PPG will consider publishing other trim sizes and page counts on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us for a quote.
Digital e-Book Books:
- formats: your choice of Adobe eBook Reader (.PDF), Microsoft Reader (.LIT), or Palm Reader (.PDB)
- page count: from 50-300 pages (maximum 90,000 words in total.)
Copy Editing
Once you submit your manuscript and back cover copy to us, an experienced copy editor will be assigned to review it and correct any issues with spelling, grammar, and punctuation throughout. He or she will also make helpful suggestions regarding word choice and sentence structure. The revised document will then be returned to you for final approval before proceeding to the production process.
Production
Once you have approved the edited version of your manuscript, one of our talented graphic designers will lay out your book interior, followed by your book cover, based on answers you provide on our Production Questionnaire. (We begin with the interior because the spine size of your cover is determined by the final page count of your book.)
Proofreading/Polishing
Before we turn things back over to you for the final proof approval, we’ll have one more set of eyes do the following nine-point check on your behalf:
Interior:
- the front matter (such as the table of contents) is accurate and correct
- the back matter (such as the index) is accurate and correct
- headers and footers are accurate and correct
- bad breaks are eliminated
- text is kerned to flow smoothly throughout
- margins and trim size all measure properly
- spelling and punctuation is correct
Cover:
- spacing, bleeds, and trim size all measure properly
- spelling and punctuation is correct
Administrative Services
We will obtain an ISBN number for your book, design your copyright page, and pay out royalties (in Canadian dollars) for any of your PPG books that are sold through the below distribution channels.
Print-on-Demand (POD) and Online Distribution
Luckily, modern print-on-demand (POD) technology now virtually eliminates the need to print large runs of books and pay expensive warehousing fees. We will submit your final-approved, print-ready book files to our POD partner, Lightning Source Inc. (LSI). They will, in turn, make your book available to the below list of wholesalers and retailers on your behalf:
In North America:
- Amazon.com
- Baker & Taylor
- Barnes & Noble
- Espresso Book Machine
- Ingram
- NACSCORP
In the United Kingdom:
- Amazon.co.uk
- Bertrams
- Blackwell
- Book Depository
- Coutts
- Gardners
- Mallory International
- Paperback Bookshop
- Argosy Ireland
- Eden Interactive Ltd.
- Aphrohead
- I.B.S. - STL U.K.
- Libreria Ledi
- Eleftheroudakis
In Canada:
Your book is available for sale through these distribution channels within approximately four to six weeks from the time you approve your final print-ready files for submission. They are printed and shipped at the time they are ordered, in the exact quantities they are ordered, which saves you from incurring any warehousing fees.
Added Bonus: In addition to submitting your books to LSI, we will also submit them to Google Books, at no extra charge, to increase your online exposure even more! Supported Self-Publishing
- Click here to see an example of how your book could appear on Google Books
- Click here to see an example of how your book could appear on Amazon.com
- Click here to see an example of how your book could appear on PPG's Online Bookstore
- Click here to see an example of how your book could be marketed on YouTube
With all these tedious background details taken care of, you are now free to focus on the sales and marketing of your book. (Please see our Services webpage for our complete list of services that were designed to help you succeed.)
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