Anthea McGibbon, Staff Reporter

FINALLY, MORE Jamaicans with a tale to tell are penning their thoughts. With confidence that they have written something worth putting on bookshelves, they are now ready for the challenge of publishing those thoughts.

Generally, a good publisher takes control of all stages but, with budget constraints and financial challenges, more Jamaicans go for self-publishing.

The stages in brief are editing, layout/design, printing and production activities, says author Diane Browne, a member, for over 20 years, of the Children Writers Group. After recently self-publishing her latest childrens book, The Ring and the Roaring Water, she offers quick guidelines.

Understanding one's responsibility to the ultimate reader is critical. Thorough and thoughtful editing of the book/script takes precedence, ensuring that the work is free of grammatical errors, inaccuracies and God-awful gaffes.

Doing a lot of research is also extremely critical, especially when it comes to writing and publishing books for children, Browne emphasises.

Additional considerations

First-stage decisions include titling the book; formatting in terms of pages and cover type, whether hardcover or paperback. For overall costs to be determined, additional considerations include the number of copies and marketing goal. Some persons prefer printing in response to orders or demand, while others just print to a predetermined quantity.

Checking out the competition(s) is a worthy exercise. This gives an inkling into what similar products are on the shelves and the factors affecting success or failure. For example, authors can call top book distributors such as Ingram and check, by the ISBN, sales within a given period.

When deciding on paper and printing quality, for pages and the cover, a good idea would be to first examine samples. Be familiar with existing books, which may be similar in content to your own. Also, strive to imbue your book with uniqueness, something new, something different.

When those matters are cleared up, avoid going too cheap when trying to reduce overall costs, which include printing, graphic design, artwork, photography, copy editing, shipping, distribution, launches, campaigns and ISBN.

Getting a publisher to do everything makes life easier, but that level of non-involvement might make you fret and ultimately lose control. Some persons who own a computer and desktop-publishing software opt to design their cover independently, but Browne recommends going for an expert designer with book experience.

Even with a publisher, there are things on your to-do list which you can tackle yourself. Getting an ISBN at isbn.org, and familiarising yourself with costs, on your own, are two prime examples.

Critical tool

ISBNs are assigned to regions. For Jamaicans, ISBNs are obtained from the National Library of Jamaica. The process usually takes two weeks.

Shop around for quotations. Your ideal professional is deadline-oriented, quality-savvy, experienced and trustworthy.

Marketing is a critical tool which is often overlooked and, although usually done after the publishing of the book, it should be considered in the earlier stages.

Self-publishing calls for self-promotion, even if you have hired a publicist. Its important to develop a knack for being aggressive in speeding distribution along.

Developing a rapport with representatives of bookstores where your works may be sold is important, as familiarity with tricks of the trade, like consignment agreements and royalties, will safeguard your investment.

Let us know how you feel about The Gleaner's do-it-yourself feature, 'How To ...'. Give us ideas on problems you want to know how to fix yourself. Email us at anthea.mcgibbon@gleanerjm.com or columns@gleanerjm.com.

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