Monday, December 27, 2010

The Formatting Process - Create Space

Last week I had a consultation with the interior design team at Create Space, and was advised that the mock-up of my first chapter would be completed in a week.  Today I received the mock-up.  I can’t be more thrilled.  Interesting enough, while formatted, the page count of the mock-up closely matches the text that I sent.  I submitted 14 pages in chapter one, and the formatted version came out to be 14.5 pages.  This wouldn’t be an issue if my book wasn’t 325 pages and I didn’t want to format the page-count down to 250 pages.  Bottom line, I don’t want spacing to be tight, but I also don’t want to limit my profits.  Yes, I am assuming that I will actually sell the book that I put blood, sweat and tears into.  And yes, I do hope to make a modest profit for my effort to entertain.  :-)

Profits are determined by a grid that considers the page count, trim size and list price, which the author sets at Create Space.  For a 300 page book with 6 x 9 trim, and a list price of $14.95, the profit would be between $1.47 and $7.51 per book.  With a 250 page book with 6 x 9 trim, and a list price of $14.95, the profit would be between $2.13 and $8.11.  After careful consideration, I decided that I'd rather sacrifice profits for aesthetics.  

The formatting itself looks professional and I would hope so since I purchased Create Space’s Total Design Package, which includes book design and interior formatting.  I purchased the least expensive package, and I believe that thus far, I’ve gotten my money’s worth.  As I mentioned before, the book cover is phenomenal (see above).  What pleases me the most is Create Space’s quality of work as well as their ability to meet deadlines.  I do hope that I am pleased throughout the publication process.

Today, I’m going to approve the design mock-up.  The few formatting errors I see can be addressed in the next stage.  If I ask for the corrections now, I will receive another chapter one mock-up in 5 business days.  The changes that need to be made are simple and can wait.  There are a couple of paragraphs that are “double-indented”.  Also, the designer did not put Chapter One at the beginning of chapter one.  So, ten days from tomorrow, my entire book should be formatted, and I’ll address those issues at that time.

All in all, I’m a happy camper.

2 comments:

  1. Hello Jennifer,
    First, let me wish you the best success in writing.

    I would be EXTREMELY concerned about such basic errors. Those are so fundamental that it would cause me to worry about the more subtle things. I would guess that if they made that kind of mistake, there are many, many more they missed.

    Just my thoughts, good luck!

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  2. I would be very concerned about those basic errors too. As a freelance editor and designer, those would be completely unacceptable to me. I would address them now, and double check your contract for when you are supposed to notify them of errors. Also, since your book is fiction (all text, no charts, pictures, etc.), your page count should be lower in the long run. I'm assuming that your original page count of 325 pages is based on the industry standard of 250 words per page or the equivalent of Times New Roman, 12 point font, double spaced, 1 inch margins. If so, and your 6x9 book is properly formatted (readable font but not too big), you should have about a 10% reduction in your manuscript page count. Just some things to think about. By the way, I found your post via LinkedIn. If you have questions or just want someone to verify what's happening with your book, feel free to contact me via my website - skalacreative.com.

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