Editing, Design & Layout

Q. What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A. Do not let "editors/publishers" change your book. It is very important that your book retains your "signature". No matter what changes people think you should make, generally they are not staying in sync with your story. If you want a "ghost writer" then go for that otherwise just let your "editor/publisher" fix misspelled words, mixed tenses and punctuation - they should only gently "suggest" changes when there is a "logic stumble".

Q. What questions should a consumer ask to hire the right service professional?

A. What does editing encompass ? - for instance we don't do any historical editing (we can for a price) for instance, if you say something happened in 1937 - we accept that. However if you say something happened on February 29, 1947, we will question that!
Is the editor/publisher 100% responsible for any errors after printing? Only if you found an error, documented it and it didn't get fixed. Otherwise, if you approved it and it was printed as you approved, no the editor/publisher is not responsible.
What happens if, after the editor/publisher has started to lay out the manuscript, the author submits a new copy? In our shop it is supposed to mean your pay a new editing fee. We don't always impose that depending on how far we've gotten.
Does the editor/publish market your publication?
What does it really mean to market your publication?
Putting a book on a web-site does not constitute marketing, no matter who tells you otherwise.

Q. What important information should buyers have thought through before seeking you out?

A. Except if you're looking only for a review, wait til you're finished before you bring your book. You can't keep writing the book if you're ready for it to be "published". That doesn't say you can't make changes - words look very different in typed form. And don't expect to have me give you back laid material for you to "update" - once the book is laid in format, we need to make any and ALL changes. Our software is such that adding one period or apostrophe in the wrong place could put all the pages off kilter - we know how to do it so it works for you!

Q. Why does your work stand out from others who do what you do?

A. Every book we do is unique. We have no boiler plate and no templates. We design your book the way you envision it not as we want to do it. We always remember who the customer is, and although we may suggest a rewording or such, the customer ALWAYS has the final say!

Q. What do you like most about your job?

A. At Creative Book Printing, we get very involved with our authors. We read every word of the book and when we see "stumbles", we say so. We have a vested interest in your success - the more you sell, the more we print. It's a win-win for everyone! I loove the people and seeing how different people handle different topics and their perception of their book!

Q. If you have a complicated pricing system for your service, please give all the details here.

A. There is NOTHING complicated about our pricing.
We have a one page, 14pt font, AGREEMENT.
We have a "pre press fee" that handles everything that has to happen with your book up to the point of pressing PRINT.
This is a one time fee paid up front - you give us your manuscript, we assess it and tell you what the "pre-press" fee is - typically between $150 and $500.
Then we do your book (with you).
Once we know how many real pages etc, then we give you the "per book" fee. Typically $2.50 and $5.00.
We do not do quantity discounting unless you're talking 500+ at a time.
We do have a 25 book minimum.
We will guanantee the per-book price for 1 year at least.