Delaney-Designs

Guidelines

Book Layout Guidelines

These guidelines explain the workflow process for interior Book Layout projects. Please read carefully and your project will proceed quickly and efficiently. These guidelines explain what I need from you in order to start and complete your Book Layout project.

PLEASE NOTE: One of the most common, and most expensive, mistakes people make is sending a manuscript to layout before it’s ready. Authors should never submit anything but a completely proofread and edited FINAL DRAFT to layout. If you start tackling copy and typo errors during the layout phase it can get very expensive because a layout program, like InDesign, is not a writing program, like Microsoft Word. A layout program is not meant for heavy editing. An author should expect to do nothing more than minor tweaking after the book has gone to layout.

The second-most common mistake I see is that authors try to “lay out” their manuscript in Word or another word processing software. Please don’t do this. Just write. Separate off your subheadings with nothing more than a very simple outline level change, or even just some emboldened text as a subheading.

I Need:

  • Any images you’d like me to use, including author photo.
  • Final draft of the manuscript. This means final, copy-edited, proofread draft with all text corrections made and finalized.
  • Final draft of copyright page including ISBN and LCCN if you intend to use them.
  • Decision on paper stock so I can calculate spine thickness.

You Get:

  • Book Layout with running headers and footers consisting of some arrangement of book title, author’s name, and page numbers, based on your input.
  • A round of edits and adjustments, limited to typographical errors, MINOR corrections, and re-alignments. Please note: This is not the time to proofread or edit your manuscript. These things must be done before submission. It is very difficult to do these things once it it laid out. Anything beyond minor corrections will be billed at $45 per hour. If you need a proofreader or copy editor, please let me know and I’ll see if any of my contacts are open to new clients.
  • After final payment, High resolution PDF emailed to you and/or submitted directly to your printer’s FTP site if you supply their login info.
  • Source files available on request.

Work Flow:

  1. Delaney-Designs receives deposit and all necessary materials
  2. We have phone or email conversation so I can understand your thoughts and turn them into vision
  3. I supply you with a proof of your book layout
  4. We have a round of edits and adjustments as described above
  5. Once you’re satisfied that the proof is finalized you send final payment
  6. I send your print-ready file to you and/or your printer