STEPS TO TAKE USING NEW PUBLISHING TECHNOLOGY

An author who has received written confirmation from their former publisher that their rights have returned to them can go straight ahead with the re-publishing or e-publishing process. If not, it’s usually just a case of writing to the author’s agent or publisher and getting an e-mail or letter back that confirms that the publisher  agrees to return the rights to the author.

If the writer has lost touch with his or her agent, or the publisher has been taken over by a conglomerate, or was published more than, say, 30 years ago, the process of reversion of rights, or confirmation that the author holds the rights, can take longer, but Cyberscribe will advise the author on this.

If published in the last 5-8 years, you may also want to check that you didn’t sign a contract giving your former publisher electronic publishing rights, or if so, make sure that they are also being reverted to you.

Original final-edited text or WORD file:  

• Print version: This is the second best option, as the book will already have been edited and proofed, and its text file is ready to be placed into a design programme. Cyberscribe simply takes the text file, checks it, formats it into a new book design.
• E-book version: as above, except that we format the text into the “e-pub” format to facilitate its conversion into the various e-reader formats and uploading to Amazon in their “Kindle” format.

Hard copy of book to be scanned and converted:

• When scanning a book for the extraction of text to use in another format, the text pulled from the scan may not always be accurately captured, so in addition to the scanning process, it will always require proofing and/or editing.
• Even new, clean books always require re-formatting and post-scan proofing to fit the book’s new trim. But if the book is mottled or has tiny print, it will require extra, work in order to render the text useable for a new, professional publication. Cost estimates will always be provided in the event that extra work is needed.
• Interior illustrations can generally not be used from a standard book scan.  We require the original, high resolution prints or .jpg files in order to reconfigure them in the book.

Editing can be broken down into three main categories:

• Substantive editing: sometimes known as a “deep edit” or “literary edit”, this service is extensive, costly and only availed of if the author specifically requests it. Depending on Cyberscribe’s workload, we will either provide an evaluation of the cost of such a task, or engage an appropriate literary editor for you, depending on the nature of the work
• A line-edit is also extremely detailed, examining the actual style, crafting and language used in the book. This could involve the tightening up of scenes, the removal of others that repeat similar information, correcting turgid or confusing paragraphs where sentences run on or where punctuation is misleading. The editor will look out for any inconsistencies, or the over-use of certain words or phrases.
• Copy editing: if the writer is re-publishing a title and provides a final, finished file (for example, the publisher’s final PDF files), this step will not be needed. However, if the writer has made changes to the original, or only has old text files they can’t confirm to be the version that was actually published, a thorough copy edit will be necessary. In the case of an original manuscript, a copy edit is essential. It checks all basic fact inaccuracies, grammar, punctuation, spelling and ensures consistency.

Proof reading of manuscript:  This is the essential finishing touch to be carried out on a final draft before placement into design software for print or converted to e-pub. Here, the editor is checking for spelling, grammar, typos, etc. This is essential for all manuscripts before their placement into the public arena, and is usually done by an external professional who has not previously worked on the manuscript.  When the book has been placed into the design template, the author will need to check through themself and sign off on the final version.

Proof reading of a scan:  After a document is scanned and converted into text, it must always be properly proofed and checked, since the optical recognition of the characters from the scan (which is an image) will never be 100% accurate. Depending on the condition of the original book, it may be a straightforward job, or it may take longer (a cramped, faded or mottled original often creates extra punctuation and distorts spelling), as extensive corrections may be needed. Again, when the book has been placed into the eBook format, the author will need to check through themself and sign off on the final version.

We work in the professional Adobe publishing suite, and use InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop to create the interior of any Cyberscribe-assisted book. We use templates that correspond to the standard book sizes available in print – whether the smaller size of 5.25 x 8 inches or the larger 6 x 9 inches, but we always make a custom-designed interior to the author’s preferences. From this master, we then re-format the file to create the E-book and Kindle version.

Print Books: We can advise you which format would suit the kind of book you are publishing, and also on the price differences involved with page counts, papers, cover stock etc. We can advise on design options such as font choices  and sizes for chapter headings, and styles used for the body text. While we currently don’t work with highly illustrated interiors, we are able to format and place a modest number of straightforward photos or line graphics. The interior of your book should be elegant yet functional and roomy enough for the reader to get through comfortably. It is almost as important as the cover, as is the quality and colour of the paper you choose for your book.

E-Books: The design of an e-book would appear to be a simpler affair, as it seems to have no formatting whatsoever, but the opposite is actually the case. The text needs to be meticulously stripped of all formatting to the bare bones, then converted carefully into the new e-publishing format. From this format, the e-books themselves are re-formatted by the online sales platforms according to the devices they use. Once Cyberscribe has the text of your book in a WORD format, or even a PDF, we can convert the work into an e-book for you, make sure it looks good and upload it to the various distribution platforms.

Print books: Even though an author may be fond of their original cover, the important thing to note is that a new cover distinguishes your new version as a new edition – so that the reader will be able to purchase the latest version, ensuring that the royalty gets to you and not a re-seller. Cyberscribe can create a new cover for you with custom or stock photographs, giving you a choice of three drafts to choose from. If you want to retain your old cover, you will need to clear copyright on the original book and cover design and you may be charged for the files – depending on your former publisher. 

E-books: An e-book cover is in fact a re-formatted version of the front cover of your book. Again, we can create one from your original book’s cover, using your former publisher’s files, or create a new one for you. If you have chosen to also publish your book for print, we coordinate the two.

Your own imprint: with independent publishing, it’s possible for an Author to set up their own small press by purchasing a set of ISBN numbers using the imprint name, and making sure that the ISBN issuer has all the correct details for the imprint. The books are then registered with the ISBN issuing body and the Author has their own publishing imprint with the name they prefer. Cyberscribe can set this up for you.

We work by taking best advantage of the two main online sales and distribution outlets, Amazon and Ingram Spark.  For the individual who wants to get their book back into print or online with ease and as effectively as possible. A combination of the two will provide a great all-round, international service.

Amazon KDP: this is the publishing wing of Amazon, the world’s largest online bookstore, digital and POD publisher and which now also owns Goodreads, the book fancier’s Social Media outlet.  So it’s a no brainer that it’s advantageous for an author to be on there.

Ingram Spark: For everything outside the Amazon field, we recommend Ingram Spark, who are part of the Ingram Group, probably the world’s largest printer of books. They will distribute, by order, to “bricks and mortar” bookshops internationally, and also distribute eBooks everywhere Amazon does not.

Royalties direct to you:  Cyberscribe will set up accounts for you with these two giants so that your work will be distributed and sold in as many ways as possible. You will be able to access your own accounts and see your royalties as they are deposited directly into your bank account.

With the Internet taken care of, what about a small print run of your title for your book launch, your press review copies, your special signed editions (which you can sell directly from your website) or for sale at readings or arts festivals?

Cyberscribe works with Sprint Print in Rathcoole, a state of the art digital printers in Ireland, who are proven in the field of quality paperbacks and hardbacks (not every printer does this). An author can also work with Ingram Spark’s print on demand service for even smaller print runs, as required, instead of making a potentially disastrous and expensive investment of funds for a thousand books at a time.

The adventurous author can even take on local distribution in independent book shops supplying them from the short print run.  But bookshop distribution drives, as with marketing and publicity, are up to the author.

Sales and marketing are crucial, but don’t come within Cyberscribe’s remit.  Authors usually set up a focussed Social Media campaign, or if you have the means, you can even engage a professional publicist (we can provide you with names).  Otherwise, we recommend these links appear on your author website and social media:

• a list of “where to buy in Ireland” live book shop links
• a list of direct links to Amazon’s individual sales page and your author page
• a list of the bigger, better-known online bookshops where your book will be available
  (Waterstones, Barnes & Noble in America for example)