Behind the Scenes

A book doesn't just appear out of thin air. There are a myriad of moving parts behind the publishing of a book. Each person who contributes something to the finished product is equally important. 

Let's say you have a manuscript...and you think it is quite good...fantastic, even. Aah, but you see your eyes have been looking at those words on the screen, or the paper, for weeks...even months. Just like the crumpled paper in the corner of the bedroom, which starts to look normal after some time, so are the tiny mistakes sprinkled through the pages. A forgotten word or misspelled word, due to hurried typing. A phrase which sticks out like a sore thumb. All of these 'mistakes' need attention, and who better to deal with them then an editor. 

Lisa Cerasoli of 529 books proved to be a God send. She worked seamlessly with Crystal Krachunis to produce the best book possible. Deadlines were met far in advance. Communication zipped back and forth with ease. 

Lisa Cerasoli

What is a manuscript- edited or not- without a printer? Well, basically it is a pile of papers on your desk which can never get into anyone else's hands. So this is where Gorham Printing entered the stage to 'save the day'. 

Before you can print the books, you need to figure out what your cover will look like. Glory Days Garage helped out with pre-designing the cover. They even came up with a great idea for a tote bag to use as a promotional tool. 

Okay, let's be honest. You can have a book...fully edited...nicely printed...but if you don't have any way to let others know about the book, this is a problem. It's the kind of problem which will result in boxes of books stacked up in a warehouse with nowhere to go. This is where Bart Cardea of East Carolina Creative stepped in. He produced a marvelous website for Seaward Publishing House. Bart worked tirelessly to make sure everything was ready when the book came off the presses. 

Of course, there are a lot of other 'behind the scenes' helpers. The ones who poured over designs, looked at various fonts, came up with ideas for formatting, etc etc. Yes, it is true, a book does not appear out of thin air. It takes time, effort and a whole lot of patience. One thing I know, when you hold the finished product in your hands-- it is worth it all!

Zero to Sixty

Phew....when did we go from zero to sixty...all in one breath. One moment I'm telling you how to set the company up-- and promising you I will be introducing the 'behind the scenes' elves who helped to make this possible...and the very next moment, I stop to take a deep breath...and WHAM...orders are coming in already.

I should clarify-- PRE-ORDERS- as the book has not even gotten off the press! A face book page is up and running-- people are liking- sharing- wanting to order. 

Its all very exciting and yet very scary at the same time. Thankfully, God has promised HE will never leave me nor forsake me. He didn't send me out on this new adventure all by myself. He continues to bring people along my path who have been a great help. (Yes I promise to introduce them in the next post) 

Pastor Crystal Krachunis

Crystal Krachunis has written an excellent book-- I am excited to see this book in as many hands as possible. This is not just a book to read for entertainment value, it isn't even just a 'self help' book- it is a life changing book. 

I would love to see a campaign started on Social Media with #RunYourRace tagline. Can we see how far this book will go without using the big companies such as Amazon...can we make this a grass roots sale that far surpasses the big company sales? 

The printer told me that the cover alone is a "new" approach-- doing a hashtag on the cover is not something normally done. So, I say, let's be different...why do we need to 'fit into a box"? We don't have to! So, after my deep breath...this may all be very scary...and exciting...but I would say, above all this is exactly the way it is supposed to be and I am excited to see what happens after my next deep breath!

The Nuts and Bolts

So you wake up one morning and say, "Let's start a publishing company"....nope...not that easy. As with any business, you have to come up with a business plan....a budget....a goal. Of course you can have some fun choosing a name and figuring out your logo....and for like a second you can pretend that this is as difficult as anything will get. Give yourself a day or so to enjoy the sound of your company's new name. Enjoy the process of looking for a logo. After a brief period of enjoyment, jump back into the nuts and bolts of moving forward with your business....the real legal stuff....

Almost Legal

This is the tricky part. You will have to decide what type of company you want to start. Are you wanting to start a sole proprietorship? or an LLC? Or some other alphabetic combination? Once you have decided on that...you have to register the company and make sure the name you have chosen hasn't been used before...and then you walk into a bank and you say, "Hi, I'm here to open an account."

Best personal Banker: Anita Trujillo

When you walk into the bank- you hope that you will be met with someone who is sympathetic to the fact you are new to all this. Thankfully, I met Anita Trujillo, who practically held my hand throughout the entire process. She was cheerful and gracious;  while remaining efficient and professional. 

I think Wells Fargo needs to give Anita a resounding cheer for being the best personal banker ever! Believe me, in all my years of dealing with banks and personal bankers, she really went above and beyond the call of duty.

Once the bank accounts were set up-- then you start business. At the beginning it will look like the only direction the money is flowing is out.  You are paying the editor, the website designer, the printer....but I'm getting ahead of myself....that is for future posts.

There are others far more proficient than myself in the dos and don'ts of starting a publishing company. You should check out some of their advice and tips.

See what Erica Liodice has to say on her blog post "How to Start Your Own Publishing Company"  Her post is good because she covers all the angles- from self publishing companies to starting a publishing company to publish other people's books.  Shelley Hitz gives some excellent tips from lessons she and her husband learned on the journey of starting a publishing company.  Another post which has a wealth of information- especially in regards to the legalities of setting up the business and the tax side of things is done by Dave Chesson.
Ultimate Guide on How to start a publishing Company

I wish I could say I read all these articles before I started....I didn't. I did a lot of research over the past year. I asked a lot of questions. When I stumbled on these articles (and many others) I appreciated every word of advice given. I took each tip to heart, and studied to see if it was something that would work for my publishing company.

Well, I have to go and look over the proof copy which was just sent to me by the printers. I will definitely be blogging about them in upcoming posts, because they have made this publishing process that much easier. They have sent me the proof earlier than I expected. The company did an excellent job. I look forward to returning the Design proof form and getting things rolling for this first book to fly off the presses!