Book layout design for self-publishing authors and small businesses,including professional-looking layouts for publication via sites such as Kindle Direct Publishing, Lightning Source, Lulu and others in both print and ebook formats. Most books require 3-5 hours to finish the layout of interior and cover for print. Note in my feedback that clients without feedback represent ongoing clients, and multiple projects.
If you are looking to publish your book or books, my extensive print publishing background will be an excellent resource for you. I'm uniquely qualified to prepare your book from manuscript to finished book for publishing as a paperback, hardcover and/or an ebook. I'm familiar with specific requirements of various common sites, as well as having a great background in the print industry, unlike many "newly minted" graphic artists whose training has focused on websites, web publishing and apps..
I've very proud to say that I've assisted with preparing Best Seller listed books and high profile artists for publication via print-on-demand sites. It's exciting to see this publishing method being used by the "big boys" as well as the self-publishing authors.
And to add another feather to my cap, I received word from one Client that his book about early colonial Cambodia was approved by the actual King of Cambodia. Client says I'm "the Royal Typesetter"... :)
I'm happy to give you a time estimate for completing your project, but to me, every book is unique, and deserves a unique layout, so giving an exact fixed-rate price is necessarily impossible. Using the hourly rate, you pay only for what YOUR project requires. Let's talk about the possibilities.
Every book deserves a great cover, and I'm also available to help you with your cover design, from start to finish, concept to print and ebook publishing.
While I generally leave uploading of files to my clients, if you need help, I'm usually available, and I do guarantee my files to sucessfully upload to the various sites, or I'll work on it until it does. This guarantee has even led me to step in and work with the help desks of more than one print site when their automated system thought it detected a problem, and my extensive print process knowledge assured me there wasn't one and sure enough, all was good to go.
"Being there" for my clients is especially important to me, and I'm proud of my on-going client list here on oDesk. My clients seem to refuse to close out their accounts even when we don't have an active project. :-)
During my nearly 50-years of graphic design within the printing and publishing field, I have witnessed and adapted to the many changes in technology as it relates to the industry. Yes, I'm vintage, but not antique yet!
So although I'm specializing in book publishing, if you have other print needs, such as stationery, magazine layout, flyers and on and on, I have done just about everything there is to do in the printing industry.
Most of the changes in the print industry have been in the way that typography, photography and art meet and make their way to the printed page. We used to do this with light tables, punch-tape and exacto knives, now we use computers for the whole process. Offset presses have largely remained the same, and the digital presses use the same file types so prepress ideas have remained the same, with technology replacing the hand pasting and stripping departments. My complete knowledge of the process from idea to print serves me well in achieving my client's goals in the most economical fashion possible.
I have been using the industry standard computer programs for over 30 years, including Adobe CS6 programs. There are special factors related to putting computer generated art onto paper vs. the computer monitor. Things like color space, RGB vs. CMYK; raster vs. vector; high and low resolution and when to use each one. With my experience and knowledge, I know how to deliver the right file type for the publication method, and how to use the same developmental files to create products that are suitable for both print and e-delivery, saving time and money on multi-use projects.
Although printed material is far from leaving us, more and more publication is done in e-formats. Setup of material for printing and e-publication is similar, but there are many specific aspects that need to be addressed in the publication of e-books, online magazines and other multi-media. As the industry changes, so do my skills. I continue to learn and expand my knowledge base in the Graphic Arts, enabling me to provide my clients with the best print and publishing designs for paper and electronic media. I'm enjoying every step of the process.
I do know the basics of web design, although having chosen to focus on print-style design, rather than web sites and web pages, but I can help my clients with their basic web-site needs. If you become a client and need supporting documents for use on the web, I can handle it.
Magazine Layout
