Publishing Services
Overview
In an increasingly competitive book publishing market, one which faces daily dilution by new digital and internet media, publishers are more selective than ever before about backing new printed works with their own capital.
Bearing this in mind, and at the same time realising that there are many new authors out there still wanting their works in print, Springbok Press offers an A-Z self-publishing advisory and coordinating service to meet these requirements. This means that we will, for a fee, guide the author or publisher through the entire publishing process. From manuscript evaluation, to editing, to layout and cover design, indexing services, ISBN registration, printing advice (we can recommend reliable suppliers, and guide you through the process, but it will still be your responsibility to sign off final proofs and cost estimates) to marketing and distribution – we can perform or outsource all these services on your behalf.
How it works and what it costs
MAIL US AN OVERVIEW OF THE WORK you’d like to publish, tell us who it’s aimed at and what its main unique selling points are. Include the first two chapters and we’ll come back to you with a concise written report (no more than five pages) giving our honest opinion as to whether you have a saleable proposition or not.
Timeframe: Two weeks from receipt of payment
Cost: R 2,400 — payable upfront.
EDITING SERVICES: Once you’ve received our initial report and made the necessary adjustments to the manuscript (provided we thought it was worth pursuing in the first place) we can then proceed to the editing phase. You will need to supply us with a Word document, which will then be returned to you with the edit comments/suggestions clearly marked for your further processing. Once you’ve made your final adjustments, it is your responsibility to have the work proofread by a third party (or do it yourself, but another fresh eye is always better) and send the final manuscript back to us for layout and typesetting.
Timeframe: Dependant on the length of the work, but allow at least 4-6 weeks, from receipt of payment.
Cost: R 65 per page (maximum 350 words), payable in advance.
INITIAL LAYOUT AND COVER DESIGN: With the final manuscript (and any photographs, maps and/or illustrations – ensure these are good quality and that you have copyright to use them) back in our hands, the business of layout and cover design can begin. These services are contracted out to Yell Design (Lerié Yell) who have already designed three new books for us, and a completely revised edition of one of these as well. See her portfolio summary at the end of this section.
Timeframe: Initial Cover design & general feel and layout of pages – approximately 3 days.
Cost: R3,000 – R4,000 depending on complexity and artwork generation.
A 50% deposit is required before any design work will commence.
LAYOUT (typesetting) AND FINAL COVER DESIGN:
Timeframe: Dependant on the length and complexity of the work,
number of pages, number of photos and/or illustrations, as well
as how long the client takes to approve the initial and follow-up
concepts presented. This process can take between 4–6 weeks (depending on complexity of the work) —
a detailed quotation will be supplied prior to onset of work.
Cost: On average, R100/1000 words – for plain text. This implies a book of
± 300 pages will come to between R9,500 – R10,000
Extras:
- Layout per page of complex design work, including photographs, maps, illustrations, tables: R90–R190/page (depending on complexity and artwork required for designs). Individual evaluations will be made for each job and quotations then supplied to client.
- Bibliographies /Footnotes/Endnotes: R190/page
- Indexing: depending on complexity and number of entries R1,500 – R3,000 Please note: a whole extra week could be added to timeframe for the compiling of an Index.
PRESENTATION OF PRINT-READY PDF FILE TO CLIENT:
Timeframe: 1 day
Cost: R500
ISBN REGISTRATION: This is easy enough and requires a simple client briefing of what is required.
Cost: R150
MARKETING AND DISTRIBUTION STRATEGY: This will be provided to the client based on the primary target markets and promotional budget identified by them. A concise document, no more than 10 pages will be supplied to the client, and will contain all information necessary for the client to get the new book onto both local and international (where applicable and saleable) bookstore shelves.
Timeframe: Around 10 days from receipt of payment.
Cost: Between R3,000 - R5,000
PRINTING SUPERVISION: Dependant on client’s experience in this regard, we would gladly, partially or totally, coordinate and supervise the printing process for the client, although the client would still need to take ultimate sign-off responsibility for the project.
Timeframe: Client dependant
Cost: R250 per hour
SUMMARY: For 1000 copies, an average 300-page soft-cover book, thread sewn and then perfect bound, with about eight pages of illustrations (taking into account a minimal 10-15% spent on launch marketing- incl. travel) can easily cost between R70 – R85,000 to produce and launch. And with each book costing between R70 and R85 per copy, the book would need to retail between R199 and R279 (using outsourced warehousing and distribution services) in order to realise a small profit.