Learn how to make a book with Marquand Books.
After an initial meeting to launch the project and establish a stylistic direction, a design presentation will be developed and shared.
The design is considered approved when the book’s size and general style are confirmed. This includes what typefaces are used for display and text type, the structure and margins of the page, and defining how images and unique elements are to be treated.
After the design is approved, the text is typeset and the images are placed to complete the layout.
The layout is considered approved when all the text is accounted for and the images are all placed and sized correctly. Text should not be proofread before layout is approved.
The cover should also be approved at this time.
After the layout is approved, the color can be evaluated and adjusted. Color and text are proofed at the same time, in parallel.
After the layout is approved, the text can be proofread and corrected. Text and color are proofed at the same time, in parallel.
After all proofs are approved and the final review is completed, files are sent to the printer and the book is shipped.
To ensure that your book is of the highest possible quality, submission of the best available imagery is a must. If you have any questions, please contact us.
Images should be professionally photographed or scanned and as large and unaltered as possible.
Please follow these basic image file specifications:
Evaluating image sizes can be complicated. Please refer to these guidelines as you prepare yours.
Images should be a minimum of 400 ppi at the size they will be reproduced. Keep an eye on pixel dimensions. For example:
Full page
9 × 11 in. at 400ppi = 3600 × 4400 pixels = 50mb TIFF file
Half page
6 × 9 in. at 400ppi = 2400 × 3600 pixels = 25mb TIFF file
Quarter page
4 × 6 in. at 400ppi = 1600 × 2400 pixels = 5mb TIFF file
Images should have clear and consistent file names. File names that correspond to callouts in the manuscript are a key component of the layout process.
Suggested image file naming conventions:
Plates
Plate_01_Keywords.tif
Figures
EssayTitle_Figure-01_Keywords.tif
Details
Detail_01_Keywords.tif
Placeholders add:
_FPO.tif
Other considerations:
Final images should be gathered, organized, and submitted as one batch.
Keep in mind the following:
There are fees associated with images that are important to know about before we get started:
Silhouetting: $35 per image
Silhouetting is the process of separating the subject of a photograph from its original background.
Scanning: $45 per image
While transparencies, slides, and prints are acceptable formats for image submission, they require extra work to scan and convert to a digital format.
Late images: $75 per image
Changing and adding images after layout approval requires extra adjustments and production work. We charge a fee for any image added after layout is approved.
Marquand Books' editorial workflow includes four rounds of text review as laid-out pages. For more details on each round of editorial review, please see our Editorial Process memo. To learn more about the different types of editors that might work on one of our projects, follow this link.
Final edited text files should be submitted as Microsoft Word documents by the edited manuscript deadline specified in the project schedule. For full instructions on how to format text, please refer to the Text Submission Guidelines memo.
Once the layout is approved, we will send out a PDF proof of the book, which can be forwarded to anyone who needs to review it; we’ll also send it directly to the copyeditor and our proofreader. The copyeditor will collate edits from all reviewers onto one PDF, which is sent to our typesetter to enter edits into the design file.
After the first-round edits are entered into the design file, we will send out a revised PDF. Generally, only the lead author or curator or museum publication head and the copyeditor review the proofs after the first round.
An updated PDF proof is sent out after second-round edits are entered.
The final review PDF will reflect all the latest text changes, but it may not include final image changes. Marquand Books editorial staff will also review the book at this time.
If the book includes an index, we will send the third-round PDF to the indexer. When the draft index arrives, we will typeset the index and send out a PDF of those pages for proofreading.
The plotter review is the last opportunity to discover and correct errors. We will review the plotter proof to ensure the text and images exactly match the files we sent and to check for any obvious errors. Any changes to the plotter proof are billed at $50 per page.
A non-comprehensive list of terms you’ll encounter when working with MB.
CMYK: The four standard inks used in a color printing press: (c)yan, (m)agenta, (y)ellow, and blac(k).
co-publication: A publishing agreement wherein a publisher purchases copies of a book up front, typically paying 20 to 25 percent of the retail price.
collate: To combine text edits from authors, editor, and proofreader onto a master proof or PDF.
colophon: A statement containing information about a book’s materials and production, such as the name and location of the printer and the paper type and typefaces used. This may appear on a separate page of the book, or be included on the copyright page.
color proofs: Printouts of book pages in full color that approximate how each page will look in the final book on the chosen paper. Color proofs are reviewed to determine necessary image adjustments.
copyright page: The page that includes a book’s publication information, printing history, cataloging data, ISBN, and copyright notice.
design: The general style of representative elements in a book, such as text and display typefaces and sizes, margins and page structures, and other unique aspects or decorative devices that allow for the layout to be developed.
design approval: The design is considered approved when the book’s size and general style are confirmed.
distribution: An agreement wherein a book distributor or publisher takes a title on a consignment basis to make it available to the book trade. The publisher pays roughly 25 percent of the retail price in single annual payments.
endpapers/endsheets: A decorative leaf of paper at the beginning and end of a book, usually fixed to the inside of the cover to help hold the interior pages in place.
fifth color: An ink added to the press above and beyond the usual four (see CMYK), typically custom mixed for each use. Metallic, fluorescent, and other specialty inks are printed this way.
final review: The final text review stage before the book goes to the printer. Any edits noted after the final review deadline will be made to the printer’s proof and may incur a fee.
flexibind: A type of binding with a flexible cover that is thicker and more durable than a typical paperback.
folio: The page number printed on the page. This term can also refer to the format and size of a book.
font vs. typeface: A typeface is a specific overall design of type, while a font is a singular style within that design. Helvetica Bold Condensed is a font; Helvetica is a typeface.
front matter/back matter: Front matter precedes the main text of a book and includes material such as the title page, table of contents, and introduction. Back matter follows the main text of a book and contains material such as the bibliography, index, and copyright page.
gutter: The adjacent inner margins of facing pages when a book is open. Gutter can also refer to the space between columns of type.
half-title page: The first page of a book. Generally, only the main title of the book is printed on the half-title page.
head and tail bands: Narrow bands of cloth that hide and protect the glued top and bottom of the book block at the spine.
layout and cover approval: The layout is considered approved when all text is typeset and images are placed and sized correctly. The cover design and materials should also be approved at this time.
layout: The entirety of the book after the text is typeset and images are placed, based on the approved design.
leading: The vertical space between lines of text; also called line spacing.
paper cut-off date: The date by which the printer needs to order paper and other materials for the book, and therefore the date when the full print run should be finalized.
PLC: Printed and laminated case; often a hardcover with no jacket.
plotter proof (sometimes called an ozalid or blueline): A rough printout of the entire book provided by the printer for an ultimate review of the book.
point: A small unit of measure used in typography. One inch has 72 points.
recto/verso: When looking at a two-page book spread, the recto is the page on the right and the verso is the page on the left.
signature: A printed sheet after being folded to form a group of pages which are then bound together. All signatures contain page counts in multiples of four.
spread: Two pages of a book (a recto and a verso) viewed side by side.
tip-in (interior): A page or pages manually placed and glued into the book.
tip-on (cover): A piece of paper smaller than the cover, glued in place.
title page: The first right-hand page at the beginning of a book, following the half-title page. The title page shows the title and subtitle of the book, the editor and author’s names, and the publisher’s name and location.