others, it might not occur to them to offer—it’s all in the family after all. The best strategy is to let as many relatives as you can know in advance that you are writing this worthy book. Ask if those who can afford it would mind contributing a certain amount to help you cover the costs of printing and mailing out copies once it’s finished. Casually mention that you would love to include colour photographs, but you’re not sure if you can afford it. Once they understand that a small honorarium could enrich the project for the whole family, they’ll probably be willing to help out.
Most people (yes, even people in your family) are very reasonable. They won’t balk if you ask them to pay for the mailing costs, especially if they live in Malta.
Name Your Price
After you’ve sacrificed so much of your time, you realize you do need to charge for the book.To treat everyone fairly, you can simply sell the book to everyone for the same amount per copy. Determine what you think is a fair price based on your production costs (perhaps you hired an editor or a book designer), printing costs and shipping costs.You might forgo the charge if someone was particularly helpful with your research or lent you some great photographs. Even professional publishers give away a few complimentary copies when they must.
Of course, some relatives will expect to receive a copy for nothing.They feel you owe them for all the times they helped you move or babysat your temperamental poodle.How to deal with this situation is entirely in your hands. Each family has unique eccentricities, which is one reason telling their story is so worthwhile. It is best to bear in mind that this project commemorates your family’s history and the bonds you share. Is it the time to squabble or the time to celebrate?
SAMPLE SCHEDULE
Most home-publishing ventures are done without any schedule in mind, which is as it should be. Most readers can skip straight to the beginning of Chapter 4. But, if you need your book to be finished by a particular date, such as the date of a family reunion, read on!
Schedules are prepared by counting backwards from the delivery date.To make this really explicit, this sample schedule is presented “upside-down,” with the end-date in the first line.
| Step | How long the step takes | Target date for completion of that step |
| Target date to have | September 1 | |
| books in bookstores | ||
| Delivery to stores | 1 week | August 24 |
| Printing and binding | 1 month | July 24 |
| Indexing | 2 days | July 22 |
| Proofreading and correcting | 1 week | July 15 |
| Layout | 1 week | July 7 |
| Incorporating editor’s suggestions | 1 month | June 7 |
| Editing | 2 weeks | May 24 |
| Design | 1 week | May 17 |
| Writing | 6 months | November 17 (previous year) |
| Start date | — | June 17 (previous year) |
This schedule is fairly typical. Of course, a schedule like this is only necessary when you have a definite target completion date. Early September is the most common target date in book publishing, because books published in the early fall benefit the most from the Christmas buying season (but it also means your book is competing for attention with all the bestsellers).
You’ve finally taken care of the biggest hurdle of all: you’ve written the manuscript. (Why are we skipping over the writing process? Because there are literally tens of thousands of books out there on the subject, and because we know that a considerable proportion of the readers of this book have already written their manuscripts.)
Before you start thinking that you are near the end of the process, be forewarned: as we have seen in that sample schedule, writing is only the first step in the long process of bringing a book to print.
This chapter explores the work that happens after the first draft is written: the notorious (and only sometimes painful) editing process.
PREPARING THE MANUSCRIPT
Book publishers expect manuscripts to be submitted in a specific format: single-sided, double spaced, 12-point type, and one-inch margins all around. There are various reasons for this. The standardized format (which has about 250 words a page) allows the publisher to estimate production costs very easily, and allows enough space for editorial corrections and comments.
Whether you as a self-publisher need to use that format depends on how the book will be produced. If it is going straight from your word processor to a desktop publisher, it really doesn’t matter if you’ve strictly followed the format. If you intend to send it to a professional editor, the editor will probably be more comfortable working on the manuscript if it “looks right.” Ask the editor; most editors are really put off by non-standard manuscripts, but some don’t care.
When sending a manuscript to an editor or designer in the form of a computer file, the rule is really clear:“keep it simple.” The editor or designer won’t want lots of fancy fonts and pages that look like final layout. In most cases, they’ll just have to undo the formatting before they start working on the file. So don’t bother with the formatting unless the book is going to the printer right from your word-processed file.
HANDWRITTEN MANUSCRIPTS
At virtually every workshop for first-time writers and would-be home-publishers, someone asks: “Is it all right to submit handwritten manuscripts to editors or designers?” The answer is a resounding “no.” There’s not much that any of those people can do with a handwritten manuscript other than send it off to be keyed before they start working on it—and submitting something handwritten just looks extremely amateurish.
KNOWING WHEN TO STOP
TINKERING WITH THE MANUSCRIPT
There’s no rule on when enough is enough.To a large extent, you’ll have to rely on your own instincts. If you feel that you need help, trust that instinct. If you find that you’ve changed large parts of the manuscript back to how they had been in a previous draft, and are still not comfortable with them, get someone to help. If you’re struggling with writer’s block, or know that there is a problem with the manuscript but can’t quite explain what it is (or just plain never want to see it again!) stop tinkering and get a friend or editor to look it over.
How Can an Editor Help You?
Anyone at all familiar with the publishing process will tell you that a skilled editor does much more than correct spelling mistakes. An editor is an organizer who rereads, revises, rearranges, reevaluates and, in some cases, rewrites an author’s book. The editor is there to polish the manuscript and make sure it’s fit to print. If you can afford a professional editor, that’s the way to go. But if you’re on a budget, you’ll want to consider self-editing.
FREELANCE EDITORS
Most publishing companies use professional freelance editors to edit their books. If you have the budget, a freelancer can take on a variety of editing chores for you. Freelancers have widely varying levels of ability and fee schedules. If you want to have your book edited professionally, get at least two quotes on the work and be sure to get (and check!) references. To find freelancers in your area, contact the Editors’ Association of
