Cover to Cover - Book Manufacturing Advice and Expertise

Recently, one of our publishing clients came to us with a challenge.  To prove our commitment to social and environmental responsibility.  Thomson-Shore believes in the health of our global community.  We believe that by making a community thousands of miles away stronger, we are helping to make all of us stronger.  These aren’t just words we say, they the foundation of our company.  A company that commits fully to our promise to provide service.  We mean that whether it’s a customer, an industry, or a community.  So, we supported Christine as she embarked on the trip of lifetime to Uganda to provide much needed social service to a small community there. 

 Click here to read about Christine’s incredible trip and to see more pictures of her amazing journey.

Recently, my boss came to me with a mission — Find out more about Bess the Book Bus. So I did and what I found is that Jennifer Frances (founder and driver of Bess the Book Bus) is an incredible woman dedicated to bringing the gift of books to children all across America using her dependable book bus, Bess.

Bess the Book Bus is a non-profit organization dedicated to reading to children, promoting literacy, and getting books into the homes of underprivileged children and families.  Bess’s nationwide tour kicks off in early April.  During her trip she circles the country, visiting children and encouraging a love of reading.  Jennifer named her book bus Bess after her Nana Bess who instilled a passion for reading in her when she was young.

In addition to their national outreach, Bess serves over 5,000 families in Tampa. They distribute an average of 40,000  (200,000 + so far and 21,500 as part of last year’s Summer of Good Reads and Good Deeds with SuperPages) books annually in order to build home libraries for children who otherwise would not have the opportunity to own books.

Bess has been featured in the big time media spotlight in such publications as People Magazine where she was named one of People’s Heroes Among Us, and has been seen on the CBS Early Show and PBS!

The primary sponsor for these trips in SuperMedia, the publishers of superpages.com and Switchboard.   But Bess also works closely with Transitions Lenses, Jennifer’s biggest local sponsor.  They will be joining her for outreach events in several of the nationwide cities. In addition to providing free eye exams and glasses for the children, they will partner to educate families regarding proper eye health and its importance in both the classroom and reading for pleasure.

While the final tour schedule is not finalized yet, Bess has some great prospective cities they’d like to visit this year, including Detroit, Baltimore, Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Seattle, Phoenix, Dallas and New Orleans, just to name a few.  She will no doubt be pretty busy this summer instilling a respect and a love for the written word in our young people.  Be on the lookout for her in your city or a city near you!

Click here if you are interested in learning more about Bess the Book Bus or if you’d like to invite her to visit your town/city.  To support her efforts, visit her secure, online donation system.

As you begin the journey of getting your manuscript onto bookshelves and into the hands of consumers, one of your biggest worries might be how to produce your book in a cost effective manner while still creating a product that stands out on shelves.  So this holiday season we’ve come up with a few tips to help you produce a beautiful book you can be proud of while keeping your money where it belongs — in your pocket!  Consider it our gift to you.

1. Use inventoried items. Often, book printers will have a list of inventoried or stock materials for you to choose from.  Now, you can always choose a special paper or cloth material, but anytime your printer has to special order something it’s going to cost you money and time.  Most printers will have a wide variety of stock materials for you to choose from ranging from quite inexpensive to a more quality product.  Your sales manager should be able to help you select materials that support your goals for the book.

2. Use common trim sizes. 5 X 7; 5.5 X 8.5; 6 X 9; 7 X 10; or 8.5 X 11 are common trim sizes and most printers will inventory materials based on these sizes.  Thus saving you money and time.

3. Stay away from embossing and/or foil stamping. Instead, consider using special ink and coating techniques to make your covers standout.  For example: using a metallic ink on a paper cover will give it some punch and is much more affordable than foil stamping.  Or, a matte-etching process can give your cover a little zing rather than a solid lamination choice.   Again, your sales manager will be able to help you create a cover that pops without emptying our wallet.

4. Use paper cloth instead of fabric cloth. Using a paper based cloth can save you around 2% compared to a fabric based cloth option on your case bound books.

5. Use Insite Direct (or a similar automated program) for your text and cover proofs. Using an automated file submission system not only saves you valuable time, but will also eliminate proof transportation charges between your printer and you.  Using an automated system, your proofs are loaded directly to the website for you to view.  This is also a huge time saver because with most programs your proofs will be ready within a matter of seconds for you to view.

So, as you think about production costs for your next title, keep these easy to remember tips in mind.  They will save you time and money, while still producing a quality book you can be proud to have on bookshelves.   For more information on producing a more cost-effective book, please contact your Thomson-Shore Sales Manager.

And, just because we’re feeling festive, here’s a link to some good information to think about when printing your first book.

Some book industry experts might argue that as the book printing industry goes global, it will become more and more commodity-driven. Cash will be king, and book manufacturers will be forced to compete for customers by wooing them with the cheapest prices. But forward-thinking book printers know that price alone is not always the most important factor when publishers and authors look for companies to print their books.

When companies compete only on cost, quality and customer service can fall behind. As printing companies expand and grow into new markets, it is important that they are producing a high quality product every time and that customers are receiving the attention they deserve. Whether a customer is in the United States, Russia, New Zealand, or Turkey, they still need help to ensure that their manuscripts become great books.

Members of our customer service team believe it’s their responsibility as savvy professionals to learn to communicate with people from all corners of the globe.

Click here to meet each person on our customer service team.  They are eager to help you put your best book forward!

Valued Thomson-Shore customers,

Thomson-Shore has discovered an issue with Indesign CS4 and PDF files.

Issue: Indesign CS4 encoded fonts differently than it did in CS3.   This caused a problem with certain fonts that were used in Illustrator  or PDF files. The problem arose when those Illustrator files or PDF files were placed into Indesign CS4 and a PDF file was made. In some cases, characters (glyphs) would disappear or turn into boxes.

There is a dot release for Indesign CS4 (6.0.4) that addresses the font encoding problem that earlier versions had. We have tested it in both 6.0.3 and 6.0.4. In the updated version, all the font glyphs showed up and printed correctly.

Immediate Solution: Upgrade to 6.0.4 – this is a free update. Here is the link to the complete description of the problem and two solutions:  http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/493/cpsid_49333.html

If anyone has any questions about this update or the problem it fixes, please feel free to contact me.
Jeff Rhoades
Thomson-Shore
Prepress Technical Support
734-426-1718

Banned Books Week, an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the first amendment, kicks off this Saturday, September 26 and runs through Saturday, October 3.  The week is designed to encourage free and open access to information by drawing attention to book banning initiatives across America.

Banned Books Week is sponsored by the American Booksellers Association; American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression; the American Library Association; American Society of Journalists and Authors; Association of American Publishers; and the National Association of College Stores. It is endorsed by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress.

It is important to note that books are usually challenged/banned with the best intentions—to protect others, frequently children, from difficult ideas and information. The three most commonly cited reasons for banning books are to protect children from offensive language, sexually explicit material, or material unsuited for the targeted age group. However, many believe that the act of banning material from our libraries crosses the line into the harmful censorship of intellectual freedom.

Among the books often targeted for banning are:

• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
• The Cather in the Rye by JD Salinger
• The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
• To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
• The Color Purple by Alice Walker
• Ulysses by James Joyce
• Beloved by Toni Morrison
• The Lord of the Flies by William Golding
• Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
• A Farewell To Arms by Ernest Hemingway
• One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey

This is not meant to be an exhaustive list.

For more information on getting involved with Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read, please see the ALA’s Calendar of Events and Ideas and Resources sections of their website. You can also contact the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom at 1-800-545-2433, ext. 4220.

It is important to note that there are people on both sides of the book banning debate, and both sides have interesting viewpoints to share on the issue. Thomson-Shore, as a company, does not take a stance on either side of the argument. We merely want to make sure people are informed and know where to access information should they choose to become more involved in the debate.

Our customers often wonder which type of book to produce – hard cover or paperback. The answer depends on the purpose of each book. Is it a large format book about architecture or a sci-fi novel about space pirates? Is it a text book or a potential collectors’ item? Will it sit on a coffee table or travel in a purse? Here are some quick considerations if you’re wondering what type book is best for your target market:

Cost

All books are comprised of two parts – the cover and the text (which could also contain photos, graphics, illustrations, etc). Generally speaking, it costs much more to create the cover of a hard cover book. It may also cost more to produce the internal pages being that the text of a hard cover book is usually sewn.

A hard cover book’s cover is made of binder boards (rigid gray cardboard) covered by a wrapper which is glued over the binder boards. The material of the cover wrap can be cloth, paper, leather, suede or more. Foil, stamping, debossing, and stickers can be added to the cover. Finally, a paper dust jacket may also be added to protect the hard cover and brighten the appearance of the book. All of these materials and treatments can add to the cost to produce the book.

Soft cover books cost much less to produce because they don’t use all these materials or treatments. If cost is your top concern, then a paperback might be the way to go. However, if you want your book to appear more classy or prestigious, then hard cover is your best choice.

Durability

Hard cover books stand the test of time because they have a sturdy cardboard armor on them. If you’re publishing art, photography, or large format books, then you may want your precious pages protected from wear and tear by a durable cover. However, if you’re producing a book that will rarely leave the nightstand or office desk, then a soft cover is probably sufficient.

Portability

Because they’re comprised of more material, hard cover books can be much heavier than paperbacks. While the weight of a cookbook may not matter (since it stays in the kitchen), the weight of a guide book for traveling the state of Michigan might matter since readers will be carting it around with them in their purses and backpacks while they visit the Henry Ford Museum and the Mackinac Bridge.

Worth

Hard cover books hold their value better than paperbacks. With their luxurious covers, thicker paper, and deluxe jackets, hardbacks are a joy to keep on your book shelves and refer to over time. Some collectors say they prefer showing off their hard cover collections because of the treatment on the books. Imagine bragging about your autographed Harry Potter collection in paperback – doesn’t seem quite right, does it?

We’re dying to know which you prefer (hardbacks vs paperbacks) as a reader, author, or publisher. Send us a comment to let us know which type of book is your favorite

Enacted in February 2009, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) has had an impact on some children’s book publishers. Book inks and the manufacturing process must be in compliance with new laws to ensure safety for children. Some self-publishers and small press publishers complain that the CPSIA is affecting their livelihood because their books are delayed prior to going to press. Interesting blog post with more information: http://upscalebaby.com/blog/cpsia/cpsias-effects-reach-childrens-books/

Publisher’s Weekly estimates that more than 7,000 new publishers form each year. Typically, these independent new publishers are driven to publish books centered around their own interests. But how many of these publishers continue to thrive after 1, 2, 3 or more years in business?

Small press publishers have to do it all — attract authors, get publicity, get their books printed, and sell those books. Those are some daunting tasks!

Here’s a great article from the Center for Independent Book Publishing about what independent publishers can do to encourage their own authors to make publicity an easier and more effective task: http://nycip.org/resources/five_ways_publicity.php

Happy Earth Day Friends!  Each year, approximately 30 million trees are used to make books sold in the United States—1,153 times the number of trees in New York City’s Central Park. Many of these trees are sourced from endangered forests with devastating impacts on the people and wildlife that rely on them.  We want to take a little time today to let you know, Thomson-Shore cares and we are making business decisions every day that minimize our impact.

The book industry is rapidly implementing practices that minimize negative social and environmental impacts. Over 160 publishers, representing about 40% of the book industry’s market share, have either developed strong environmental policies, or signed the industry-generate treatise on responsible paper use.   Thomson-Shore is leading the book printing business in these environmental sustainability practices. We were the first book printing company in the country to stock 100% post-consumer product papers, and to  join the Green Press Initiative.

We think being an employee-owned company helps us make better decisions.  Our employees understand our commitment to environmental sustainability and they are empowered to implement changes that impact, not only our business, but our footprint as well.

We hope you will take time today to think about your impact on Earth.  What steps are you taking to shrink your footprint?  In what ways can saving the planet help your bottom line?  Are your employees empowered to take action?  At Thomson-Shore we believe companies can co-exist with a healthy planet.  Visit our website to see how.