Do you love to write and want to share your experience, your passion or your creations, and would love to do so through a book? No sooner have you written the last word than you find yourself faced with a sea of questions: how do I lay it out? Do I need to find a publisher? What are the legal requirements? How do I distribute it afterwards? Don't panic, we'll explain everything!
Preparing your book: proofreading
That's it, the last page has just been filled, and you've put the finishing touches to it. But that's just the beginning! The first, and by no means the least important, step is to proofread your manuscript and, above all, have someone else proofread it. This is essential, because if you keep your nose to the grindstone, you won't be able to stand back and look at things that need correcting - and there will be some. This starts with a careful re-reading of the content itself, whether to check for consistency, truth or logic. A good idea is to have your manuscript read by someone new to the subject of the book to see if the content is clear. This way, and especially in magic when there are complex techniques to describe, you can be sure that everyone will be able to understand them if even a novice succeeds!
Secondly, a proofreading by a peer or an expert in the field may help you avoid confusing or even incorrect statements. It's always better to ask for too many opinions than to publish the wrong thing!
Of course, a final proofreading will focus on grammar, spelling, conjugation and all the typographical rules that are far more complex than we often want to believe. All these rereadings require real work, and spelling correction requires the real knowledge needed to avoid publishing a text riddled with typos. Don't hesitate to ask a professional for help. You may have to pay a fee for the work, but it's an expense you won't regret!
Once the text is clean, you still need to add a few mandatory lines... and that's where the legal notices come in.
Legal obligations and disclaimers
Laws are everywhere, for everything... even books. So you need to make sure you respect them. Here are just a few of them:
The price
The price of the book is fixed, and that's good news for the author! In practical terms, a new book should be the same price whether you buy it from the author or from a supermarket. That's why it's imperative that the price be indicated on the back cover.
ISBN
The ISBN (International Standard Book Number) is the book's unique identifier. Every book must have one, and you must also place it on the back cover. The ISBN is supplied by AFNIL.
Legal deposit
We like to say that it was Francis 1st who really introduced legal deposit. This consists of handing over a copy of every publication made in our country to the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF) for free consultation. This is an invaluable treasure trove for researchers, who are always delighted to find copies of certain publications unknown in the archives for certain periods! This legal deposit date must also appear on the book, and a form duly completed by the publisher must accompany the copy sent to the BnF.
The printer
An important element that is all too often overlooked is the mention of the printer. The law is clear: the name, address and country of the printer must appear clearly in the book. However, I invite you to consult several books in your library: while some publishers don't even bother to mention the name, others cunningly put "printed in the EU" to avoid giving the name of their manufacturer, or write the name of a "shell" company which has its headquarters in France but no printers at home, and which subcontracts in other countries. It's not our intention to point the finger at the bad guys, but just know that this way of doing things is not only illegal, but also misleads consumers into thinking they're "buying French" when they're not.
Please check it out for yourself and make up your own mind 😉
And then some!
The few points listed below are not intended to be exhaustive (specific cases exist, notably for young people), and you'll need to keep an eye on the government website to see if other items need to be added. You can find the complete list of mandatory items by clicking on this link.
Bringing your book to life: page layout
The text is ready, you've requested your ISBN, the legal notices are there, and you've reread everything several times? Now it's time for the page layout! This is one of the most important stages in the process, as it enables you to turn a text into a real book that's a pleasure to read.
People outside the publishing industry have no idea of the complexity of this work, which not only has to be aesthetically pleasing, of course, but also requires a broader knowledge of printing. The graphic designer has to master the notions of inside margins, bleeds, flattened transparency, RGB and CMYK colors, and so on.
In fact, it's not just a matter of putting the images after the text, the book has to be in the right format and with the right characteristics for printing, and that's quite a job!
Self-publishing or working with a publisher?
The role of the publisher is to coordinate all the teams. No one can know everything, but you can surround yourself with professionals, and that's what we do at Cabinet d'Illusions. Each stage is delegated to a professional in the field: proofreading, layout, photography, printing...
It's also the publisher who takes care of the legal formalities, the back and forth between the author's wishes and the various players involved.
Self-publishing is obviously feasible, but you'll have to take on the entire workload and learn on your own. It can be an extremely rewarding experience, but you need to be aware of the difficulties beforehand, which this article will help you anticipate. Finally, if you're self-publishing, it's up to you, and you alone, to finance the entire operation. Don't think that not calling in a graphic designer or a professional proofreader will save you a few euros: it'll be a false economy when you realize too late that you've overlooked a huge mistake in a title (no one proofreads it because it's "too big", so it's impossible for a mistake to have slipped in there...) or realize that the layout of the book is totally off when you find yourself with your hundreds of copies under your arms.
Finally, the question of cost is obviously central: paying a proofreader, a graphic designer and a printer costs several thousand euros, which must be recouped by selling as many copies as possible (not forgetting taxes and charges!). The publisher knows all these costs, and even pays a percentage to the author for each copy sold. The publisher's job is to ensure that this process runs smoothly from A to Z, and that he has an overall view of the project.
Print your book
Printing is undoubtedly the most expensive part, and here again you need to surround yourself with professionals who know their trade to avoid disappointment. Here again, a number of options and skills are required: what type of paper are you going to use for your book? Heavyweight or not? Coated, glossy or matte paper? Digital or offset printing? Glued square back or sewn binding? Hard or soft cover, with or without gilding? What about headbands, bookmarks or endpapers? How many copies? These are just some of the questions you'll need to answer before you press the "print" button and receive your final proof! Yes, you didn't think this was the end, did you? 😉
Once the book is completely ready, a proof copy is made (again, this incurs a cost) to check once and for all that the book is perfect. This is the time to check the layout for any problems, and to spot any final typos just before the final print run.
The printer is hard at work, the copies are going out one by one and arriving at your door. But this is definitely not the time to dawdle: a new serious part begins: selling your book into which you've poured so much passion!
How do I sell my book?
It would be a shame to stop there, with your hundreds of books on your back! You're proud of your book, and you want to sell it to everyone, which is only natural. So you'll have to go to every trade show and convention you can think of to present your book, go from store to store to offer them your product (stores that will obviously take a margin on the book), or why not set up your own website and spread the word on social networks.
Of course, there is no miracle method, and it will take a lot of work on your part, but the joy of seeing your book distributed will reward you a hundredfold, and that's all we wish for you! 🙂
To conclude
We've tried to paint a picture of a typical book's journey, from writing to distribution. Obviously, the article cannot claim to be exhaustive, as every book has its own particularities, and it's precisely the job of a publisher to take into account the author's wishes and make them concrete. As you know, Le Cabinet d’Illusions takes care of this entire chain, from production to distribution, in other words, it's a turnkey service for the author, who has nothing to pay for, nothing to worry about, and who even recovers money and notoriety in the process! It's important to note, however, that since our editorial line is focused on creativity, originality and novelty, we can't publish certain books that don't fit into this framework. That's not to say that the publication is bad, far from it! But there are several publishers, and it's important for everyone to find the one that's closest to the values we want to communicate. Don't hesitate to contact us for further information, even if it's just for a chat or to ask for advice - we'll be delighted to help!
In any case, whether it's on your own or through a publisher, persevere with your project and embark on the wonderful adventure of writing a book!