Working with a publisher’s experts can save you money and hassle over time.
I bought a German-made car a long time ago. I would give it to a mechanic who has repaired all types of cars, regardless of brand, and keeps it in good condition. I have to go to this mechanic a few times a year and the shop is getting old. However, my car has problems and breaks regularly.
I eventually switched to a mechanic who only worked on German cars, which ended up costing me more than the first mechanic. But now the shop specialises in German cars and I think the service is better. Since the change, I only go to the mechanic once a year. Although I spent more money, I ended up saving money because I didn’t take the car to the garage three times a year and I got better tuned.
This doesn’t seem relevant to book publishing, but read on:
We all know that making books is a collective effort. As someone who wants to publish a book, you have two main options: you can partner with a book publisher or hire a freelancer yourself.
For higher prices, book publishers include consulting managers and publishing services teams. Usually, independent freelancers willing to work in book publishing will cost less.
One of the first fundamental decisions to make when it comes to a book project is whether to hire a publisher or freelancer. This affects the quality, cost and overall feel of the book. Remember that if you want to publish a good book, the most important thing is not how much money is left after printing. Instead, how you spend the money and how well you spend it is the best way to determine if your book will be a success.
When looking for a publishing house, you want to make sure you get the best value for money. People usually use freelance for publishing to save money. On the surface, freelance book editing may be cheaper, but costs can arise elsewhere. When you work with book publishers and their employees, you work with people who understand the business. Some mistakes that can occur when publishing a book can be very expensive. For example, if you notice a typo too late, or if you don’t know how to edit a book, your book loses a lot of value.
Hiring a text editor as a freelancer can be a big mistake when editing a book. It seems that three out of four clients I speak to have already considered copying for their projects. “Oh yes, I edited the book.” Who would be hired to make sure your book is good? Is it someone who regularly edits and prints books? Are they aware of the latest publishing rules? Often when I ask freelance book editors what standard proofreading they use, they don’t know. At best, publishing standards are vague and can change from month to month depending on the popularity of a literary work. Even if many authors are good writers and even have good grammar, they should not edit their own books. I repeat: don’t be the editor-in-chief of your own book. Professional editing is the only way to make sure a book looks and looks good. Unqualified freelance editors drop other parts of your hard work.
How does one find the right type of book editing and publishing services for their unique project?
Working with a book publishing company can give you access to other professionals in the same field. Book packers should have an address book full of experienced publisher contacts within the network. When you pack and print your books, you want to hire the best book editors and book printers, and a book project manager will help you solve this problem quickly. Experienced contacts bring cooperation and solidarity to the project, especially if they are used to working together. At a good book publishing company, illustrators have worked with layout designers on various projects, text editors are used to working with project managers, and everyone knows their role in the publishing process. Collaboration and easy communication between teams that know each other save time and money. If you hire one freelancer at a time, you might meet people you’ve never worked with before, with varying levels of skills and expertise that you know nothing about. This makes it difficult to talk to each other and do inappropriate work.
Ultimately, you get what you pay for, which can be bad when it comes to publishing books. Sacrificing editing quality or making mistakes big enough to “stop printing” is very expensive, and more likely if it’s bad enough.
Improve the quality and results of a book because it costs less and they have more freedom to find their own freelancers. But the best thing you can do is spend more money to ensure that a book publisher will manage and advise you like a pro.