1. My company wants to produce a regular newsletter or magazine. Can you do this for us?

Yes, we can. We would firstly need to meet you to get a full brief so that we fully understand what your expectations and requirements are. The next step is for us to put together a quotation.

2. What services and costs are involved in publishing a newsletter, magazine or coffeetable books?

We are flexible in that we provide a range of services depending on the client’s needs. The following are the items that are frequently on our quotations:

a) Conceptualisation: This is a one-off cost charged for the development work on magazines and periodicals. We think through the type of content that is required, the columns and types of articles that would be suitable for your publication. This sets the tone and page-by-page template for your periodical.

b) Writing: This usually entails providing a writer or writers to cover client’s events, to interview key managers or to write about topics ranging from food to cars to fashion and so on that the client needs. For highly specialized writing, we work with a pool of writers and will pinpoint one that is suitably qualified for the topic.

c) Editing: Where the work is not written by our own writers, we also provide editing services to put the writing into a particular house-style for consistency in presentation, and also to clean up the language if the client feels this is necessary.

d) Translation: Clients often need bilingual or even trilingual brochures or publications produced. We have translators for a range of languages.

e) Proofreading: Sometimes, no matter how many times you read your own writing, you may miss typographical or other mistakes that have been made. As such, we provide proofreading services as well to double check all the text before you go to print.

f) Layout and Design: We believe that design plays a big part in communicating. Whether it is a backdrop for your event or a book, poster, postcard, brochure or billboard. We design and lay out the pages of books from cover to cover. This means choosing fonts, placing photographs, creating pages that communicate well. We usually provide a draft of a few key pages for approval by our clients before we proceed to do an entire book.

g) Photography: We work with a range of photographers who have a range of different portfolios – from ones that specialize in covering events, fashion shows and parties, to those who have studio set-ups and are able to shoot products and fashion with models, to those who like outdoor action shoots in the natural light to those who specialize in work for the high-end, international advertising industry. Photography charges can vary vastly, however, charges are usually on a per day basis.

h) Styling: This is where we think up concepts that will make your high-end photographs look good. Styling requires an artistic eye, creative mind and knowledge on where to source the necessary props to make your brief become a reality. Styling is also specialized and different stylists may have different strengths – for food photography, fashion, products and so on.

i) Colour separation: This is the part of the production process that we farm out to companies that provide high resolution scanning and prepare the work that we do for printing. We use a range of colour separators, depending on the job that is required. After this process, the client will look at the colour separated proofs and have another opportunity to comment and sign off. This is charged on a per page basis.

j) Printing: We work with a range of printers that specialize in different types of jobs – from smaller brochures, invitations and cards to large books and so on. How much a book costs to print will depend on the specifications, ie:

• the number of copies you want printed
• how many pages there are
• how big the book is
• the type of paper you want to use
• whether the book is hard cover or paperback
• whether printing will be in two colour, four colour or whether special Pantone colours are used, and also whether there is a special finishing to it such as UV lamination, gold hot stamping and so on.

If you are not sure about what specifications your book should be, we could advise you and provide you with a quotation accordingly.

3. I have written a book, can you publish it for me?

The word ‘publish’ means a range of different things to different people. We do indeed publish books in that we can provide consultancy or do the actual work of writing, design and producing the book right up to delivery of the finished product. However, our clients pay us for the work that we do. While other publishing companies will pay writers for manuscripts in return for rights to publish and profit from the intellectual content of a book, we do not. We publish work on a contractual basis and do not market or sell books apart from our own magazines.

4. How much does it cost to publish a book?

Unfortunately, there is no short answer to this question. We usually charge for our services on a per page basis after receiving a brief on what is required. Beyond that, cost really depends on the factors under number 2 above.

5. How long does it take to publish a book?

Again, this will depend on the complexity of the work involved and the services required. We are only able to provide an answer to this question after receiving a full brief from the client.

6. I have written all the text for my book and just need someone to design and do the layout for me. Do you provide this service?

Not a problem. If you have decided on the specifications (size, paper, binding etc – as per number 2(j) above) for the book, you simply have to tell us what they are and we will design and lay out the book for you. If you have not decided, we will be able to advise you.

7. Once you produce my book, how do I go about distributing and marketing it?

We do not have a marketing and distribution arm, however, we have dealt with many distributors and will be able to direct you on whom to talk to. Marketing of books is, in many ways, like marketing other products. It depends on the genre, the market you want to reach, whether the writer has a known name and so on. Writers who self-publish must be prepared to take part in marketing their books – by talking about the content to the press, starting a blog to doing book signings at big bookstores.

Marketing of books on specialized topics can be done in a variety of ways, from taking pre-orders before printing, to having a high-profile publicity-focused launch event. What you choose to do will really depend on the profile of the book.

8. I am a specialist on a particular topic and would like to produce a coffee-table book on this topic. How can I find out whether it will sell? How do I go about getting sponsorship to produce and market it?

The first thing to do is to write your book outline down on paper. To find out whether it will sell you have to do some market research. This will entail going to bookshops and book distributors and asking them about sales for your particular type of book. However, some books might sell better through direct sales – through schools or through corporate sales.

For sponsorship, a lot of large companies now have budgets for what is called corporate social responsibility (CSR) and will support different projects that are based on promotion of culture or charity, for example. You do need to research which companies are spending their budget on what projects, however before approaching them.

If you are well-known in your area of expertise, that would certainly make your job of garnering sponsorship easier! Books by celebrities with their own TV cooking shows, for example, sell rather well.

9. Do you print books in small quantities?

Yes, books can be printed in small quantities but the per copy costs will be more expensive for very small quantities.