Publishing is often mistaken for printing. Though printing is an integral part of publishing, nevertheless it is a different business with its own set of challenges. This argument will not convince many who have dealt with printers who in their eagerness to secure the client's business readily undertake the publisher's job to the detriment of the final product. Unfortunately wily printers are adept at convincing clients that what they deliver is the best there is until a wary client puts paid to this by demanding a reprint or reduction in price for not delivering as requested. Some printers in all honesty do not themselves understand the role of a publisher. To compound the issue, there exist errant 'publishers' with no sense of the propriety, discipline and rigour of publishing, portraying their work as a published work.
Publishing starts with a concept. This image is usually in the head of an initiator. This person may be a junior person but in all major undertakings a senior executive sets the direction. When asked to get designs for the company's logo, I remember some years ago, its administrative manager calling up the printer. The importance of the logo, like the company's mission statement, cannot be emphasized enough in building a company image. The printer called will seek the help of a typesetter who will throw up some nice looking designs and after some presentations and discussions, in its haste to get things moving, the better looking of the designs submitted will be chosen. The company is then stuck with that design and image for years.
Though it's not uncommon for businesses to operate in the early years with a weak logo or even without one, there usually comes a time when they seek to differentiate themselves from their competitors.
Shouldn't the logo's relevance be studied in greater depth and the management be guided by professionals who relate passionately to designs as a livelihood? Design houses, advertising agencies and publishing houses are peopled by such creative bodies who look beyond the niceties to how the management wants the company to appear in the consumers' mind. MacDonald's and Singapore Airlines have logos that are strikingly symbolic of what the companies stand for.
A clear concept laid down by top management, interpreted professionally by a responsible designer, can well be the flag employees feel proud to fly. Design does matter and with publications, each has a character of its own and this has to be transparent. Think of all great books you have read and each will have a distinct character even if one is an adult fiction with an abridged content, and the other is a children's edition. Take Harry Porter books, the adult and children edition have different covers and presentations which give each a different character.
Design involves knowledge of the target audience, the format of the book, the type and size of fonts to use, the illustrations and pictures, colours to employ, type of paper to print on, etc. Each area, be it format, fonts etc has its own peculiarities that the experts use to produce as near perfect as possible.
Presuming the text is written (writing is another subject we won't discuss here), it would have to be set in an appropriate typeface, proofread and edited so that there is a good flow. Spelling and grammatical mistakes will not be permitted. A professionally managed publication will hardly have any such mistake.
Once the design is complete and the text is laid out, it is handed to the printer either as an artwork or in a CD format. The printer will then have to colour separate the pictures (if in colour) and ensure the reproduction is no worse than the original. Colour proofs are provided the client to verify and approve. The rest of the text is laid out according to a scientific layout so that they run page-wise consecutively and do not clash with overall positioning. The binding method, aside from reflecting the expectation of the market (for example, lawyers prefer hardbound books), also determines the pricing of the book. Books are generally bound as paperback, saddle-stitched or thread-sewn. Once the printing is complete and the printed sheets are folded and bound with the cover into a book, the printer has only to deliver the book.
If the book is meant for a restricted audience, the books are delivered to specified locations and the trail ends there.
However if it is to be made commercially available, publishing becomes more complex and requires the services of others who are experts in their field. Obviously a marketing plan must be in place and this would have helped to determine the retail price, print run, profits and so on. A good publicity programme will help to promote the book and raise public awareness of its availability. The author must also have considered the saleability of the book in foreign markets in which case he would have to engage foreign representatives (distributors). Dealings with distributors and retailers can be involved and for the uninitiated an exacting experience.
The marketing and distribution of books is a challenge worldwide and publishers employ various platforms to sell their books. This aspect of the business has to be fully understood before even engaging in writing and designing the book. I have had many authors approach me with a finished book asking me to sell to specific markets. However the pricing strategy employed would be wrong most of the time and the packaging may not be appropriate (for example, a hardcover novel is a poor proposition for certain markets).
I have attempted to dispel the misunderstanding that prevails between printing and publishing. Printing is a fascinating field and was my first love until publishing came along and swept me off my feet. I suppose knowing that I don't have to disown printing to engage in publishing makes it an easy transition. In fact, knowledge of the printing process has made publishing a more exciting proposition.
No comments:
Post a Comment