top of page

SERVICES

Step 1: Typing services for manuscripts 

 

What format should I choose for my submitted manuscript? 

 

Our transcription charges are determined by the condition of the original manuscript.

We prefer to receive text as a digital file in Word. 

We recognise that a Word version may not be possible in instances where the biography or story predates computers, or where historical documents of deceased relatives form part of a new biography. Where the text is clean, it may present an opportunity to convert into Word using optical character reading software (OCR). However, this software can often misread words and lines and is unable to process handle columns, tables nor special layouts. The scanned results always require checking and correction.

Hand-written manuscripts will only be accepted if they are clear and readable. 

Our preference almost always is to have the manuscript retyped.  Our professional typists work fast and accurately. Once the transcription is complete, the new text must be checked by the client for errors. These will be corrected by the typist.

Work that is difficult to read or that has passages in dialect or foreign languages, will clearly require more time to process. However, for manuscripts that are easy to work on, the transcription charge is approximately 1.2p per word.

​

​

 

Step 2: Content advice

 

How do I ensure the highest quality text, illustrations and photographs for my book? 
​

New authors in particular are likely to need advice on the text as well as on supporting illustrations and photographs. 

An important feature of working with Bannister Publications is that our Publishing Editor will be available throughout the project, either in face-to-face meetings or by phone and email. This is a service for which most self-publishing houses charge extra. We will advise you on the suitability of your chosen images for publication and commercial printing.

Incorrectly formatted images will not reproduce well in print and will compromise the quality of your publication as a whole. Commercial printing machines use very different systems to home printers. We will, therefore, seek to scan your original photographs and illustrations on our own equipment, to ensure the best possible quality.

Not sure what type of pictures will best enhance the book? We can offer advice and, if necessary, suggest where supporting images might be found or source them on your behalf. 

This advice is included within our basic publishing fee.

​

​

Step 3: Commissioning Specialist Art Work for Internal Illustrations and Book Covers

 

How do I commission drawn illustrations for my book’s cover and internal pages?
​

Drawn illustrations for both internal pages and the book cover are normally provided by the author and, providing they reproduce well on commercial printing machines, require no intervention. 

Where a drawn illustration is needed for the cover design, we can commission a professional artist or illustrator to undertake the work. Similarly, where the cover design requires photographic elements, we can source such images from commercial libraries.

The cost of these services depends upon the nature of the task. A simple cover, created from images provided by the client, is offered within the basic fee for publishing the book. If a more complex design is required or it is necessary to purchase images from external sources, there is an additional cost. 

​

​

Step 4: Editing Advice and Support

 

What level of editorial support do I need for my book?
​

Even the most seasoned author relies on advice from a critical friend. 

We offer five levels of editing support which, with the exception of No Edit, involve the editor re-formatting the text in preparation for book design.

At the end of each step I would suggest we include a Back and Forward button to the relevant preceding and succeeding steps to reinforce that this is a process.

​

No Editing
​

This is a ‘Print what you send’ service. Authors who reject the critical process of editing do so accepting that there is a strong likelihood of errors in the final printed version. 

​

Content Editing 
​

Our content editor’s work in ensuring the general accuracy and consistency of content will focus on:

  • readability: in sentence construction, paragraph breaks, grammar and textual flow

  • sequence: so that the text leads from one event to the next in a logical way 

  • consistency: in the author’s voice, expression and manner

  • over-use of certain words: e.g. so, very, but, much, many and however.

  • Content Plus Edit

For fiction titles, the editor will focus on maintaining consistency of details in the plot, characters and setting. For nonfiction titles, the editor will monitor consistency of information and ideas. 

​

​

Step 5: Proof Reading 
 
Does my book need to be proofread?

 

A separate proofread is not always necessary where texts have been edited and revised drafts have been exchanged. This approach to publishing should allow several opportunities for the author to check text accuracy. 

However, for complex texts or in response to a specific author request, we will commission professional proofreaders to undertake the work.

 

Example of fees:

 

Rates vary, but the guideline rate for proofreading non-technical texts is £21 -£28 per hour. A proofreader will generally read and mark a paperback size page in 5-6 minutes. Thus, a book of 120 pages will cost about £250 for professional proofreading.

​

 

Step 6: Layout, Design and Book Binding

 

Should I publish my book as a paperback, hardback or casebound?

 

We will design your book so that it best presents your text and images on pages that are sized for clarity and visual appeal. We will recommend the choice of paper stock for text and images.

 

More information on our Design services can be found on our Commissioning Specialist Art Work for Internal Illustrations and Book Covers page.

 

Short-run printing generally offers three types of binding:

 

1.     Paperback

·       Least expensive method

·       Known as ‘Perfect Binding’

·       Book pages are glued within a heavyweight card cover

·       Strong, durable and the most economical form of binding

 

2.     Hardback

·       The most expensive method

·       Known as ‘Traditional form’

·       Book pages are gathered, blocked, trimmed and perfect bound within strong, rigid boards and a flexible spine

·       Book block is often rounded to the curvature of the spine

·       Outer boards are usually covered with a coloured ‘fabric textured’ paper, firmly bonded to the boards

·       Book title and author’s name are stamped on to the spine, using a metal die and filled in with gold or silver foil

·       Head and tail bands and one or more page marker ribbons can be attached to the spine

·       Book covered with a loose dust jacket, carrying the cover design

 

3.     Casebound cover

·       Mid-priced format

·       A hardback cover as described above but with the cover design bonded to the hardback boards

·       No requirement for a loose dust jacket

 

Binding methods
 

The pages of a book are arranged in 8, or 16-page sections (known as ‘signatures’). They form the ‘book block’ and are most effectively and most economically bound together by the perfect binding paperback process.

​

Exceptions: 

·      Books with very thick spines which may need the component signatures to be thread-sewn before being bound together as a block

·      Books for young children which need strong binding and normally require thread sewn signatures

·      Wire stapling (suitable for small booklets) 


We can advise on the suitability and cost of all these options.

​

 

Step 7: Printing and Delivery 

 

How do I ensure quality printing for my book?

 

We only work with printing partners that offer high-quality work at competitive prices. We manage all aspects of printing, including the technical aspects of copy submission and proofing for colour fidelity. 

 

Books are generally delivered to the author’s address.

​

Step 8: ISBNs and National Book Database Listing
​
How do I ensure my book can be found by major booksellers?
 

How your work becomes listed on the National Books Database:

·      We allocate an International Standard Book Number (ISBN) to your book. This is a unique number that identifies your book and establishes the author’s copyright. 

·      We list the book and its ISBN on the UK’s National Book Database, specifying the title, author, publisher, publication date, number of pages and illustrations, size and weight, publication and distribution rights, the book classification code, and a short description of the book to assist libraries and wholesale/retail booksellers.

·      Once listed on the National Book Database, your book becomes an identifiable and searchable entity, and will be added by all major booksellers to their domestic inventories.

·      If the availability of the book changes, i.e. if all the copies have been sold and none have been reordered, we will amend the National Book Database listing accordingly.

Step 9: Copyright and Legal Deposits

 

What do I need to know about the copyright?

 

The author holds the copyright to the book, and this is stated clearly in the front matter:

·       Date of first publication

·       Publisher’s address

·       Copyright © Author’s name

·       ISBN (e.g. 978-1-909558-39-6)

·       Author’s name asserts his or her moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

 

The Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003 requires publishers to place a (free) copy in the British Library and, on request, in five other Deposit Libraries: the Bodleian Libraries of the University of Oxford, Cambridge University Library, The National Library of Scotland, The Library of Trinity College, Dublin and The National Library of Wales. These deposits are made at the client’s expense.

 

Our ‘Agreement for Publishing Services’ (the publisher-client contract) describes the author’s copyright as follows:

·       The Client retains the intellectual copyright of the Work. The Publisher will arrange for the appropriate copyright notice and year of first publication to be printed prominently on every copy of the Work issued by the Publisher.

·       In agreeing that the book be published by Bannister Publications Ltd, the author transfers to the Publisher the rights to design and origination, and to order the first and any subsequent impressions.

·       The rights to distribution and sales remain with the Client, except that the Publisher will normally manage and fulfil sales that arise from the public via book wholesalers and some retailers (e.g. Amazon).

·       The Client retains other inherent rights to:

·       communicate the work to the public by means other than printed copies (e.g. display, perform, broadcast, or make available in an interactive manner);

·       rent or lend copies of the work;

·       make translations or adaptations of the work;

·       make the work available on the Internet.

Step 10: Local Marketing and National E-Sales Support

How can I promote my book as widely as possible?

 

As the author, there are a number of activities that you might want to consider yourself such as promotion through chosen social media channels.

 

Help is also at hand from Bannister Publications. Where appropriate to the objectives of the author, we will:

·       advise on the book selling price

·       prepare and distribute press releases to appropriate media

·       notify local library services of the new publication

·       include one promotional entry in Reflections magazine

·       retain agreed quantity of books at the Bannister Publications’ premises for retail, internet-based, sales

·       fulfil internet sales orders (from Amazon and other booksellers, or from direct orders to us)

·       transfer sales receipts (less charges) to the client

·       offer discounted advertising rates in Reflections magazine

·       commission advertising materials such as posters, postcards and leaflets where required (subject to supplementary charge).

 

Optional Step: Production and Marketing of e-Books 

 

Should I create an e-Book version of my book?

 

e-Book production is dealt with separately from the publishing and printing of hard copy books.

 

Some points to bear in mind when choosing an e-Book format:

 

  • It is not a simple ‘touch of a button’ process. Illustrated books in particular demand time and technical skill. 

  • Each book needs to be assessed for its suitability for conversion. 

  • We offer e-Book creation for text-only books, in Kindle format for sale on Amazon.co.uk. The majority of book sales in the UK are conducted through this channel for Kindle readers.

  • Your book will already be available for sale on Amazon through the publication routes described. Adding a Kindle version simply improves customer choice and enhances sales opportunities.

  • Kindle sales generate only small financial returns. Kindle works best for authors who are already known to the reading public and whose books sell in large numbers. Only rarely will an e-Book be noticed by traditional publishers or their agents.

  • As a relatively small publisher, it is not possible to access some marketing channels. We do not offer book creation, therefore, in other formats such as Kobo or Sony e-readers.

 

Cost estimates are available on request. A simple text-only book of 180 pages is likely to cost in the region of £250 to process.

​

​

bottom of page