For information on any of the following topics, please click on the applicable line:

...how long will it take to create my cover
...about ISBNs
...about back cover text
...about photos and logos I'm going to send
...about colour and why it looks different on my computer than when printed on my book
...what extra charges I may incur
...how I will get my files
...what the term "bleed" means

How long will it take to create my cover?

It usually takes 7 to 10 business days to create front cover proofs.

For the full spread, (spine, back, bar code and flaps, if applicable) it's also usually 7 to 10 days after I receive all the necessary files and information: back cover text; author photos; logos; ISBN; trim size and spine width.

Keep in mind these are general rules. Quite often it takes less time, and once in a while it does take longer depending on how difficult or complex the project is.


What about barcodes?

We can create the Bookland EAN barcodes here, with your ISBN. If you still have old 10-digit ISBNs we can convert those for you. We can embed a price into the barcode, for Canada or American dollars, if you wish. Please tell us which country's currency you want embedded, as the codes are different for each country. Since you can only embed one price, we suggest putting alternate currency pricing alongside the barcode.

In America, the only place you can legally purchase ISBNs is from Bowker.com. They sell them in groups of 10, but if you write to them, they will issue single ISBNs.

In Canada, ISBNs are free, and can be obtained on this site.


How many words can I fit on my back cover?

For a trade paperback up to 6 x 9 in size you generally have room for about 250 words of straight text (no lists or quotes) and an author photo. For dust jackets, there's usually room for an additional 50 words on the back. Dust jacket flaps work best with less than 90 words on them.

Remember, the more I have to squeeze things on and experiment, the longer the design will take. More important is the necessity of keeping the text large enough and with enough leading (the space between the lines) to make it easy for consumers to read. No one will struggle to read your book cover text, they'll simply put it down and move to the next book.

Lists and quotes take up more room simply because they require more white space (space with no text). For example:

This sentence has nine words and uses one line.

This
List
Has
Nine
Words
And
Uses
Nine
Lines plus the extra space required between each of those lines so it looks like a list.


How do I submit my back cover text?

Back cover text must be submitted to me in an unformatted Microsoft Word (.doc) or text-only file. This means the file can have no formatting such as, tabs, bullets, underlines, italics, bold, boxes, graphics, graphs, etc. Only text. Double space between the paragraphs.

There are two reasons for this. The first is that if you send me a formatted file, or text in the body of an eMail, they both will default to what my system's defaults are. So, what you are sending is not what I will be seeing. I will not see the same boxes in the same position, the same font, the same bullet shapes, etc.

Second, I need to import the text into Adobe Illustrator to lay it out professionally. Once it is in there, it's impossible for me to remove all those codes that are now being misread and moving your text and changing your words in the layout program.


How do I sumbit my company logo, author photo and other images?

All images to be placed on a book cover must be at least 300 dpi. The best file format is tiff, but jpg is also fine. EPS is the best file format for most logos, but a tiff or jpg at high resolution (300+ dpi) might work.

DPI stands for dots per inch. The higher the resolution the more dots and the larger the file. Some graphic files may be so large they cannot be sent via eMail. If this is the case, please let me know and I'll offer you an alternative.


My files are only 72 dpi, or I got them off the web, I upgraded them to 300 dpi in my graphic software though, is that okay?

Sorry, no. You can reduce resolution (remove dots), but cannot increase resolution.

Increasing resolution will cause images to look jagged or blurry. The color will also be affected and you'll end up with a very unprofessional looking cover.


Why does the colour on my screen look different that it does on my book?

There are always going to be variations between screen settings from one computer to another and one program to another, so what I am seeing, may not be the same thing you are seeing. It's one of the trade-offs we've made for the low costs and high speed of working via computer.

Aside from that, your computer (and your television, and all video devices) use something called RGB (Red, Green, Blue) colour gamut. These colours reflect light. They also have a light source behind them. Your actual book however, is printed in CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black) colour gamut. CMYK colours absorb light. They usually print darker and less brilliant. For a more detailed explanation please go HERE



Extra charges

I rarely charge authors extra for a project. It has happened perhaps 10 times out of 600 covers. There are times though, that the amount of work is significant enough that I have no choice. Extra fees will be applied if any of the following occur:

Author changes the title of the book, author name or other text on the front cover after first proofs have been sent.

Author changes trim size or spine width of book, after template has been created for full spread.

Author makes significant changes to back cover text that result in the layout needing to be redone or requires more than 3 proofs due to changes in text, photos or other materials supplied by the author. Changes in layout, design or elements I control are not affected.

I also charge extra if the author requests changes to more than one of the initial 3 front cover proofs, (you are allowed several changes and proofs for one design that you have chosen to work with, but that does not include work on two designs, simultaneously) or requests more than three initial designs.

If you have you "ducks in a row" there is no problem. Just make sure you have decided on your title, have your back cover text edited (when the time comes) and that you provide the right specs for the full spread (the trim size and spine width) when we get to that point.

It is not necessary to have your specs before we begin the job. I do not need them for the front cover, as I will adjust that. I only need the printers' specs to do the spine and back. All I need to begin is the title and any text you want on the front cover.

There is more information concerning this in our online Introduction.


How will I get my files to the printer??

In most cases, the printer files will be very large and we will not be able to send them via eMail. I will then put the files on a server and send you a download link, or upload them to the printer's server directly. This way, there is no delay and files are sent and received instantly.

Once your printer sends you a printed version of your cover proof and you can see that all is okay (i.e. you do not want further changes), let me know and I will put the files on a server for you to download and have in your possession.



What is bleed?