Book Business
Then and Now
Short History of Bookbinding
Ancient Times
First writing in Mesopotamia recorded
on clay tablets
Inscribed writing on stone—rise of the
runic scripts
Invention of papyrus and vellum
allowed making of scrolls
Codex
Codex refers to a book with
individual pages
Appears in the 1st century C.E.
Originally just groups of pages
stab-sewn
Later began using wooden cover
boards
Invention of the Modern Book
After the fall of the Roman Empire, literacy
and books became confined to the clergy.
Modern book was invented in the
monasteries, written and bound by hand.
Moveable type printing press made printing
cheaper in the 15th century, but bookbinding
was still expensive.
Books in the Modern Age
Mechanized book manufacture began in 1865
with the invention of the Smyth-sewing
machine.
In 1895, British publisher Penguin introduced
first paperback books, the Penguin Classics
Improvement in glue and paper technology
lead to the “quality paperback revolution” in
the 1950s.
Structure of a Book
What Qualities to Look for in a Hardcover
Pages sewn in
folded signatures.
Should be sewn
down the center fold
on to tapes or bands
in the spine.
Kettle Stitch
What Qualities to Look for in a Hardcover
Rounding and
Backing for Support
Spine should be
round not flat.
Pages should be
bent to form grooves
for the cover boards.
What Qualities to Look for in a Hardcover
What Qualities to Look for in a Hardcover
Headbands—not
structurally
significant
Hollow spine
prevents spine from
creasing
Cloth in spine for
strength
French Groove
makes covers open
easily
Styles of Binding
Case-bound
Library-bound
Flat-back
Single Section
Full Binding
Half Binding
Quarter Binding
Perfect Binding
Perfect Binding
The Publishing Industry Today
The “Standard” Publishing
Deal
Author royalties range 10%-30%
(minus agent’s fees)
Publisher gets 35%-15% to
produce book
Publishers sell through distributors
Distributor’s Terms
Distributor gets 55% discount off the
retail price.
90 day payment turnaround period
Full refund for unsold and damaged
books.
Break-down of an Average
Publishing Deal
Author's Royalties
Distributor
Bookseller
Printing and Binding
Publisher's Earnings
Self-Publishing
Can make greater percent of book’s revenue
Gives more control over the production of
book
Involves more financial risk than royalty
publishing
Can be avenue for interesting major
publishers
What You Need to Publish
Pre-press
Editor
Typesetting
Layout
Cover Design
ISBN and Barcode
ISBN number codes
for the publisher,
type of binding and
name of book.
EAN Barcode tells
retailer about the
book and the price.
Printing
Print on Demand (POD)
Choose paper: lightweight and opaque
Halftones=pictures
Offset vs. Digital
Economies of Scale
Binding: Hardcovers
Myth of the dust
jacket
More expensive,
higher quality
Can sometimes
allow more profit
than paperback
Binding: Paperback
Cost efficient
Not accepted in
many libraries
Doesn’t sell for as
much money
Usually gets
higher volume
sales
Copyrights
Register with the Library of Congress
Poor-man’s copyright
Book titles not copyrighted
Non-copyrightable: calendars, phonebooks,
government documents etc.
Retain all rights with self-publishing
Martin Publishing and Bindery
Founded in 2004
Specializes in custom bookbinding and
low volume publishing
Check out our books currently at
Borders: From the Bench, by Judge
Randy T. Rogers; The Last Greatest
Duet, by James McWeeney II
Martin Publishing and Bindery
Coming soon: Anthology from the
Revolutionary Era, edited by Matthew
Martin; Miami University academic
planners
Martin Publishing and Bindery
Visit us on the web at
www.martinbindery.com
Call me at 513.292.4785
Email me at matt@martinbindery.com