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