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Member only guide to the Australian book industry.
MIN READ
Behind the Book is the ASA’s series of articles demystifying the book publishing industry and providing behind-the-scenes insights from industry professionals.
This week we look at the book production process – one of the least visible parts of publishing. What are the key elements of book production and who is involved? How long does it take to produce a book? And what do the professionals want authors to understand about production? In this article, we hear from Natalie Crouch, Production Manager at Allen & Unwin, Elena Cementon, Production Manager, Young Readers at Penguin Random House Australia, and Georgie Sweeting, Production Manager at Affirm Press.
“Production involves everything to do with creating the physical book object,” says Georgie Sweeting at Affirm Press. From sending artwork to print to making sure it arrives at the warehouse by the deadline, the production team is responsible for turning your manuscript into a book.
“The key elements of production’s work are planning, scheduling, budgeting and quality control,” says Natalie Crouch, Allen & Unwin. “We ensure [a book] is printed and delivered on time, and meets the required brief from the publisher to the highest standard.”
Production will liaise with the various vendors required throughout the process, such as typesetters and printers, and are also responsible for final files, supplying press-ready files to printers, and ensuring files are stored and filed correctly after publication.
Elena Cementon of Penguin Random House Australia notes that these tasks “require extensive understanding of book specifications, like paper stock, cover embellishments, and manufacturing processes.” For example, you may notice the difference in the colour and weight of the pages in an academic text versus a trade paperback novel, or how some book covers feature glossy spot designs or different textures. Each of these decisions is thought out by the publisher and executed by production. “Production involves obtaining quotes and schedules from printers, and sharing profitability costings for in-house review. We raise purchase orders to the printers, and are therefore responsible for millions of dollars of expenditure.”
“We work with every internal department – publishing, editorial, marketing, publicity, and sales,” says Georgie. Elena adds that, “Production assists publishers to achieve their vision of the physical book,” advising on appropriate specifications and ensuring files are created in suitable formats for printing.
Externally, the production team liaises with Australian and overseas printers, pre-press houses – the people who convert the files for the printer and create printing plates, if not made by the printer – and typesetters, as well as freight partners, and the publisher’s distributor.
Elena elaborates, “The production team works closely with pre-press and printing companies; supplying files, requesting quotes and schedules, negotiating costs and schedules, resolving manufacturing issues, ordering blank dummies [an empty version of the book that replicates the size and type of paper] and proofs [a one-off print of the final book or cover] for in-house approval.”
“The length of time it takes to produce a book varies – it can be as little as three weeks to as long as four months,” says Natalie. “It depends on the length of the proofing or pre-press stage and where in the world the book is printing.” For example, if a book is being printed in China, as a lot of illustrated books are, the length of time must accommodate shipping and freight to Australia.
One of the many complexities of book production is that the production manager or team can be working on a number of books with different schedules at any given time, due to the different time frames required to produce the books. For example, “one might be hardback with full-colour internals and another a mono paperback, we can be printing books that release in completely different months at the same time,” says Georgie.
There are so many moving parts to book production that “anything that derails a book’s production and printing schedule is problematic because it jeopardises the delivery date,” Natalie says. “There are many possible factors that can cause delays, including late delivery of files to the printer, extensive corrections at the pre-press or proofing stage, paper supply issues or printing machine breakdown.”
The majority of a production team’s role is performed before publication and “generally ends once the bulk stock is delivered from the printer to the publisher’s warehouse,” Elena says. However there are two ongoing tasks for production.
If a title sells well, “we’re involved in managing any reprints… including taking in [editorial] corrections and any additions, like bestseller nods and award badges,” says Georgie.
After a book has been available in the market for a period of time, the other task production takes part in is “repurposing content into new formats or editions,” according to Natalie. This includes moving a book from a trade paperback size into a B-format, or reprinting a series with a new cohesive cover design.
“That we exist!” says Natalie. “Production is an often-overlooked part of the publishing process but we play a large role in turning the creative vision of a book into reality. We are often involved from the very start of the publishing process…until the very end.”
Georgie says that while the production team has little direct contact with creators themselves, “we put a lot of care and attention into your books, from carefully checking artwork to making sure it hits key deadlines. We are the first people (besides our wonderful printers!) who get to see your physical book, and that’s a pretty special thing.” She adds, “It’s also very nerve-wracking because we’re checking for any production issues with artwork, printing, finishes or binding. Thankfully, these issues are usually limited to the occasional misprint here and there – not a bad rate when you think about the thousands of copies being produced!”
If you have more questions about the publishing industry and what’s involved in producing a book, you can seek professional advice through the ASA’s free Member Advice Service.
