Book production
Your book has been edited, and now you need professional book design and a quality ebook.
Liquid Type presents you with a smart solution using a digital-first workflow that allows us to produce print files and an ebook with one click.
Read more about Liquid Type’s book-production process below, or get in touch for a quote.
A digital-first workflow is a way of producing books and ebooks in a streamlined, cost-effective manner. A traditional publishing workflow involves creating a print book and then converting it into an ebook. This process is time-consuming, expensive, and error-prone. A digital-first workflow allows us to produce a print book and an ebook at the same time.
Whereas a traditional publishing workflow involves converting the content into many different file formats, a digital-first workflow uses a single format (HTML) from beginning to end.
To lay books out for print, we use Paged.js, an open-source library for generating print books using web browsers. To create ebooks, we use a set of custom-built Python programmes to package the content and produce a fully compliant EPUB.
Whereas a traditional publishing workflow involves converting the content into many different file formats, a digital-first workflow uses a single format (HTML) from beginning to end.
To lay books out for print, we use Paged.js, an open-source library for generating print books using web browsers. To create ebooks, we use a set of custom-built Python programmes to package the content and produce a fully compliant EPUB.
The biggest advantage of using a digital-first workflow is that it helps make the publishing process smoother and more efficient. Producing books is cheaper, faster, and more seamless.
We produce print and ebook files with one click. This means you can distribute your digital files or set your title up for pre-orders right away, as you don’t have to wait for an ebook converter to produce your EPUB file. Also, it helps avoid the potential mistakes that can be introduced in the ebook conversion process.
Another advantage is improved accessibility. Using a digital-first workflow allows us to build this in from the start. When the time comes to produce your ebook, we are confident the content is as accessible to all people as possible and conforms to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. This means making provision for those with visual and cognitive impairments who use assistive technologies like screen readers.
We produce print and ebook files with one click. This means you can distribute your digital files or set your title up for pre-orders right away, as you don’t have to wait for an ebook converter to produce your EPUB file. Also, it helps avoid the potential mistakes that can be introduced in the ebook conversion process.
Another advantage is improved accessibility. Using a digital-first workflow allows us to build this in from the start. When the time comes to produce your ebook, we are confident the content is as accessible to all people as possible and conforms to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. This means making provision for those with visual and cognitive impairments who use assistive technologies like screen readers.
Liquid Type’s book-production service includes creating the inside pages for a print book and an ebook. Novels and simple layouts cost R50 per page.
Non-fiction books with a more intricate layout cost between R55 and R70 per page, depending on the complexity.
Non-fiction books with a more intricate layout cost between R55 and R70 per page, depending on the complexity.
Cover design is one of the most important things to get right when publishing a book. That’s why we outsource our covers to industry professionals. We work with some of South Africa’s best cover designers. However, we are equally happy to use existing cover files provided that they are professionally made up and meet all the technical requirements for publishing and/or printing.
It costs between R6 500 and R8 500 to have a professional full book cover made up.
It costs between R6 500 and R8 500 to have a professional full book cover made up.
We aim to produce simple yet elegant designs that are easy on the eye. The design must facilitate pleasurable reading and not detract from the content. It should strongly evoke the genre and give the reader a feel for what the book is about. It must be restrained, smart, and balanced. To help achieve this, we:
- don’t use templates
- ensure the margins and white space are generous
- use elegant, well-paired open-source fonts
- ensure a hierarchy of typographic elements
- apply the golden ratio to type, header, and line-spacing sizes
- customise each design with motifs and touches that evoke an individual sense of the book’s message, and
- apply general book-design best practices to ensure a seamless reading experience.
When your manuscript has been edited and is ready for production, we create a sample design of the inside pages. We build a custom design for each project that suits the book’s theme, feel, and genre. This takes one to two weeks.
We send you the design for comment, and then we implement any changes (this takes about a week). Once the sample is approved, it takes around two weeks to produce the book. After you or the proofreader have read it to identify any final errors, we implement the corrections and finalise the files. This takes another week (excluding proofreading). At the same time, we produce the ebook and perform several quality-control checks. Overall, the process takes about six weeks.
We send you the design for comment, and then we implement any changes (this takes about a week). Once the sample is approved, it takes around two weeks to produce the book. After you or the proofreader have read it to identify any final errors, we implement the corrections and finalise the files. This takes another week (excluding proofreading). At the same time, we produce the ebook and perform several quality-control checks. Overall, the process takes about six weeks.
We always work carefully to ensure we don’t introduce errors when working on your book. One of the steps we take is to check each paragraph in the book against the original manuscript to ensure we haven’t missed anything or made mistakes. We also spot-check the content for issues. We aim to produce attractive and functional book and ebook layouts.
If you opt for proofreading services, a professional proofreader will check the book for errors after it has been laid out.
If you opt for proofreading services, a professional proofreader will check the book for errors after it has been laid out.
We work on all kinds of books, from romance novels to memoirs. However, we don’t do academic theses, children’s books, or coffee-table books.
Liquid Type produces standards-compliant print files suitable for all self-publishing platforms, including Amazon KDP and IngramSpark. They are also suitable for use with local and international printing companies.
Our ebooks work on all platforms and are screen-reader friendly. We aim to conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 at Level AA but ensure minimal compliance at Level A.
Our ebooks work on all platforms and are screen-reader friendly. We aim to conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 at Level AA but ensure minimal compliance at Level A.
We specialise in producing the files needed for printing and digital distribution. We aim to give you everything you need to print. While print quotes and management can be arranged on request, printing is not our primary focus.
Working with Wesley is an absolute treat. Not only is he a superb copy-editor and proofreader, he also writes and overwrites on tricky projects. I’ve been working with Wesley for at least seven years now and have no hesitation in recommending him for editing, proofreading, writing, and project management. Always on time and on budget, Liquid Type is my first port of call for editorial work. I estimate that Wesley has had a hand, in some form, in almost every one of the 70 titles I’ve produced [at Bookstorm] in the last seven years. Impeccable.
