From a Master Craftsman
My Professional EBook Formatting and Paperback Make-up services are both for Independent Authors, who are dipping their toes in the waters of this great profession of writing stories, and the Publishing trade. Those well established, and those not so, seeking their work to be displayed by a professional that knows what he's doing, and is not going to rip them off with exorbitant prices and even more exorbitant claims for success. There is also the little matter of my having a lifetime in the trade involving not only books and their production, but also their Graphic EBook Covers and Paperback jackets.
Now this is a simple website. No bells and whistles here. Idea being it cuts to the chase for those important aspects of the Book Formatting business: EBooks, Paperbacks (or Soft-Cover Books if you'd prefer).
Paperback Books was a cost-effective method for binding books by glueing stacked single-sheet pages along the spine to a wraparound cover – as opposed to traditional Hard-Cover Books using the older method of putting sections of sheets together and thread stiching them. All of these disciplines I am familiar, and have overseen or actively participated in their creation at one time or another in my career. No round the houses with information you do not need here, excepting perhaps, one. The uploading of your EBook and Cover files of your book onto the platform of your choice. Here you should visit the Retailers and Articles section on the EBooks page. Here you will find information of platforms and how to upload your files I will download to you on completion. For the sake of familiarity when I say platform in this instance you can read, Amazon.
Amazon being the one platform that the whole world has heard of when it comes to EBooks. Other platforms are available, and I will come to those in more detail in the pages on the navigation bar at the top. In the meantime if you know what you want and you have your book finished then I have put a form at the bottom to the 'cut to the chase' part I mentioned earlier.
With a career spanning decades within the Book Publishing industry as a Typesetter and an Origination Manager, I am highly qualified.
As an Originator of Books; with a deep-rooted passion for the printed word, I can turn your passion and dreams for writing a book into a reality. And all with little fuss!
I did not move from one career into Professional Book Formatting – picking it up as I went along – I started out in it. Beginning my career as a crafted apprentice compositor for the printing industry to become a master in all its disciplines, including Typesetting and Proofreading before becoming an Origination Manager for a several National Magazine and Book Publishing Houses in the UK to become what I am today: fully qualified in Ebook Formatting, Paperback Book Make-up, Proofreading, as well as EBook and Paperback Cover Graphic Origination.
Studying at the London College of Communication (formerly the London College of Printing and Graphic Arts), I achieved City & Guilds Standards in Type Composition and Proofreading for the Printing Industry; later expanding into Graphic Art, the Finer Points of Typography (and Ancient Writing), to reflect the highest standards in my trade.
I have worked with some of the most respected names in the industry, including the Harmsworth Group of Newspapers (now known as DMG Media) and the Advertisement Production Employers Federation. As a former member of the Association of Correctors at Press, I carry a legacy of excellence and integrity into the printed word others can only envy.
Based on Dartmoor, I provide a Professional Book Formatting Service for Trade, as well as Indie Authors and Publishers, both throughout the UK.
My Professional Book Formatting Service offers expert EBook conversion services for Fiction and Non-fiction EBooks and Paperback Books. Tailored for independent authors who want more than just one platform or one aggregator in which to showcase and sell their work. I will transform your manuscript into a single, Professionally Coded and Validated HTML/CSS File compatible with all major platforms and aggregators.
Modern software tools like InDesign, LaTeX, or advanced word processors, to format books, are no substitute for the judgement and experience a time-served and seasoned Professional Typesetter can make to the difference between a document that merely looks okay and one that communicates beautifully. From custom layouts to detailed content, bibliographies, and copyright pages, I will compose your EBook or Paperback Book to your specifications. Whether you’re publishing on Amazon Kindle or going World-wide with IngramSpark, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Rakuten Kobo, Draft2Digital or Smashwords, I will make sure your book looks great everywhere.
Let your story travel the world beautifully formatted and professionally produced.
Paperback Book Formatting by a Professional Book Producer with over fifty years of hands-on experience in how a Paperback – or any other kind of -Back, for that matter – should look and feel. All page numbered with running heads the way you want them.
From the clatter of hot-metal typesetting Monotype casters to the precision of phototypesetting and the flexibility of today’s digital publishing systems, I’ve lived through—and worked with—the full evolution of the printed word. I’ve handled ASCII tapes and floppy disks for Linotypes, navigated the early days of Macs, embracing most technological changes in Typesetting for Books since.
If it’s been used to make books, I’ve probably used it. And if there’s something I don’t know about the printed word, then Gutenberg must’ve taken it with him to the grave.
Probably not Paperback Book Formatting though!
The Professional Book Formatting services and details of the kind of work I undertake with prices are on the appropriate pages.
Well may you ask, and you wouldn't be the first. In terms of book content and its story, absolutely nothing! As to the both of their constructions: everything.
So let's talk Paperback Books, a field of expertise I'm more than familiar, for I've probably been involved in the Typesetting or Proofreading and/or overseeing both (and I'm not going to say thousands of books as some so-called experts profess to have created). Multiples of tens and tens of them would be more realistic. Okay, so plenty of them were from the days of hot-metal, but even so, that process aside, book content hasn't changed much since Charles Dickens first put pen to paper producing his fifteen full-length novels. All having a half-title, title page, contents, introduction, before getting on to the main story. They had a chapter title, line lengths of type and number of lines per page, pagination. And in the case of Oxford World's Classic series explanatory notes and other such references, so no change when it comes to twenty-first century books and their formatting.
The author types his manuscript (usually into a Microsoft Word docx), re-drafts it as many times as he has to to make sense of it, before submitting it to a literary agent for her or him to have it edited, passing it to a typesetting company to turn it into a book suitable for publication.
So far, so good, if you're going in the direction of the traditional publishing route, not so if you are thinking Self-Publishing. Apart from writing your book you have a whole lot more to organise after. Editing, Proofreading, getting it Formatted, before placing it onto the Platform of your choosing.
For more details about Professional Book Formatting services for EBooks and Paperback Books go to EBooks or Paperbacks.
As for EBooks, all of the above has to be followed with regard to Proofreading and Editing with one difference, your EBook is not going to a traditional printer, needs to be formatted digitally page by page in much the same way as a website page is produced using Hypertext Mark-Up Language and Cascading Style Sheets. Is that a surprise to you? It is to a lot of authors seeking the independent route as a Self-Published Author.
Traditional publishers are not so interested in EBooks in the first instance as Self-Published authors are. Sure, if they have a traditionally published book they will see to it becoming an EBook, putting it out on Amazon to supplement the sales of the paperback version, but as a rule that's as far as they go. EBooks and their placement are fundamentally the domain of the Self-Published author. And a lot of money can be made by authors that keep turning out quality writing, with well Formatted EBooks with well Designed Book Covers that will appeal to their readers.
Quick word here. Printers. There has been a weird cross-over here when it comes to Platforms with their printing of books for Independent Authors. As an Indie Author myself; and generally speaking, the promotion of you book is down to the author; whilst going a traditional publishing route, via a literary agent, publishers' tend to take on that role. I mention this because not all Platforms assume priority interests when it comes to Self-Published Authors for hers and his books. They are printers working the numbers game. Some books will be bought and printed and some will not. From a printers point of view they will make money from printing; promotion doesn't necessarily come into the mix.
This is the reason I veer towards the likes of Amazon or IngramSpark for my own books – not so far having achieved the accolade of the traditional publishing route. Amazon has algorithms that can help promote your book on their Platform. So whilst they have their own printing facilities they have a degree of interest in their Indie Authors. Amazon also has its own Marketing facility where your book can be promoted via a bidding system. IngramSpark is an independent self-publishing global distribution network rather than a standalone physical printer that allows Indie Authors to distribute Paperbacks and EBooks to their thousands of retailers Worldwide. IngramSpark also have advertising facilities for your books by way of latest publications distributed to their retailers across the world.
For fuller information on EBook Formatting for Amazon Kindle and other platforms: EBooks.
For more information on Paperback Make-up for IngramSpark or Amazon: Paperbacks.
I tend to produce the EBook Cover version of your book first for practical reasons rather than on a whim.
An EBook Cover is quite a lot larger than the Paperback version by a mile. Well, perhaps that's an exaggeration. The size of an EBook cover is normally by height to width ratio of 1.6:1, 2,560 x 1,600 pixels. This is the recommended format required by Amazon Kindle, and more or less that of other Platforms, like Barnes & Noble. Whereas the Paperback version is the same size as your book. The reason for the size of the EBook cover being what it is, is for displaying it on either of those platforms. Its look when reduced is readable when displayed on the Amazon or perhaps, the Barnes & Noble platform, something not necessary in the case of the Paperback edition.
Having the EBook Cover first I can use it for a template for the Paperback to maintain consistency of type face and sizes whilst maintaining the colour for the Paperback. Obviously the Paperback has to have a back cover and a spine, but these are created additionally, along with the conversion of colour of both books to their respective RGB and CYMK notational differences. More information here:
Graphics.
Heard of it? Perhaps you haven't. Perhaps you've heard it described as something else? A form of Cascading Style Sheets, perhaps. Or a certain school of Grammar Rules and Punctuation? No, not quite. Close! They are neither of these and are not to be confused with them. You probably don't know it, but if you've written your book then a form of Style of House is all over it. Whether it is a particularly good Style of House running consistently through the manuscript is another matter. Whatever it is, good, bad, or ugly, then I'll explain. Fuller details of Style of House is on the Typesetting page.
The keyword here, along with EBook Formatting and Paperback Make-up is ‘Professionalism’.
With a career spanning decades in the Publishing, Advertising and Printing industry, I am a highly qualified Proofreader with a deep-rooted passion for the written word. My journey began as an apprentice typesetter and text proofreader, gaining knowledge and understanding of the techniques of the trade on the shop floor, supplemented by additional education at the London College of Communication (formerly the London College of Printing and Graphic Arts) and City Day College on the Barbican. Achieving five years of stage passes, then City & Guilds qualification.
This rigorous foundation instilled in me a meticulous eye for detail and a profound respect for typographic precision.
I have worked with some of the most respected names in the industry, including the Harmsworth Group of Newspapers and the Advertisement Production Employers Federation. As a former member of the Association of Correctors at Press, I bring a legacy of excellence and integrity to every project I undertake.
My expertise extends beyond traditional Proofreading. I have pursued advanced studies in Graphic Art. Ancient Writing, courtesy of City Day College, enriched my understanding of human communication and the historical evolution of text. This unique perspective allows me to approach each document not only with technical accuracy but also with an appreciation for its aesthetic and contextual significance.
Today I offer a comprehensive range of online Proofreading Services, combining decades of experience, typographic mastery, and a commitment to linguistic clarity. Whether you’re a Publisher, Academic, University, Government, Business Professional, or an Illustrative Creative, I will ensure your words will be presented with precision, polish and purpose.
The Professional Proofreader page outlines details of the kind of work I undertake with prices Proofreading.
A Master Typesetter & Digital Typesetting Specialist for English, European, and Eastern European languages from copy. With decades of experience in the Art and Science of Typesetting, I stand as a bridge between the golden age of print and the Digital Publishing revolution.
Trained in the meticulous craft of Traditional Book Typesetting, I have personally set tens of hundreds of titles for some of the most prestigious publishers in the industry — works that demanded not only technical precision but a deep understanding of literary nuance and typographic tradition.
From the days of hand-set type and mechanical typesetters to today’s digital formatting tools, I have remained at the forefront of my profession. My work reflects a mastery of the printed word – from ligatures and diphthongs to multilingual punctuation and layout – ensuring every page is readable with typographic excellence.
My expertise spans English, American-English, European, and Eastern European texts; with an uncanny ability to interpret and render copy with accuracy and artistry, my attention to detail and commitment to excellence make typesetting the professional standard others aspire to.
Whether restoring the integrity of classic layouts or bringing modern manuscripts to life, I deliver typesetting that speaks volumes, in English, European, and Eastern European languages from copy.
Not any more, it's not! For a hand type-setting apprentice compositor it was essential he learned to read in this manner as soon as possible if he was to continue in this ancient of all of crafts that is letter assembly.
For letters were the opposite way round to enable them to print right reading. In the West we read left to right; hence ‘soldiers of lead’ were cast upside down and back to front.
The selection of a specific style of type for a particular use; or the arrangement of composed type for the purpose of aiding the reader’s understanding of the text. The 19th and 20th centuries saw an explosion in typeface design, materials, and manufacturing techniques. New families of sans serif and decorative fonts flooded the market, producing a renaissance in both typographic design and display. To promote the variety of new typefaces and sizes, early type specimen sheets gave way to larger type catalogues produced by manufacturers such as Stephenson, Blake and Company, and the American Type Founders Company.
Until the late 19th century, hand type-setting had changed little since the dawn of printing. Mechanical typesetting began in the late 1880s with the invention of Monotype and Linotype machines. Monotypes had a typewriter-style keyboard separate from the caster, while Linotype machines had theirs incorporated with a hot-metal mechanical casting unit. These machines were capable of composing and casting type directly from a set of brass matrixes. In the case of the Monotype machine, individual letters of type were cast from a pre-selected matrix case (representing a specific point size and font). The Linotype machine composed and cast a larger ‘slug’, or single line of type, again from a set of pre-selected matrixes. Both machines created increases in speed and efficiency, allowing operators to set type faster, create fresh type for every job, avoiding the time-consuming task of redistributing single letters of type back into the case for re-use.
The typesetter is not yet dead in the ground, far from it. There are still authors and writers out there that ‘scribe’ their manuscripts onto typewriters. To some it’s the new trend. Others. Countries where the electricity supply is unreliable. And let’s not forget those that still prefer to put pen to paper; and those without the ability to do any of these things, but dictate.
With all of this in my background, EBook Formatting, Paperback Make-up, Proofreading and Graphic Covers is a skill with breeze. None at some of the silly prices ‘swish’ websites with their ‘unqualified pretenders’ are charging today. For fuller details and prices – not forgetting those Style of House explanations and their differences – go to: Typesetting.