So you want to publish a book. Perhaps you already have a draft of your manuscript and aren’t sure what the next stages of book publishing look like. Or, maybe you have a story you want to tell but need help getting it out of your head and onto paper.

Either way, our teams at Jenkins Group, Inc. can help you at every stage of your book publishing journey.

Keep reading to learn more about the many stages of book production and the ways we can help!

Stage 1: Manuscript Development

A manuscript is an unpublished author’s text—a draft of your book. Creating this takes up the bulk of the book publishing timeline.

If you haven’t started writing yet or need help completing your draft, you can get a ghostwriter to help you out. Once you have a draft, you can add an index for easy reference or illustrations to help drive your points across. Then it’s all about polishing your work through editing and critiquing.

Learn a little more about each service within this stage of book publishing:

Ghostwriting

If you need help getting words on a page, we’ll help you find the right person to tell your story for you. We have a pool of talented ghostwriters who are experienced in helping you share your story and message with the world.

Here’s how this stage of book production works: You fill out a questionnaire about your manuscript, we meet to work out the scope and other details of the project, and we enter into a contract. Then we’ll search for, screen, and interview writers before sending you recommendations for you to interview and approve.

Indexing

Book indexing helps your readers quickly find the information they need. This makes your book more accessible and enhances its usability.

Illustrations

You can use illustrations to both simplify your information and beautify your manuscript. Charts, diagrams, artwork, and more help present data or aspects of a story in a way that’s easy to understand and pleasing to the eye.

Editing, Proofreading, and Critiquing

Are you delivering your message in the clearest, most concise way possible? Our content editors, copy and line editors, and proofreaders help fine tune your content and copy to ensure you say what you mean and make it easy to understand.

Content editors can help you restructure, redevelop, or add to your manuscript. Copyeditors and proofreaders catch basic style, spelling, and grammatical mistakes that can easily be overlooked. Editing and proofreading are critical stages of book publishing.

Stage 2: Pre-Press Production

The pre-press or pre-manufacturing stages of book production and publishing cover a wide range of services. We’d be happy to help you design your book’s covers and interiors and do final checks on your text before printing and binding the book.

Design and Layout

Despite the old adage that we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, the reality is that most people do. This makes an attention-grabbing over with a design on-point with your message crucial to your book’s marketing.

Let us design a book cover that’ll draw the eye and hint at your core message with a single glance. After all, the cover design often serves as a potential reader’s first impression of your book. Meanwhile, the interior design and text layout help determine ease of reading. It affects the readability of your book. Finalizing your cover and interior design is an essential milestone in the book publishing timeline.

Registrations

Spare yourself the hassle of book registration, which ensures your book is properly cataloged and your intellectual property is protected. Our services include barcode generation, copyright protection, ISBN registration, and more.

Text Proofreading

After your manuscript has been laid out and before it goes to the printers, you’ll want to do final checks against any missed errors in the text. This stage of book publishing is about quality control. You’ll ensure your published manuscript is the best possible version of your copy.

Stage 3: Manufacturing — Printing and Binding

With your design in the bag, it’s time to get your words onto the physical page. Here are the multiple stages of book production:

• Print Coordination: We help with planning, scheduling, estimating costs, and managing the book publishing timeline.
• Pre-Flighting: Our expert team does a final review to ensure the files, including fonts and images, are ready for printing.
• Printing: We custom-print your manuscript according to your specific requirements and selected options.
• Binding: We add final touches to your book, assemble it, and ensure it’s ready to distribute.

Stage 4: Marketing, Sales, and Distribution

Congratulations! Your book has been printed. Now for the final stages of book publishing: getting your book into the hands of readers. Let us help you spread the word about your story.

Marketing and Distribution

Our expert team works with you to plan and execute pre- and post-publication marketing and distributing services. We offer one-on-one marketing strategy consultations and promotional materials.

We can help you coordinate with booksellers all around the country to distribute your book. We’ll also help find and engage a public relations firm or consultant to increase your reach.

Book Awards

Enter your book into any awards for which it may qualify. If you place or win, you’ll be putting your book in front of more and more eyes, which could lead to higher sales. For informational books, winning an award will also help establish your book’s validity and authority.

No matter where in the book publishing timeline your manuscript is, you can start planning and budgeting for it. At Jenkins Group, Inc., our expert team would be more than happy to help at any stage of book production, marketing, and distribution.

Contact us now for a free consultation to help you decide which of our publishing services suits your needs. We’d also be happy to answer any questions you might have about the process or the various stages of book publishing.