SELF-PUBLISHING
DESIGN SERVICES
Books have been a big part of Sheila Hart Design from the very first days of the business. Our first project was a children’s book, and we have done an incredible array of titles since. Although the book industry has changed over that span of time, the public’s love for bound literature has not and the book industry remains vibrant. With 100+ titles to our name, Sheila Hart Design has worked with solo authors eager to self-publish and major publishing houses in need of outside design services. No book project is out of our bounds or capabilities.
Every book we’ve designed has been an original. We do not work with templates so our designs stand out. There is no limit to where are clients work: New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Sydney, and more. If the internet works there, we do too.
What further sets us apart is our ability not just to design and mechanically produce books but also to help through the process of uploading and managing the completion of the project with any printer. We speak the language of printing and publishing and understand the process. We can direct the process so there are no costly mistakes.
We meet deadlines and can offer competitive pricing. That’s part of the formula that has allowed us to thrive in this industry for so long.
PRICING
For simplicity sake, we’ve created a basic price list for design and production services so you can calculate the expected fees for your book. All costs assume normal turn-around and do not include extra needs such as editing, illustration, photographic retouching, creation of graphics, etc.. Because these costs are general, you will want a true estimate. Please contact us with your project details and we will be happy to help nail down a more definitive fee for our services.
Cover Design
$750 to $1000
Whether your book is Hard Cover, Hard Cover with a Dust Jacket, or a Soft Cover (paperback), the typical cost for design and production ranges between $750 to $1250. This fee includes front cover, back cover, spine and flaps and sees the design through to finished mechanicals ready for print.
Interior Designs
$7/page to $80/page
The cost for the interior work will vary based upon the type of book you are producing. Click on each type to see an example.
Text-Based — typically a novel
$7.50/page
Text with Image — such as a biography
$12.50/page
Workbook or Recipe Books — contain exercises or graphs
$17.50/page
+ $50 per table or graph
Children's Books or Picture Books — text integrated into the illustrations or photographs
$25/page
Individual Page Layout Books — where each spread is uniquely designed with a lot of content, and all the components work together to move the eye through the pages
$30 - $85/page
depending on complexity and the number of elements that appear on the page
For all designs (Covers and/or Interiors) 1 to 3 design options will be presented. We try to integrate the designs to each other, so cover designs relate to the interior designs, and vice versa. Interior layouts options include a chapter opener and two or more spreads from your manuscript with enough elements shown to help illustrate the typical composition of the book. In the end, you own the rights to your book design. Upon completion of the project, we will release all digital files back to you to use or archive as you deem fit.
Production Management
$500 to $1500
There are many sources you can go to have your book produced. Print-on-demand is big these days. It means that books can literally be produced one at a time, so there is no longer a need to advance print and inventory a large stockpile of books in a garage or warehouse. However, the process of uploading files for print-on-demand, and even knowing which source to go to for this service, can be intimidating. We can help you through this and see to it that your book gets to the distribution channels that will best work for you.
And while print-on-demand is great for mass-produced work, the quality of this form of printing has its drawbacks. There are limitations on book sizes, color adjustments, and the choices of paper and specialty techniques. If you have a book that is more special or needs the high-end touch that a more traditional printer can render, we can help you with that too. There may be trade-offs, but we can walk you through what those will be and help you choose the right print options to work for you.
The point is, we don’t just design your book and then hand off the files, leaving you to wonder how to deal with them. We’ll take you to the next step and through fulfillment to your completed book. Quite honestly, we want to do this. With the investment of energy on everyone’s part to get the book to a place where you are happy, we want to see to it that you get the best end-product possible.
Our fee for this service is $500 to $1500 depending on the complexity of the project and the printing source used.
EBooks or IBooks
price varies
Electronic and Interactive Books are popular these days. Having your book produced in a digital format can increase marketability and sales. It is important to plan this format in advance. Let us know and we can give you an estimate for these services and discuss possible animation features.
MEETING YOUR SCHEDULE
We book our projects a few weeks in advance, so please plan this into your timeline. If your manuscript is complete (proofread, edited, and images are compiled) and you are working with a Text-Based or Text with Images style book, expected turn-around from beginning of design to delivery of the mechanical files used for print is between 4 and 6 weeks. This includes 2 to 3 rounds of review, corrections, and revised proofs. Add 2 more weeks into the process if you have a Wookbook style book. Picture books and Children’s books are more complex and the time range on them can be anywhere from 6 to 16 weeks. Regardless, if you are on a timeline, we can fasttrack the work to meet your goal. Do let us know this when you request an estimate for the project.
Printing usually takes 2 to 4 weeks, depending again on the complexity of the project. This timeframe is true whether you are using print-on-demand or traditional printing methods. Here too you should expect to go through a round of reviews as part of the process. This is to make sure you are seeing an accurate representation of the final book.
WHAT ELSE?
If more is needed… like editing, proofreading, indexing, illustrations, photography, packaging, conversion to e- or i-books… we can do that too. And even after the book is done, we can create promotional graphics or a website to help market this new product. Just ask us. Chances are we’ve done anything you can think of or have a source that can fulfill your request.
You’ve seen our work. You’ve seen our prices. Yet we’re certain you still have questions. After all, creating a book is a labor of love. We want to have a rapport with you because doing so allows us to create a book that matches your vision. Let’s talk. Consultations are free, so please call or email to get the ball rolling.