Publishing Checklist

Perfect Publishing Prepress and Printing Guidelines


Writing Your Manuscript: Write your book using a Microsoft Word Document. Before you begin you should consider what size book you will have produced. If you are going to have your book printed you should set up your Word Document using our supplied templates with the proper size of your book. NOTE: We require your manuscript be edited and proofread before submitting for formatting.

There are 2 reasons for setting up your margins in the word document. The first is you will be able to keep track of how many pages your book will be (a close estimate) after the book has been formatted professionally for printing. The second reason is it will reduce the time it will take to professionally format your book and save time and money.

One common mistake is leaving the page size at 8.5″ x 11″. When formatting to the preferred trim size, the margins no longer meet printing requirements.

On request we will supply pre formatted templates for the 4 most popular (5.5 X 8.5) (6 x 9) (8 X 10) and (8.5 X 11) size books. If you follow the suggested margins in the template it will save time once the manuscript is submitted to Perfect Publishing Prepress Department for a  technical file review.

Be sure to follow the instructions in order to have a manuscript that will be accepted by our preflight inspection team during the technical file review. Your manuscript will need to be formatted properly using industry standard publishing specifications. These standards will include the front matter of your book.

Editing Your Manuscript: NOTE: Editing isn’t formatting.  You can use editors that you hired or we can refer you to several editors that have worked with the Perfect Publishing team. Our referral editors have experience and the cost for editing is set by each editor depending on their experience and the number of words in your book.

Editorial Services are the processes and procedures that a book goes through to become a polished and honed manuscript. There is no substitute for proofreading and editing, and unfortunately when an author proofs and edits his or her own book, typos and other editorial problems will still slip through. Even the best-selling authors of all time ALL had an editor review their work. If you put out a piece of unedited writing, will you expect your readers not to respond well or even take your book seriously?

Hire an editor. Hire a good one that will give you the best feedback and improve your work relative to how much they cost. Decide on whether you need developmental editing or copyediting. Developmental editing is where large swaths of the book are changed, new themes are introduced, and characters are smoothed out, in addition to humdrum mistake-finding. Copyediting is largely the humdrum mistake-finding; is more about toying with what’s already there instead of creating something entirely new. NOTE: You and your editor (hired or not) are totally responsible for the final content of your book.

Submitting Your Manuscript for Final Formatting – The cost is determined after Initial phone consultation with a Perfect Publishing team member to discuss your book project. We do not start work on any project without a price approval.

 Standard Professional Formatting:

Customized Professional Formatting:

 Your manuscript should be typed using our supplied templates and all editing must be complete. If you have any errors in your manuscript you will have a chance to correct them during the FIRST PDF Proofing Process. You should submit your PDF proofs to your editor for a final review.

Any changes to the design and formatting need to be completed and approved during the FIRST PDF Proofing Process. Note: We will format the first 15 pages or so (up to the end of the first chapter) and get your approval of the layout and formatting before we do the entire book.

Note: The formatting cost does not include the cover design or any revisions to the cover.

Cover Designs  Note: Should not be left in the hands of an amateur.

Despite the old adage, people do judge a book by its cover. Our book designers create vivid, attractive covers, compelling readers to peruse both the front and back. To enhance the strength of your books first impression on the audience you should use a professional designer experienced in book cover design .

 Perfect Publishing Basic Cover Design Features – The cost is determined after Initial phone consultation with a Perfect Publishing team member to discuss your book project. We do not start work on any project without a price approval.  

NOTE: any change in the original concept after the first proof will incur an additional charge

 Perfect Publishing Custom Cover Design Features – The cost is determined after Initial phone consultation with a Perfect Publishing team member to discuss your book project. We do not start work on any project without a price approval.  

NOTE: any change in the original concept after the first proof will incur an additional charge

You can hire a professional cover designer and we will supply your designer the necessary specifications to insure they meet our production standards.

Hard Copy Proof of Your Book
Once you and your editor are finished reviewing the PDF proof we will print a hard copy of your book Text and Cover (time permitting) for the final inspection. At this point you can make copy changes to the text and cover but not to the design and formatting.