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Featured Author: Cindy Drummond

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Reflections from the Dating Pool book cover

We are excited to begin sharing some of the work of the amazing authors that have published their books with us.

Check out the first interview submission from Cindy to learn about her book, what inspired her to write it, and what, if anything, she would change next time.

Your name: Cindy Drummond

Book title: Reflections from the Dating Pool

Book genre: Memoir, self-help, relationships

After the initial shock of witnessing the arrest of the man she had been in love with for six years, Cindy and her daughters fled their beloved family home and sought refuge in her parent’s basement.  Betrayed and heartbroken, Cindy knew she needed to act fast. She refused to let the actions of one deceitful person define her, so within weeks of her life being turned upside down, she created and executed an event for women. Her sold out womenonlyweekend gave her shaken confidence the boost she needed to embark on a new challenge; 50 dates in 52 weeks.

Follow Cindy’s dating journey as she shares her words of wisdom about loneliness, the importance of finding a tribes and how she fell in love again…with herself.

You don’t have to be single to love this book. It’s a book about starting over, a book about gratitude, and a book about creating the life you desire.

What inspired you to write your book? I wrote this book to offer hope to others might be feeling isolated, frightened or stuck. Many people are on pause these days. They are waiting for someone or something to come along, but the truth is…this is the perfect time to get goals, start a new project or find your passion.

If you could go back and change one thing about the process of writing or designing what would it be? I am considering changing the cover of my book. At the time, I chose a cover that I thought would appeal to a wide range of audiences, I now wish I had chosen a cover that reflected me and my personality.

Please visit one the following links to learn more.

www.cindydrummond.ca

Amazon

Indigo

Facebook: Cindy Rankine Drummond

Instagram: cindydrummondyyc

*If you have printed a book with us and would like to share your story, please feel free to reach out to books@blitzprint.com.*

If you have a book that you are looking to print or inquire about publishing, please get in touch with us here

Copyright Pages for Authors

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copyright
copyright

Every book needs a copyright page. That much is certain. But what information do you really need on this page? What information is essential, and what is optional? Using Blitzprint’s Copyright Page as an example – which can be requested here – let’s break the text down piece by piece.

First off, the copyright page usually goes on the second page of your book. First page is the title page (on a right facing page), and the second page is the copyright page (on the left facing page). This is not the mandatory location of the copyright page, but it is the most optimal. If I am asked by a client where to put the copyright page, Page 2 is what I recommend.

Essential:

© Copyright 2019 by (Author or Publisher name goes here)

It is essential that you list your name (or the name of your publisher) after the copyright symbol, wording, and year of publication. Technically, your book is protected under copyright law the moment you write it. However, it doesn’t hurt to say as much on your copyright page.

Essential:

(BOOK TITLE GOES HERE)

It is essential you list the title of your book. You cannot copyright a title; other books may have the same title as you. However, linking your title to your story identifies it as a unique work of art created by you.

Optional:

All rights reserved–no part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or by any information storage or retrieval system except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review, without permission in writing from the publisher.

This ‘All Rights Reserved’ text is optional, but why not add it? It states clearly what a reader cannot do with your work. You can also just write: ‘All Rights Reserved’ and leave the rest unsaid.

Optional:

Author Name

City, Province

You have already listed your author name beside the copyright symbol, so it is optional to list it again here. You can also add the city and province in which you reside, if you feel it would be beneficial.

Essential:

ISBN (XXXXXXXXXXXXX)

If you are going to sell your book, even just locally or to friends and family, you need an ISBN.

It is a 13-digit code you get free of charge from Library and Archives Canada. Just set up an account, and you will have your ISBN within ten business days. For more information on the ISBN process, read our recent blog: The ISBN: What, Why, How?

Optional:

Cover design, lettering and illustration by XXXXXX

Printed and bound in Canada by Blitzprint Inc.

Published by: name

(address – optional)

(website – optional)

The first line is entirely optional. The second line is mandatory: we always need to state in which country a book is printed. The last three lines are optional: you have already added your name in the above section, and it is up to you how much personal information you want to list in your book. If you have a website, it doesn’t hurt to put it here. After all, you want your readers to access it and learn more about you, and any other books you have printed or upcoming titles you have in the works.

One last thing…

Cataloguing in Publication (CIP) is a voluntary program of cooperation between publishers and libraries, and a free service in Canada. Unfortunately, CIP service has been discontinued for self-published materials. Library and Archives Canada recommends that authors of self-published books consider approaching their local libraries or bookstores about opportunities to promote their works.

Gloss or Matte Laminate: Which Cover is Best For You?

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What is Laminate?

Laminate is a a thin, transparent plastic coating applied to paper stock that provides protection against liquid, or heavy use. Lamination can be glossy or matte, and the right option can add that perfect final touch to your design. A gloss laminate can add more contrast and improve the sharpness of your design, while a matte laminate can be more luxurious and understated.

While the technology to create a sturdy matte laminate has come a long way in just a few short years, gloss laminate is still recommended for covers that have wide spread areas of dark or highly saturated colors, as matte still scuffs more easily and can be prone to scratching and fingerprints. The right print finish can have as strong an impact on your finished design as the design itself, and though a matte laminate is currently more ‘in vogue’, the decision on gloss or matte is entirely a personal aesthetic preference.

   GLOSS LAMINATE COVER

  MATTE LAMINATE COVER

Lamination and Binding

Lamination can be used on all types of binding we offer – perfect (soft cover), saddle stitch, wire coil, plastic coil, and even hard cover lithowrap. As with perfect bound covers, litho-wrapped covers can have a gloss or matte laminate. The laminated paper is pulled tight around a thick board, and attached to the back of the board using an adhesive, just as with standard case binds and the cloth or buckram finishes.

Whatever the pros and cons, at the end of the day, you are the author, and you decide what is best for your book.

For more information or help deciding what type of lamination to use on your book, send us a message at books@blitzprint.com

Top Ten Common Grammatical Errors

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your-is-not-equal-to-youre

Even the most experienced writers still make grammatical errors from time to time. The famous American novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne once said that “Easy reading is damn hard writing”.

There are always some common spelling and grammatical errors that pop up to disturb the flow and comprehension of any story. Identifying and fixing these usual suspects will put you ten steps ahead of the writing game.

They’re, their and there

  • They’re is short for. “They’re English.” (“They are English.”)
  • Their is the possessive of they. “I like their English accents.”
  • There indicates a place. “They live there.”

You’re and your

  • You’re is short for you are. “You’re right.” (“You are right.”)
  • Your sits before a noun (word) to show that it belongs to it. “That is your opinion.”

It’s and its

  • It’s is short for it is. “It’s raining.” (“It is raining.”)
  • Its denotes ownership. “A leopard can’t change its spots.”

To and too

  • To denotes distance or movement. “I went to the movies.”
  • Too denotes something in addition to. “I too want to go to the movies.”

Then and than

  • Then denotes time. “We went to dinner, then we went home.”
  • Than compares. “Nike is better than Adidas.”

Who’s and whose

  • Who’s is short for who is. “Who’s that?” (“Who is that?”)
  • Whose denotes ownership. “Whose jacket is that?”

Let’s and lets

  • Let’s is short for let us. “Let’s go to the park.” (“Let us go to the park.”)
  • Lets is a verb. “He lets me use his computer.”

Loose and lose

  • Loose is a noun, as in “loose cannon” or “my belt is loose”.
  • Lose is a verb, as in “don’t lose the race” or “don’t lose your phone”.

Affect and effect

  • Affect is a verb, while effect is when you’re talking about the noun (word) itself. An experience can affect you deeply, while the experience had a great effect on you.

A lot and alright

  • A lot is always two words. Always.
  • Alright as a word for ‘satisfactory’ has grown in popular usage, as opposed to all right, which means ‘everything is fine’. To be on the safe side always use all right.

Does your book need a proofread before going to print? Blitzprint can help. Contact us today for more information at books@blitzprint.com

Check out common mistakes made by self-publishing authors

Formatting 101 in Microsoft Word 2016

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A few years back, we posted guidelines to format in Microsoft Word 2010. The latest version is Microsoft Word 2016. Not much has changed, but those few changes are worth noting. Here is a Formatting 101 guide for Microsoft Word 2016, complete with picture snapshots to guide you through each step.

STEP 1: MARGINS

We always suggest a minimum of 0.5” for margins, and using a mirror margin to set a gutter edge of 0.25”. A margin is the blank space on the top, bottom, left and right side of the page. If you want an image to go right to the edge of the page, you will need to set a bleed, which is not something you can do in Word. The gutter is an additional bit of space that is added in so that the small amount of space that is lost to the bind is not noticeable. Setting up mirror margins sets the gutter so that it always falls at the centre of the page.

Set your margins by following these steps:

STEP 2: HEADERS

Though sometimes confused with titles, headers are actually the type that is at the very top of the page, often justified to the left or right, depending on which side the page falls on. You can easily set headers when formatting your files in Microsoft Word 2016, and you can even have different odd and even headers.

Set your headers by following these steps:

STEP 3: PAGE NUMBERS

You can easily set page numbers in Microsoft Word 2016, and you can have a different first page, and odd and even pages with page numbers as well. You can choose to have your numbers start at different points and you can choose to have Roman Numerals for your preface (pages before the first page of your story).

Set your page numbers by following these steps:

STEP 4: INSERT PICTURES

The saying goes that a picture paints a thousand words. Pictures and images can add a lot of aesthetic value to your book.

Insert pictures by following these steps:

STEP 5: SAVE TO PDF

Portable Document Format (PDF) is a file format used to present and exchange documents reliably, independent of software, hardware, or operating system. It captures all the elements of a printed document as an electronic image that you can view, navigate, print, or forward to someone else. PDF files are created using Adobe Acrobat , or similar products. The benefits of using PDF are that everything your print provider (that’s us) needs is there and embedded fonts mean fewer issues. Save to PDF when you’re finished in Word. If you need to make changes, do so in Word, then save to PDF again.

Save to PDF by following these steps:

And that’s that. Here endeth the (formatting) lesson. We hope it helped. Proper formatting can seem tricky at first, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll be formatting like a pro in no time.

Next, check out how to create your copyright page.

The International Standard Book Number (ISBN).

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ISBN

INTERNATIONAL STANDARD BOOK NUMBER (ISBN) What is it? Why do you need it? And how do you get it?

An International Standard Book Number (ISBN) identifies a title and its publisher. ISBNs are issued by individual agencies in every country that adheres to the standard. In the United States, you can acquire your number through www.isbn.org. In Canada, ISBNs can be acquired through Library and Archives Canada.

The 13-digit ISBN number helps identify:

  • The specific title
  • The author
  • The type of book they are buying
  • The physical properties of that particular book
  • The geographical location of the publisher

Although you are under no obligation to get an ISBN, marketing your book will be difficult without one, as industry sales and distribution systems depend on them.

Signing up is simple and it’s free. Register through ISBN Canada, or if you don’t have internet access, you can use the Library and Archives Canada mailing address. It takes about 2 weeks from the time of registration to receive your ISBN(s).

CATALOGUING IN PUBLICATION (CIP)

Cataloging in Publication (CIP) is a voluntary program of cooperation between publishers and libraries, and a free service in Canada. Unfortunately, CIP service has been discontinued for self-published materials. Library and Archives Canada recommends that authors of self-published books consider approaching their local libraries or bookstores about opportunities to promote their works.

LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA

If you registered for an ISBN, it is important that you send a copy of your book to Library and Archives Canada. This is called a legal deposit and confirms the information that you provided for your book and completes the registration process. Legal deposit applies to publications produced in Canada regardless of medium or format, including; books (monographs); serials (journals, periodicals, magazines); sound, video and spoken-word recordings; multimedia or instructional kits; CD- and DVD-ROMs; microforms; cartographic materials; and online or digital publications.

At Blitzprint, we always recommend our clients register for an ISBN. For each client, we will create, free of charge, a barcode from the ISBN to insert on the back cover of the book.

For more information about ISBN, CIP, and copyright protection, visit ISBN Canada.

How do I know how many books I should print?

by Blitzprint Inc. Leave a comment

How-do-I-know-how-many-books-I-should-printFor your first run of books, I wouldn’t recommend printing a large run. There are many reasons for this. Firstly, everyone has mistakes in their first editions. Even the people who got it professionally edited and were published. Go grab any first edition and give it a read, you’ll see what I mean! For some it is a simple scenario where they just ask for a couple of changes to be made on their file for the next run. For others it becomes a situation where they have to replace paragraphs, pages, chapters, illustrations, diagrams etc. You don’t want 10,000 dust collectors in your garage that you can go and look at when you feel like shedding a tear!

The other large reason is that you need to figure out your market. You can make predictions, and do a ton of research, but until you are actually out there, in the selling game, it is really hard to determine how many books you are really going to sell. Also, like all things, when you start to sell, typically your momentum will start out a little slow, as you get into the groove of things, get your contacts set up, etc. If you have a large number of books, chances are, you are going to have to store them in your garage, basement etc. You don’t want to keep books for an extended amount of time in an area with large fluctuations in temperature, humidity, or barometric pressure. That is just a good way to ruin a good book.

A large run would be anything over 1000, typically. I would recommend between 50 and 250 for a first run.

For more information on self publishing, please visit our website.

Building Blogs

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We’d like to take a moment to introduce you to our team. These will be the main contributors for most blogs you will see here.

Kevin Lanuke, President and CEO

Kevin Lanuke is the President, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), and founder of Blitzprint Inc. His experience in business operations, administration and technology management, combined with his strong vision and enterprising attitude, brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the print and publishing industries.

His experiences with the innovation of traditional business processes and the implementation of new technologies within existing business models provide other business-minded people with invaluable insight into the world of business, print on demand and electronic publishing.

Continually striving for a competitive edge, Kevin places his printing operations at the forefront of printing technology.  Blitzprint has taken the process one step further, becoming one of the first Canadian companies to offer digital book manufacturing and publishing services.

Kevin de Groot, VP – Plant Manager

Kevin de Groot is responsible for the development of the company’s digital business, as well as overseeing the daily operations of the digital production process and offset operations.

Kevin has developed over 35 years of experience in the printing business, with 20 years focused in the digital arena.  In the past, Kevin’s technical and business abilities have helped him develop a large and loyal clientele base.

Trish Romanchuk, Manager – Book Division

Trish Romanchuk helps writers become authors and authors become publishers.

Her 4 years with Blitzprint’s book division has enabled her to become one of the most experienced self-publishing consultants in Canada. 1000’s of authors have entrusted her to help them with all aspects of the publishing cycle from book layout, print and marketing/advertising consultation.