Normally, the
arrival of a new book is a day to celebrate just like the arrival of a new
baby. Publishing a book is a lot like giving birth and you want each to be
perfect. Here is a book quality control plan, a list of things to look for and
some solutions in those rare instances when things go wrong.
Check
quantity. When the books arrive from the printer, count the cartons. The
packing slip will be in an envelope pasted to the side of one carton. Compare
the carton count with the amount on the packing slip and Bill of Lading.
Sometimes printers short-ship and sometimes books disappear in transit.
Separate the carton with the cover over-runs and the short carton, it will be
lighter. You do not want these on the bottom of the inventory stack.
Weigh one full carton and multiply the number of cartons. Then weigh a
pallet. Compare your totals with the weight on the bill of lading. We recently
found a shipment that was off by several thousand (expensive) pounds.
Check condition. Open random cartons and check for damage. If the books
were packed loose in the carton, the top ones will be scuffed.
Check
quality. If you find defective books, call your printing service representative
at once. Do not sell the books. They are either salable or unsalable. Settle
with the printer first. If the defect is major, such as an up-side-down
signature, the printer will offer to do the job over. If it is minor, such as
light inking on some pages, most printers will offer a settlement; to rebate
some of the purchase price. You must decide whether a lower price will make the
books salable.
If you find a significant percentage of poorly
manufactured books, do not agree to sort the good from the bad; that could take
several hours for 5,000 books. Send samples to the printer and offer to destroy
the books or return the entire batch. You have agreed to pay for good work. You
have not agreed to open each and every carton, sort the good from the bad and
repackage them.
Repairing production errors. Every now and then it
happens. Even with both the publisher and the printer doing their best
work—something goes wrong. There are so many tiny but essential variables
of paramount importance in book production that range from the elementary
(spelling the author's name correctly) to the technical (bubbles in the cover).
Anyway, the mistake is made, the book is wrong—what can we do
now? Always, cover yourself. Make all specifications and any changes in
writing. If you make a change in a telephone call, follow it up with a fax or
letter. You may need written proof of your instructions later.
First,
establish who is at fault (and who, therefore, will pay to correct it). Here
are some corrective alternatives.
Rip and tear is the removal of a
single page and the "tipping in" of a replacement. A very narrow strip of glue
is placed at the edge of the page. Done well, you have to look closely to tell
a page was tipped in. But the book must also be retrimmed. Check your margins
and cover art to see if the book will look strange if 1/16" or even 3/32" are
trimmed off all three sides.
Adhesive stickers will correct a wrong
ISBN or barcode. This is a fairly common remedy. It may be used to correct a
bar code but you wouldn't want to correct the name of the author on the cover
this way.
Rubber stamping. If your book was printed in Hong Kong and
you left this notation off the copyright page, you will have problems with the
US customs officials. Have the printer rubber stamp the required wording for
you.
Grind and rebind is used when you have major errors (one
up-sidedown signature) or have to replace the covers. The glued binding (spine)
is cut off, the covers are removed, the spine is reground and a new cover is
installed. But the book must also be retrimmed. Check your margins and cover
art to see if the book will look strange if 3/32" are trimmed off all four
sides. Grind and rebind is cheaper than reprinting the entire job but often
results in an odd-looking (unbalanced) book.
Most important, ask your
printer. They have seen it all and know what they can do to repair problem
jobs. When the damage is major, most printers turn to an outside expert.
Dunn and Company specializes in turning printing problems into good salable
books. They do everything from changing pages to changing hardcover to soft.
Contact Dunn & Co.
Dave Dunn
75 Green Street
Clinton,
MA 01510-3017
Tel: 978-368-7238
Fax: 978-368-7867
Disputes.
Occasionally something goes wrong because either the publisher or the printer
made a mistake. Here are a few things you may do:
Check with the
Publishers Marketing Association before awarding a bid. Find out if any other
members are involved in a dispute with your lowest bidder and if so, call those
members for details. If you have a dispute with a printer, call the PMA and
relay the details so you will be helping the next publisher. Being on PMA's
temporary blacklist will encourage the printer to settle with you.
You
may have the book tested by a commercial testing laboratory to determine
whether it meets industry standards. Test findings can be used to settle
disputes. One is:
SGS US Testing Company, Inc.
Jim Spry
291
Fairfield Avenue
Fairfield, NJ 07004-3833
Tel: 973-575-5252
Printing Industry Association arbitration boards exist in some areas. See
your telephone directory.
The publishing industry is fortunate to be
served by 42 ink and 12 digital book printers. These are businesses that
specialize in books; they do not print anything else. They consistently deliver
on price, service and quality. When a book turns out bad, 95% of the time it is
not from a book printer. It is because the publisher went to a local job
printer who tried to make a book.
Hopefully your books will always
arrive in perfect shape. Keep this article in your shipping area to guide you
when you receive your next shipment.
Dan Poynter does not want
you to die with a book still inside you. You have the ingredients and he has
your recipe. Dan has written more than 100 books since 1969 including Writing
Nonfiction and The Self- Publishing Manual. For more help on book writing, see
http://ParaPub.com. ©
