THE CHECK LIST EPISODE

Quick, easy things to decide on to make your book ship without a hitch!

Here is a “gimme” installment. When you are making a book and preparing to send it to its end user, there are all sorts of nasty little details that can pop up to give you grief. Below are the ones that come to mind and a little detail on why it’s important. 

Barcode- Will the book be sold in a store? If so, you need a barcode. Will the book be in a warehouse with other items? If so, you need a barcode. If you plan to sell it yourself and never use a Point of Sale system, you might not need a barcode. Get a barcode, life is easier with it and harder without it. 

Made in Verbiage- If you make your product overseas, remember we are assuming we are in the US, then you have to show where the product was made. This is a custom’s law. It’s an international trade thing. Yes, it’s not pretty. Yes, some folks balk at items made overseas, nonetheless, you gotta do it. 

Copyright Page Did your editor give it a look? Did your lawyer? Check it out. It’s important. It’s the book’s birth certificate in a way. 

Table of Contents This is something I check when I first look at a book proof. Does the map the table of contents shows line up with the book? You’d be surprised how many times this gets haywire. This is an easy win to get right. 

Author Name Spelled Right I’ve caught a few of these over the years with a Google search and I’m not an editor! If you have book blurbs on the back, check the spelling of the author’s name for those too. Misspelling the name of the person who did you a favor is embarrassing. 

Release Date If you are self releasing or if you are with a publishing house make sure you know your release date. Make sure you know you are getting books before this date. Make sure, make sure, make sure. If there are multiple folks on your team then this date needs to be clear as a billboard because multiple brains get multiple ideas and make a headache. 

Stickers Does your book need a sticker that tells the consumer something? Is there a last minute addition to info? Does your barcode need to be removable? All of these things fall under stickers.
Shrinkwrap if your book is a wire or coil bound book, you probably need to shrinkwrap it or pack it in a way that the wires don’t get tangled up with each other. If your book is a premium material that can scuff easily like leather, you probably need to shrinkwrap the book. If your material is a waterproof, scuff resistant material then you're probably fine. Get a sample, test out different scenarios. 

Packing Your manufacturer won’t let you exceed 40lbs a box. At least, they shouldn’t. That’s an industry standard. Depending on how many of your book you order, you might need to make stipulations. For instance, if you order 500 books to come to your door, that might come via a freight truck, not UPS. That truck might not have a lift to bring the pallet of books down to road level. If not, then you’ll have a PO’d truck driver kicking your boxes into the street in front of your house. All this is to say, make sure you know how your books are being packed and how they are coming or going to their end user.
Card or OWrap Sometimes your cover material is one that does not work well with a sticker or it cannot be printed on. Thus, you need to apply your back cover copy and barcode with an OWrap, JWrap, or any variation. Basically it’s a belt made of paper that goes around the back of the book that can be printed on. If your book is Poly Leather, Leather, Linen, or the like, your going to want to use a Wrap. 

One Tip-Any time you make a decision on any of these fronts, notify your manufacturer as soon as possible. Manufacturing takes months to execute so information on how time is to be used is crucial. 

What are some other good things to keep in mind as you prepare to finish your books?