Book Shepherd
I have decades of experience with book-shaped objects, from executive reports and white papers to major studies, but my favourite projects are with authors who want to self-publish their books in a thoroughly professional, polished manner. We manage the whole process of publishing, from design, to layout, art preparation, editing and proofreading, and print coordination from paper selection to delivery.
Case Study
In 2014, we produced the first volume of Plans & Dreams with boat builder and designer, Paul Gartside. After the runaway success of that book, he asked us to take on Volume II. For both books, we managed the entire production from concept to print-ready, and coordinated delivery to New York State, where the author is based. The book was launched in October 2018, on schedule for early Christmas orders. Both books continue to sell steadily to wooden boat dreamers and builders all over the world.
Both volumes are available in book stores and directly through the author’s website, gartsideboats.com, which we designed for him in 2011 to sell his stock boat plans. The books are also for sale through WoodenBoat Store’s online shop.
A serious consideration in the design and production of this book series is the need to render hand-drawn boat plans with crisp legibility, at a drastically reduced size. Readers must be able to build directly from the book if they choose (although they are offered a discount if they choose to order full-size plans, which print at A0 size). Reviewer Mike O’Brien praises the results here, in WoodenBoat Issue #267 (May/June 2019):
Gartside draws by hand with H-grade pencils on rag vellum. The results are crisp and clean. Some of the sale plans seem to jump right off their pages. This is art as well as technology, and the images are great fun to study. Production of the book is top drawer as well. Rami Schandall/Visual Creative handled design and layout, Stuart Ross edited the text, and Friesens Corporation did the printing in Canada. The author cites all three on his publisher’s page. This seems a welcome courtesy as book designers, editors, and printers often don’t receive their deserved credit.
Well, we’ve reached that point where reviewers are expected to offer criticism. I have none. If you are into boats, Paul Gartside’s new book belongs in your library. Period.
(Find the full review here, pp 88-90.)
Thanks to junior designers Brynn Schandall-O’Donoghue and Bevin Anderson for their essential layout and production support. Thanks to Stuart Ross for expert copy-editing and proof-reading, and Friesens Corporation for masterful printing — right on time despite that year’s global paper shortages.
