After a manuscript has been accepted for estimating, the next step at BPR will take one of two directions. If a manuscript requires design and copyediting, an estimate will be prepared for both services along with a typesetting quotation based on the submitted design. If a complete book design is submitted by the publisher, a quotation will be provided for copyediting and typesetting directly to pages based on the submitted book design. If requested by established publishers, quotations for printing and binding based on the projected number of pages prior to typesetting and pagination will be offered. Other services such as illustration and halftone preparation and improvement using Photoshop or Illustrator are offered. BPR also offers estimates for indexing (see below) and fact checking.

All publishing companies require a manuscript under contract to be copyedited before publication. If you’re not familiar with this process, visit a university library and ask to see a copy of The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th Edition. See Chapter 2, “Manuscript Preparation, Manuscript Editing, and Proofreading,” to learn what’s involved in preparing your manuscript for design and typesetting. At BPR we contract with copyeditors who have at least ten years of experience with major publishers throughout the United States.

BPR will provide a preliminary estimate for copyediting based on a rate per manuscript page. We strongly encourage self-publishers and professional publishing companies to format the manuscript in MS-Word using the following parameters: double-spaced, with 1-inch margins on all four sides, using 12-pt. Times Roman as the font. The manuscript pages should be numbered consecutively throughout. This facilitates easy access to any text being discussed with the copyeditor.

After the copyeditor has reviewed 25 to 50 manuscript pages, he or she will provide a statement of agreement with BPR’s suggested rate per page, or will submit a revised rate request, depending on the level of editing required. A copyediting completion date will be provided at that time.B

BPR offers design services to create charts, graphs, illustrations, and tables using several Adobe programs. Tabular material generally should be submitted in Microsoft’s Excel. Charts and graphs created in MS-Powerpoint can be converted into files suitable for color reproduction in your book.

Photography (B/W or color) when correctly evaluated and reproduced will always improve a book’s value and effectiveness in delivering its message. While authors may not have control over the availability and quality of the photography to illustrate their manuscripts, BPR applies 25 years of experience, research, technology, and AI to improve and provide the best results for your photographic illustrations.

If a selection of photographs is submitted for evaluation, BPR’s technicians will review each for its potential for good reproduction during printing in B/W or color. Photo editing for content and application to support the textual narrative should be done by the author or publisher.

BPR utilizes Adobe InDesign software for typesetting and pagination. Plug-ins for correct hyphenation in various disciplines are added as needed, with deference to Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary and The Chicago Manual of Style. Book designers will select typefaces and fonts (e.g., roman, italic, bold, small caps, etc.) and specify point sizes and leading (spacing) for text and display.

With Fred Thompson’s extensive background in typesetting, BPR is committed to making available historic typefaces that were produced by Monotype and Linotype in the 20th century for mechanized typesetting. After digitizing those typefaces, they commissioned the design of several new typefaces after 1970. In collaboration with Adobe, more have been added since 2000.

We do not offer bowdlerized typefaces that are “knock-offs” of the originals.

Most of the books we produce will have indexes, created by the author or a professional indexer. If you decide to create the index yourself, we suggest you purchase a copy of Indexes: A Chapter from The Chicago Manual of Style, 18th edition. Amazon offers it at $19.00. At the outset of your project, BPR can reserve time with a professional indexer. He or she will provide an estimate after an assessment of the text at the page proof stage.

Our print/bind orders have run from 200 to 50,000 copies since we began in 1994. With 50 years of experience in book manufacturing, BPR’s owner selects the appropriate book printer and bindery based on the book’s content, press requirements, number of copies ordered, and bindery requirements.

For the private publisher, allow us to explain that book printers and binderies are a special breed in the printing industry. No job printing, brochures, advertising pieces—just books. They are specialists. Depending on the number of copies ordered, they print on large sheetfed presses or high-speed web presses. Printing papers are offered in many different weights—from the thin papers used in bibles to the heavier stocks used for children’s books. Printing papers are coated and uncoated, and even then come in many different finishes.

Based on application and purpose, books may be casebound (hardback) or softcover. In both cases, the choices of bindings for a book’s pages (signatures) are many. We will guide private publishers in negotiating and making the right choices for any book.