Question: What is the most important thing Concord Editorial can offer my publishing company?

Concord Editorial and Design: With over twenty years of experience in producing quality books, we can help you achieve truly professional results on both the design and editorial sides.

The two most pressing issues facing smaller or beginning publishers are getting good distribution and creating truly professional books. Yet these two issues are closely related. In a world flooded with new books, anything you publish with less than first-class design and editorial quality will greatly hamper your efforts at sales and distribution.

If your work is not up to truly professional standards, distributors and chains will not take you or your work seriously. Investing in professional book creation is the most important step you can take as publisher, since distribution, sales, and perceptions of quality all depend on it.

Concord Editorial is a small company — not a large production factory. We offer personalized service and will work with you every step of the way to create the best books possible.

Why can’t I do it myself, or create a book in Microsoft Word?

Microsoft Word just isn’t capable of producing professional typography — and that’s because it was never designed to. Any serious book printer would never accept files created by Microsoft Word.

In terms of the financial barrier to entry, the cost of professional equipment and software for book production has never been lower. Thirty years ago, the investment required was much higher, and the quality of what you could produce with it was less substantial.

Equipment aside, the real barrier to entry today is the level of skill, knowledge, and talent required to produce professional quality books, and that does not come easily. That takes many years of experience or — at the very least — intense, serious, professional-level training, which is equally difficult to come by. Like anything else you become good at, considerable time, effort, aptitude, and talent are required to achieve a high level of excellence in book design.

If you want to learn book design, that’s great, and something we certainly encourage; but it will take a genuine passion to learn, real effort, and a substantial amount of time. If you are serious, one way to learn is by working closely with us in the meantime.

Could I use a graphic designer, where I live, to create my books?

Yes, it’s possible. But most graphic designers have not been trained in book design and typography, which has its own set of rules and conventions.

If you know a graphic designer, ask them, “Where is an em-space normally used and under what conditions should an en-dash be employed?” If they can’t tell you, you’ve discovered they would not be suitable for bookmaking.

The graphic designers at Concord Editorial are passionate and knowledgeable about book design and typography. In addition to designing books, we are also extremely experienced on the editorial side, which is a rare combination. Knowing both the editorial and design sides helps us to create better, higher quality books, by spotting errors and problems others might miss.

You sound expensive. Can I really afford you?

Our rates are very competitive; and for the quality of work we provide, our clients receive a great value.

Many companies and freelancers charge substantially more than Concord Editorial. We keep our overhead low and try to offer the highest quality professional work at competitive rates. We want to see all of our clients succeed financially. Not only do we want everyone to be happy — but if our clients flourish, we anticipate they will continue to send us work in the future!

While there are some freelancers that charge less — and “you can always find someone cheaper” in any field — you usually get what you pay for. Get multiple quotes and carefully compare the quality of actual sample work. In comparison with other suppliers, you will see that we offer superb quality at excellent rates.

We are professionals who edit, design, and create books on a full-time basis. If you think you can get a better deal from your neighbor’s daughter who typesets the church newsletter, we have different standards of quality, and we are probably not a good fit to begin with.

Any final advice?

Yes. If you are a smaller publisher, your most important tasks are finding great things to publish and devoting as much energy as possible to expanding sales and distribution. Focus on that, and we’ll help with the rest.

Concord Editorial can help you succeed by working with you to design and produce the best possible titles: books, in terms of quality, that are in the same league as those of major publishers.

We will help you create world-class publications on an as-needed basis, without you having to add the extra financial burden of staff members, who may not possess the same level of experience — or same high quality standards — to begin with.