John Reinhardt Book Design
13216 Legends Trail
Dade City, FL 33525

E-MAIL:
john@bookdesign.com

PHONE:
1-352-668-8240

PRICING SCHEDULE

Just as each book deserves its own design, I believe each book requires its own “cost.” There are many factors in determining the cost of designing and composing a book. It is difficult for me to simply apply a set fee and hope the book falls “somewhere” in the schedule. Doing so is unfair to the publisher/author.

A pricing schedule for books is like stereotyping people. We are all similar in many ways, but each of us is a unique individual.

However, since I have had many requests to present a pricing schedule, I have created the following “guidelines” for pricing. I will continue to charge each book on its own merits, and conditions.

Price per page

General Conditions

$4.00

Straight text

$5.00

Above + extracts, footnotes

$6.00

Above + Photos/images, various heads, lists

$7.00

Above + tables, charts, extensive backmatter

$8.00 +

Above + multiple layouts within design, mass photos/images

GUIDELINES

Design starts @ $450.00 -- Composition starts @ $4.00/pg.

My quotes are generally a package price. I do separate the design fee, composition fee, and shipping/prepress fee. I look over the entire project and figure in every cost required to get the book to the printer. Unless there are an unusual amount of text changes or a major change in the structure of the book, the final invoice will be at, or very near, the quote.

I can do most image work (repair and modify photos; build maps; create icons; etc.). Each task will be charged independently.

The cost of scanning includes the scan, the processing of the scan, and all of the necessary adjustments made to the scan.

I do not charge for common changes/corrections, nor do I drag you through the uncomfortable “AA” and “EA” battle. We are working together to build the best book we can. If the publisher resists changes that will make the book better, simply because the changes will cost money, then something is wrong. If the book can be better, it should be better. Let’s don’t let a few dollars get in the way!

Let’s build the best book we can!

SAMPLE INVOICE

GENERAL:

• Cookbook
• 7 X 10 (trim to be determined)
• 320 book pages (total page count to be determined)
• 100 photos to be converted, copped, adjusted for color and b&W, clean spots

DESIGN:

Provide initial design layouts for approval. This includes title page, openings, and text spread including critical elements. Upon final approval of initial design, proceed with first-pass pagination.

COMPOSITION:

• This book contains: tables; several levels of text heads; numbered and bulleted paras; numbered, bulleted, and unnumbered lists; extracts; multi-column lists; and recipes w/ ingredient lists. There are Part and Chapter openings. Backmatter includes References and Index. Normal frontmatter.
   
• Final cost of composition is adjusted to final book page count. I do not charge various page rates (tables vs. straight text), rather I base the per-page cost on an overall “feel” for the book. In many cases, depending on complexity of matter, an hourly rate of $35/hour may be applied.
   
• Unless there are any unusual or major developments during the course of design/composition, the quote I give you will be very close to the final cost (adjusted for final page count).
   
• Photos, illustrations, royalty-free images will be used throughout the book. Total of each will be determined. I will scan, place, size, and modify all images as needed for the book. Normally, this is included. Extensive image work may be charged individually at a set fee/image.
   
• To help control your cost of composition, I will not charge for AAs and EAs. I work hard to establish a really solid (and fun) relationship with my publishers/authors—a relationship of trust, honesty, dependability, and the desire to produce the best product we can. There will be times when abnormal amounts of changes/corrections occur and we’ll deal with those [rare] situations on an individual basis.
   
• I charge actual costs of page proofs, shipping of proofs and final product (I use NextDay UPS). For the printer I prepare a prepress worksheet and CD (containing a final print Acrobat pdf file, as well as all files (application, font, and image) used for the creation of the book.
   
• The following "final" figures are based on the final number of pages and images. "Per unit" costs will be applied to final numbers of each unit.
   
• Normally, corrections/changes to the printer’s proofs (Blues) will not be charged, unless the changes are considered to be unusually time-consuming or complex.

DESIGN:

$ 500.00

Design layouts for approval and comp

PAGINATION:

$ 2,400.00

$7.50/page @ 320 pages

TOTAL:

$ 2,900.00

invoice submitted when files are sent to printer

I hope this helps you get an idea of my fees and the way I do business. Getting paid is secondary to getting the book done right (giving the author reason to “jump for joy!”) and into the (millions of) readers’ hands. That, to me, is the ultimate reward.

I know this all sounds corny, but then I can get away with saying this because I am a colonel’s son . . . okay, okay, cereally now folks . . .