FAQs about Book Design
Do your Book Design fees cover the cost of printing?
No, they don’t, the cost of the printing is not included in my design fees, but we will look at a number of printing solutions for your project.
If you’re looking to do a small print run {50 - 300}, your best bet is to use a Print on Demand (POD) service like MagCloud, Lulu, Blurb or Amazon’s Createspace — they all accommodate small print runs and they all have pricing pages where you can easily get an estimate on the printing costs. I also work with a few printers who are local to me who specialize in high-end custom printing, binding, and small print runs.
I want to publish a book of my artwork how do I get my art to you in a digital format?
There are quite a few places that provide scanning services for artwork. I always suggest that you look in your local area — do a Google search for art scanning services, or ask other artists/photographers in your area where they go to scan their work. One of the most important pieces of this process is having someone scan the work that knows how to color correct and clean up dust and scratches and etc before the files are sent on to me. I can and do provide scan clean-up services but it’s an extra fee, over the book design fees.
Will you proofread/edit my manuscript?
I have a shortlist of editors and proofreaders that I can supply for you to contact, I don’t provide those services. And, before we start the design process I highly, strongly and sincerely advise that you have your manuscript proofread, it’s worth every penny not to find a typo in your freshly printed book.
I want to have my book available to e-readers, can you convert for Kindle and other services?
Yes, I can. Once your book design is complete, I can give you a quote for converting to the e-book version of your choice, it’ll be based on page count and complexity of conversion.
Do you provide me with a barcode so my book is ready to be sold on Amazon or in a local book shop?
I don’t provide barcodes. If you’re publishing your book through CreateSpace (the Amazon service) they’ll provide you with a barcode for an extra fee, and if you want to get one on your own bowkerbarcode.com is a good resource to purchase ISBN numbers with barcodes. And a Note: If you're hoping to get your book on Amazon {or placed with a distributor} it has to have a barcode.
Are there any additional fees that I can expect during the design process?
Very occasionally a project goes beyond my estimated time and budget and I’ll need to expand the initial budget to cover my additional time — it rarely happens, in fact I can’t remember the last time it happened. And occasionally, you the client will get inspired and get an idea to expand or make changes to the initial project. In either case, the changes will be looked at and a revised cost of project will be submitted to you for approval.
Website Design FAQs
Can you transfer my Wordpress site to Squarespace?
In a word, yes.That said, you need to know that occasionally the content doesn’t always transfer cleanly. Much of the time it goes smoothly, but sometimes blog posts don't import and will need to be formatted and cleaned up on your own time. Sometimes images transfer over in a block which means they aren’t really on your Squarespace site they’re embedded as code and will need to be re-uploaded. We can look at test exporting your Wordpress site to get an idea of how much will need to be cleaned up.
Do you provide Website Design Refresh services?
I’m happy to provide you with a price to do a Website Refresh. I offer this service to you if I've created the original site from start to finish, I don’t provide Website Refresh services on sites that were designed by some one else. Contact me with the details of what you’re looking for and I’ll provide you with a quote.
Are revisions included in the process?
Yes! Together, we’ll refine every page of your website to create a beautiful home for your work and a site you love so that you feel proud and confident when sharing your site with potential clients {+ friends and family}.
What if we go through all the revisions and the website still isn't working for me?
I believe doing the research I do — which includes your Client Intake Questionnaire, creating a secret Pinterest Board where you can share images that speak to you and your brand, and talking with you about all your wants and wishes for a website — will get us most of the way to a website that will fit you. I want to go deep with you and your work and to make that happen I count on you to have answered all my questions as authentically and as fully as you possibly can. Good design always starts with good communication and I’m so there with the questions and the thoughtful analysis and in the end, wanting to provide you with a website that's better than you could have imagined.
Do you provide maintenance to my site once it’s launched?
I’ll provide you with tutorials to maintain your site and make any changes you might need on an on-going basis and I’m also available for questions 2 weeks after we launch your new site as part of our contract / agreement. I DO offer a retainer service for website updates, changes and add-ons, you can find out more about my Design Package services here.
Payment FAQs
Can payments be broken up for your Design Services?
Typically I ask for a 50% deposit on the project, and the second 50% is due a week before we launch your site or send your book project to the printer. Illustration services are same.
How should I make payments?
Payment can be made via PayPal, Venmo or Zelle. If you need to send a personal check arrangements for that can be made.
What happens if I need to cancel the project?
If you need to cancel your project for any reason our contract will require you to pay for the work that’s been completed at the time of cancellation at an hourly rate of $75.