Our Publishing Process
5 Steps to Produce Great Books
Half of the titles published with Boyle & Dalton are award-winning. Our model proves that books produced correctly and to a professional standard can—and do—compete with titles coming out of the biggest traditional publishers in the world. The only difference between our books and Big-4 published books is that our model allows us to pay authors a royalty up to ten times what the Big-4 pay on average, and ensures that authors retain all their rights and are closely involved in every step of the book publishing process.
The Big-4 publishers are the four companies that control approximately 80% of all purchased books in the US:
Simon & Schuster, Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group, and HarperCollins.
Small presses and self-publishers fail because they’re not producing quality books that will compete with books coming out of the Big-4 publishers. Our team is committed to producing each book with exceptionalism and with a complete production infrastructure.
At Boyle & Dalton, after manuscripts are submitted, vetted for initial quality, and accepted for publication, they undergo a complete production process, just as they would at a Big-4 publishing house. But unlike traditional publishers whose production process can take up to two years to complete, our staff at Boyle & Dalton utilizes open communication and efficient solutions to publish our authors’ books within 6-9 months. Our method produces exceptional books, satisfied authors, and happy readers.
Step 1: Developmental Editing
The first step in the production process is to improve the manuscript. No matter how talented the writer, no manuscript is ready for readers without the feedback of a developmental editor. A seasoned developmental editor will carefully read and analyze your book, working closely with you to improve story, plot structure, character development, phrasing, technique, dialog, and so much more. This is an intimate, one-on-one process, and one of the most critical in the production process.
In this stage, the editor does not make changes directly to the manuscript (with few exceptions). Instead, the editor provides feedback and instruction to the author, creating a detailed roadmap for revision so the author can take the manuscript to a more professional level.
While it can be challenging to receive straightforward criticism of your work, our authors grow so much as writers through this process. The techniques authors learn from this experience can be applied broadly to future writing. Developmental editing significantly improves a manuscript, resulting in a better end product for readers and reviewers.
Step 2: Copy Editing
After the developmental editor has done her work, the author has revised the manuscript, and the manuscript has been cleared to continue on in the publication process, the next phase of editing begins. A copy editor’s service to the manuscript is technical: correcting errors of spelling, grammar, and punctuation, as well as standardizing the manuscript to the Chicago Manual of Style. A copy editor eliminates errors and ensures consistency prevails, all while editing with a respect and nuance that preserves the author’s style.
Step 2: Copy Editing
Once the manuscript works, from start to finish, it proceeds to a line edit. The copy editor will take the manuscript and find mistakes, line-by-line, as well as standardize the book to the Chicago Manual of Style. The copy editor isn’t concerned with big-picture issues, those were solved in the developmental editing stage. In this stage of the process, the copy editor is focused on specific phrasing, wording, mistakes, and importantly, the style guide. The goal is to eliminate errors. To refine and polish the manuscript, elevating its quality to a significant degree.
Step 3: Interior Book Design
Interior book design transforms an unformatted manuscript in a Word processor into a book layout that’s almost ready for print. Elements of well-done book design are often invisible: Words are easy to read, margins are wide enough to support a reader’s grip of the pages, and spaces between lines on a page leave your eyes traveling across the page smoothly. But interior book design can be visibly fun too. Graphic elements on part pages or chapter pages, where appropriate, can delight a reader. A book professional book designer lays out the manuscript page by page, formatting elements like headers, page numbers, chapter pages, and a book’s front and back matter as they go.
Step 4: Book Cover Design
Our book covers are often what opens doors for our authors. Because we pit our books against traditionally published books, Boyle & Dalton book covers are made to compete. From the art direction to the execution, every book cover is intentionally, expertly designed to grab a reader’s attention.
Step 4: Book Cover Design
This is the step everyone is excited about, and it can happen at any stage of the process. Our professional designers carefully research, plan, and expertly execute every book cover. We identify the best audience, working with the author’s input to create a quality book cover that will capture the attention of the right readers, leading to more book sales.
Step 5: Proofreading
Near the end of the book production process, after the interior design is complete, our books go through another round of editing prior to printing and distribution. A proofreader carefully checks every word on every page, as well as the cover, to ensure there are no sneaky typos or mistakes that could repel readers.
Following proofreading, the book is finalized for printing and distribution. Print books are distributed through Ingram, the nation’s largest distributor, and e-books are distributed to all major e-book retailers. Our books are available anywhere that books are sold online, as well as available for brick-and-mortar bookstores to order.
As a hybrid publisher, we complete all 5 of these steps with feedback and input from the author. Our experienced staff collaborates and cares for every title that passes through our publishing house, ensuring that each book is produced at the highest quality.
Are you interested in publishing with Boyle & Dalton? Submit your work for consideration today. Learn more and begin the process here.
Questions? Contact us.