I still remember the first time I created a book.
I say “created”, because I was not the publisher. That honor went to my employer at the time. I was not the author. That honor went to one of my colleagues. No, I had the honor of managing the project. I set (and reset) the deadlines. I edited and proofed and rewrote. I contacted vendors, gathered quotes, coordinated efforts, solicited feedback, weighed options and made decisions.
And I asked hundreds and hundreds of questions. I had the magnificent luck to find printers and designers and editors and marketers who were talented and trustworthy. Not only that, they would patiently, and often repeatedly, answer my questions and explain their work.
It was an amazing, confusing, frustrating process. It took longer than we had expected. Cost a little more. There were times I thought we’d never get there. And then, suddenly, it there it was bound and complete in my hands.
Flipping through the pages, that new book smell filling the air, I remembered it all. Agonizing over those paragraphs. Deciding between this graphic or that. Look,” I said to colleagues, “the designer was right, that does go better there.” “Aren’t you glad the printer suggested that paper?”
For a little girl who had grown up surrounded by books, reading everything she could find, it was magic. I suddenly knew how these things worked. I saw how a book went from idea in someone’s head to a physical thing made of paper and ink and glue. I had been there for nearly every step, every decision.
Best of all, I had guided someone else through that process. I had seen the passion for an idea in an author’s eyes. I had talked them through the frustration of writer’s block, the confusion of seemingly endless choices. I had pressed them for answers when I needed answers and I had told them when not to worry, I had the answers.
I went on to create several more books with that company, and the magic never faded. The folks I worked with knew it. When a new book was delivered, one of the guys from the catalog department always hand delivered the first book out of the first box to me. Upon delivery of one particularly intense project, they took a picture of my beaming manager holding the book and sent it to my phone while I was on vacation.
So, when life shifted beneath me a year or so ago, I had a chance to look at what I really wanted. I realized I wanted to make books. My own, maybe, someday. But right here and now, I wanted to help more authors get more books out of their heads and into their hands.
I called on the wonderful people who had helped me when I was a new managing editor. I told them I was back in the book making business, but this time as a freelancer, and I wanted to work with them again. The only question was how.
Then I talked to Brian Hong. Brian and I have known each other for nearly 15 years. He taught me so much about print, about books and most of all about customer service. Brian’s life was shifting, too. He was creating Legacy Solutions Network, an innovative network of independently owned business. His members included printers and designers, editors, publicists and marketing people. All companies and individuals he and I knew and respected. It occurred to us we had all the parts needed to create a publishing company.
There and then, over coffee in an empty bar in a college town in Southern Minnesota, Legacy Book Solutions was born. Whose idea it was depends on who you ask; we both credit each other. But we realized we could use our connections to help authors publish their own books.
We would have the freedom to find authors the best publishing services for their books. No overhead from a fancy office or an administrative staff. No need to make the author change their book to meet our limitations. No pressure to sell the author services they don’t need. Just what it takes to get that book out of the author’s head and into their hands. No more, no less.
That’s what Brian and I want to do: help you publish your book. Keep checking back on this blog. I will be sharing some tips and thoughts about self publishing. Occasionally, I will get one of our experts to post about a specific are of publishing. I will share resources I have found helpful.
When you are ready for the next step, drop us a line. Brian and I will be glad to talk to you about what you need to get your book into print.
Beth Beaty,
Vice President and Senior Editor
Legacy Book Solutions
