[scribus] PDF X/1a:2001 again.

[John Culleton]

On Monday 17 August 2009 09:49:32 am Gregory Pittman wrote:
> On 08/17/2009 08:15 AM, John Culleton wrote:
> > On Sunday 16 August 2009 10:22:27 pm Murray Strome wrote:
> >> On Saturday, August 15, 2009 1:33 PM,  "Craig"
> >> <cbradney at zip.com.au>  wrote:
> >>
> >>                  John Culleton wrote:
> >>> My old nemesis LSI is still insisting on the above PDF
> >>> format; otherwise they will run the cover file through a
> >>> process that rasterizes the file.  When it comes to access to
> >>> Amazon it is their bat and their ball and you have to play
> >>> the game their way.
> >>>
> >>> I remember that some time back this standard was in the
> >>> summer of code or something like that.  It is not in 1.3.5.1
> >>> however.
> >>>
> >>> If there was another way to get economical access to Amazon I
> >>> would surely use it, but there isn't AFAICT.
> >>
> >> Erm.. what about our CreateSpace Self-Publishing service?
> >> http://www.createspace.com/
> >>
> >> Craig
> >>
> >> What about Trafford Publishing?
> >> http://www.trafford.com/AboutUs/default.aspx
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
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> >
> > Trafford is a subsidy, which means the unit cost is way too
> > high, the reviewers will reject it out of hand because of the
> > subsidy imprint etc.  There are 58 subsidies listed in "The
> > Fine Print" grouped by desirability into five groups. Trafford
> > is classed in the bottom group.  If you want to know why read
> > the book. Most of the subsidies use either LSI or Booksurge for
> > the printing and distibution so it makes no sense to have a
> > middleman.
> > Booksurge and CreateSpace are essentially the same outfit.
> >
> > The top subsidies in my study of success on Amazon were
> > Booklocker, Infinity and Lulu in that order. Booklocker had a
> > two to one advantage in Amazon rankings over the next highest. 
> >  All three will let you use your own ISBN and imprint,  an
> > absolute requirement IMO.  But I don't wnat to use any subsidy,
> > for reasons stated above.
> >
> > I am looking for four things in a POD printer:
> > 1. Good quality printing.
> > 2. Access to Amazon
> > 3. Reasonable unit cost.
> > 4. Ability to use my own choice of software: TeX for the
> > interiior and Scribus for the cover.
> >
> > LSI meets all the above except for number 4.  LSI really want
> > syou to use InDesign, Distiller,  and X/1a:2001. Createspace is
> > more liberal on covers, has a reasonable unit cost,  but
> > requires a higher discount on Amazon than LSI which decreases
> > my profit margin. And with Createspace the jury is still out on
> > quality. I will test.
> >
> > See my short list below for info on "The Fine Print."
> >
> > Like Diogenes with his lamp I am still looking for the ideal
> > digital printer and distribution channel. If and when I can get
> > X/1a:2001 output from Scribus I will go with LSI.
> >
> > It would also help mightily if Scribus had a merge layers
> > feature like Gimp, so that I could use transparency, blends
> > etc. and still get pdf 1.3 output. Consider that a feature
> > request.
>
> One of the lessons we gained from our official Scribus manual is
> that it is not out of the realm of consideration for us to
> consider forming our own publishing company, now that we have
> seen and dealt with a number of pitfalls in the process and have
> some sense of how to do this. It takes some effort, to be sure,
> but what is appealing in the end is the control one has in
> dealing with various elements of this process.
>
> There are basically 3 elements to contend with: 1) setting up
> some kind of publishing entity, in essence forming a corporation
> in some particular country, 2) making arrangements with a
> commercial printing operation (LSI being one, Mardigrafe being
> another) for the physical printing of books, and then 3) figuring
> out the distribution channel(s) (amazon being one), along with
> the means of customers interacting with this for purchasing and
> receiving their books. These days, of course, number 2 isn't an
> essential element, if one decides to bring out e-books or
> something similar.
>
> We have yet to decide if we will go this route of creating a
> "Scribus Publishing Company", since it does require some work and
> we know that even with success there is not a great deal of
> income generated by such an effort.
>
> Greg
>
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For either POD printing or e-book sales I suggest that the volume be 
slimmed down by about half. All of the material inside the present 
book is interesting and valuable but when printing POD you pay by 
the page. 

For e-book sales you can list for free and Booklocker will take only 
30% of the cover price.  But I much prefer a perfect bound copy.  
If the projected sales are 500 copies or more I would use offset 
printing to get the unit cost down. LSI has an offset option. 

I publish books with nothing more than a separate bank account. 

If you like I can handle the publishing and printing for the USA and 
possibly the UK audiences via either LSI and Amazon or CreateSpace 
and Amazon.  Possibly the book can be printed offset without using 
LSI and distributed via Fullfillment by Amazon. 

Just some possibilities. 


-- 
John Culleton
Create Book Covers with Scribus/e-book $5.95
http://www.booklocker.com/books/4055.html