The first step to updating is to know if Copyright release was placed in the book, or if you can get release from the Copyright owner to make a new edition. In the past it has been common practice to place a statement in the front of a genealogy book allowing researchers or family to reuse (personal use - not for profit is implied), including copy-at-will. Next is to see how much new material you have, or feel you can collect.

If you have documentation indicating you can expand the original work, and you don’t have too much new information (you really shouldn’t plan to publish a 1,400 page book), you can do a new edition (electronic, hard or soft cover).

If you have enough material, you may consider a companion book. This can be done with, or without, Copyright release from the original work: Don’t reproduce the original work without permission. Generally, new material would include cross-references to the original work. Unless there is a large saleable stock of unsold original books, seeking to get the original work back in print is still a good idea.

With permission, there are many ways to utilize the original printed material, if a manuscript is not available. We offer services to assist, including digitizing any traditional printed manuscript materials, or printed book, that may be available.

Printed work (from any person or time) can always be updated/augmented by a web “site” of some type – again Copyright release is not needed unless you wish to reproduce from the original work. This can be of a limited time period, sometimes leading to a traditional printing, or instead of a traditional printing. Even if online is selected as the standard way, a print on demand (POD) compilation can be accomplished by special order. In this way, you get a quote for a single book and pass the cost on to the reader. We can be of assistance with planning and implementation on the web, if you do not have a volunteer ready to assist or plan to utilize social media.

Back to Top of Page

Q. What happens to items that the customer does not want returned?
A. If hard copy has been provided, it will be destroyed. If electronic files have been provided, reasonable attempts will be made to archive all files used in publishing for ten years that adhere to our privacy policy.

Back to Top of Page

Q. I'm interested in supplying my own cover art files. Do you have information on how to do that?
A. We offer information on basic file needs for both hardbound and softbound illustrated covers. However, covers are so different, if you have questions about any sizing or element, please contact us directly.

Back to Top of Page

Q. Although you request 1" margins, can I have smaller margins?
A. You can, however, less margin space can negate all guarantees on the published book. Please remember with larger print area, text may be bound into the book and/or text cut off the edges due to available printing surface on the presses. We suggest if you have smaller margins you reduce the pages, or pay us to do so for you.

Back to Top of Page

Q. What is the difference between a Camera Ready Manuscript (CRM) and a Camera Ready Copy Machine Manuscript (CRCMM)?
Short A. The CRM is ready for the plate maker cameras - "cut and paste" is acceptable and the final page placement is made at the plate maker. The CRCMM is ready for a copy machine document feeder (absolutely no cut and paste) - final page placement was made when printed and there are no items attached to the printed manuscript.

Back to Top of Page

Q. Can my book be different than your standard basis?
A. Absolutely! Paper size, color, weight, type as well as ink differences and limited book thickness (despite strenuous efforts, a 2,500 page book can not be bound and guaranteed against wear) can all be custom specified. With custom orders the price rises, rather dramatically at times, depending on what the author is interested in.

Back to Top of Page

Q. While looking over your material, I find reference to printed and companion/POD/digital books, why are there so many differences?
A. All promotional material was originally written with printed (offset presses - quantities of 100 or more) projects in mind. In 1999, we began offering a companion program for book projects under 100 in quantity that is a photostatic/digital reproduction - not traditionally recognized as printing. Currently, with updated systems and increased quality for print on demand, digital printing as a low-cost alternative for ultra-small publishing runs. Since offset and digital printing are two different reproduction processes many things are different. If you see a reference on our site that doesn't clarify offset printed or digital/companion, please notify us, it is a section of our literature that hasn't been updated yet. If you are unsure on a point, also contact us for verification.

Back to Top of Page

Q. Can I still get less than 100 books offset printed?
A. While you can actually order any number of offset printed books, the time and materials involved make any printed order under 100 cost about the same as if you ordered 100 books printed.  Because of this, any offset printed order less than 100, is quoted/billed for 100 books.

Back to Top of Page

Q. Should I have a Library of Congress Number, Copyright, and/or ISBN?
A. - Library of Congress Control Number or Copyright - you may choose one, either, or neither. Formal registration for both of these require you to send books to Washington. Additionally, copyright registration requires a filing fee. All written material has a (implied) copyright, whether you send for documentation or not.
A. - ISBN - If you are planning on a large marketing campaign, you may choose to get this number. It will allow you to sell through major bookstores such as Books-A-Million and Barnes & Noble. Your book will also be listed in the publication "Books in Print". This number, on many hard bound books, will also increase the publishing costs due to ISBN stipulations. Otherwise, this number is not needed.

Back to Top of Page

Q. If I reprint, is it less expensive?
A. 1: No set up fee needed on reprint, unless significantly altering your elements. 2: If your book had a cover plate you may not need a new one, though some additional fees may apply. 3: If you haven't had your manuscript returned (it has been retained with us), this fee is also saved. 4: If not digital manuscript, all photo fees are eliminated - if the halftones affixed to the manuscript are still good.  5: If working from a digital manuscript, you do not have the extra expense and/or effort involved in getting it to us.

Back to Top of Page

Q. Why doesn't a reprint even cost less?
A. Nearly all publishing materials (with the exception of cover art plate) used for your book are consumable so will need to be replicated to reprint. Consumable materials are only good for a certain period of time. The main difference in reprinting costs are the type of plate used*. Some publishers use metal plates, these can be stored and printed from at any time. Using a less expensive (same print quality) consumable plate that is only good for 48 hours is generally a cost cutting measure that doesn't sacrifice quality of book. In addition, to reducing your publishing costs, this also insures that you have total control over printing and reprinting. Also inflation - this includes shipping costs.
*Digitally printed books don't use plates and therefore the traditional argument is not applicable.

Back to Top of Page

Q. What if I want my books on glossy paper?
A. Digitally printed books can use gloss paper.  However, "glossy" paper is actually coated paper stock that cannot  be offset printed within our system.  Digital printing is possible: There is a drastic increase in price usually associated with glossy vs. standard paper costs. Additionally, glossy paper traditionally used in genealogy books is much heavier and will add to shipping costs.
Note: Paper for flyers and covers can be coated or laminated after they are offset printed and are generally considered glossy as well.

Back to Top of Page

Q. Why does it take your company so long for production?
A. Many highly automated printing firms have very little hands-on control of all stages in the process - because of the automation factor.  All books published with us actually continue with the more traditional methods:  A high degree of manpower, rather than 100% machine is involved. This also provides a fuller degree of checks and balances.  It is because of this, and the "first come, first serve" policy that book projects can take a few months rather than a few weeks that some publishers quote. Even electronic printing gets quality checked manually in numerous stages throughout publishing. Additionally, we try to be realistic about time constraints, especially when quoting.

Back to Top of Page

Q. When figuring page count does a blank page count?
A. Yes - prices are figured by the page.  There are two pages on every sheet of paper (leaf).  Therefore if one side is printed, the other side counts as well.  If a blank sheet (two pages) are requested, the cost of the paper and the extra handling charge generally equals the printed page costs.

Back to Top of Page

Q. When using color on a page, if I have black text is it still considered a full color page?
A. Yes - the term full color (or 4 color) refers to the number of colors used to achieve the desired result on the page.  Since the entire page (not just a portion of it) must be run through the machinery, the cost is for the entire page - no matter if the color runs from margin to margin, or is in a ¼" shape.

Q. When using color in a manuscript, do I have to pay for all pages in color if I only want a color page or two?
A. No, our digital process has allowed this savings to be a reality that wasn't present in offset printed books.

Back to Top of Page

Q. What type of contract to you have?
A. The work we do is based on requested needs for our services.  We offer written guarantees for work and therefore, don't have a written contract or additional paperwork for you to fill out.  When you send in your manuscript and deposit, your cover letter puts in writing what you "contract" us to do. If we have questions about your instructions, we will contact you - generally via email - to get answers in writing.

Back to Top of Page

Q. Can I drop by to show you my book and get help?
A. We do suggest that you call/email at least a week ahead of time to make arrangements before you arrive to conference.  This is due to the fact that not being a traditional storefront business means that much of the time there is not additional staff that can hold other projects and conference at a moments notice.  Additionally, only one conference room is available for consultation with authors. Please note that multiple "drop by" consultations may result in billing of professional time spent. There are authors that make arrangements - sometimes months in advance - to discuss their projects.

Back to Top of Page

Q. Can my book be printed directly from Family Tree Maker (FTM)?
A. POD (1-99 quantity) is very possible, however FTM doesn't always work well with consecutive numbers through different types of reports.  It can be resistant to good book margins (but not impossible).  If you are looking at 100 or more books, a manuscript can be printed out to be offset printed from. For a book that will hold more historical appeal, a suggestion is to use the FTM export feature (>file>export) and sending all your general reports to a word processing program where it can be placed in a better manuscript format.  For any charts in hard copy manuscript, a good suggestion is to print out the charts, and print out pages with manuscript page numbers (header if desired) only.  You can then attach the chart on the manuscript numbered page. A quick way to do this on a digital manuscript is to insert a screenshot into your word processor - though there are many better ways.
* Additionally, our office doesn't keep up with current versions. Because of this, unless you save the file in an older version compatible format, there may be difficulty reading what you provide.

Back to top of page

Q. How do I get a quote and does the quote process cost?
A. Custom quote requests can be made by email, mail (PO BOX 505, Wyandotte, OK 74370), phone 918-542-4148. Custom quotes are free of charge.  You can also visit the standard price lists for standard fees.

Back to Top of Page

Q. What type of software/program/app do you suggest?
A. What works well for one author may be a nightmare for another. Therefore software programs are a very subjective question: What follows is a Gregath staff consensus. 99.9% of the manuscripts Gregath produces are in word processing program Microsoft Word (varying versions). We still prefer to index in a mainly "manual" way, using our time and knowledge of the manuscript and retyping the entries and using Word's sort feature, rather than the auto index feature, or using a separate indexing program. If a software purchase is needed, one might wish to buy Microsoft Office, which will include Word, spreadsheet/database program(s), Powerpoint (for lectures and presentations), usually a webpage program, and sometimes Publisher. This program suite can deal with almost any situation via import/export, rather than producing your columnar text in one program, the photo pages in another, the text in a third, etc. If an advanced user, there are may Adobe products that produce wonderful material as well. Our graphic program of choice is Adobe Photoshop - which is then inserted into the chosen manuscript program.

Back to Top of Page

Q. Do you have any line spacing requirements or suggestions?
A. As we generally help genealogists and family historians, we don't subscribe to any particular spacing rule. However, if you are using a sans-serif font (Arial, Verdana, etc.), we advise against going closer than single space for general audiences. If the subject/genra of the book carries spacing standards - look at other books of this type already published - we suggest you start there. Going "tighter" with a sans-serif font (times new roman, Rockwell, etc.) confuses the eye at a glance which makes the book "harder to get into". With a serif font, you can go as small as 1 or 2 point spacing above font size (i.e. 12 pt. font and 13 pt. spacing). If you look at a serif font, the smallest for general audiences we suggest is 10 pt. font/11 pt. spacing for main text. Click here for more.

Back to Top of Page

> Home Page > FAQ > Publishing FAQ

Page Last Updated July 02, 2023

Basic Gregath Search

    
 powered by FreeFind

 Gregath Company Website Table of Contents
 Gregath Co., Inc.: Email Us |PO BOX 505, Wyandotte, OK 74370, USA | Phone 01-918-542-4148

 All catalog sales final. Read about our shipping and handling charges for catalog orders.

 We welcome suggestions and comments. Bookmark this page* for easy return.
 Click Here to Bookmark This Site!
 Copyright © Gregath Company, Incorporated
 All rights reserved.  All material on this site, including text, photographs, graphics, and code are protected by international copyright and trademark laws.  Unauthorized use is not permitted.  You may not modify, copy, reproduce, republish, upload, post, transmit or distribute, in any manner, the material on this website without prior permission.
 Feel free to link to this page.