Saturday, January 15, 2011

Creating a Book

This report is written by Dani Greer, artist, writer, editor, passionate environmentalist, online blog book tour teacher, and lately Special Projects Coordinator for Little Pickle Press where her brain gets bigger, stronger, and more flexible by the day.

A Publishing Story Straight from Hell

We all know the publishing industry is changing. Big houses are scaling down to compete with an ever-burgeoning indie market, and authors find themselves with more opportunities by the day. Even the idea of self-publication has all but lost its stigma, bringing readers more and better books all the time.

As publishing dynamics change, more small companies are forging their own avenues outside the hallowed halls and beliefs of the old school paradigm. Little Pickle Press is one such pacesetter. One year and five books later, the small and innovative B Corporation has published five award-winning children’s book titles, each containing this badge of honor:


In a world of cheap off-shore printing and remaindered books, one tiny high-quality American publisher goes out on a limb, and what a long limb it turned out to be with this latest project.

How hard is it to take a strong environmental position in today’s publishing world? We asked Keith Anthony, purveyor of K2 Print Media and the man charged with finding the best papers and print fulfillment for Little Pickle Press to share his side of the story in getting the most recent book, Your Fantastic Elastic Brain by JoAnn Deak Ph.D., into the hands of readers.

Having used various recycled papers in the earlier books, Anthony and the team were excited to try a new tree-free paper called Terraskin, made from calcium carbonate, a plentiful low-impact limestone powder – not even virgin material, but recycled from post-industrial use. Posters had already been printed from the material and were beautiful, so a book was a logical next step. Perhaps this would even become the litmus test for other publishers!

Then the nightmare began. At the Canadian print facility, the trial run resulted in dark and muddy colors that did Sarah Ackerley’s delightful and amusing artwork no justice. It was too late to go back to the drawing board, so Anthony headed for the Canadian print facility, pulled up his shirt sleeves, and started problem-solving. First the color issues were resolved. But then the ink wouldn’t dry. When printed on the reverse side, the pages curled. Much of the paper wouldn’t feed properly and was rejected. Next the binding nightmares began and more brainstorming about gluing ensued. It was a nightmare Straight From Hell.

Finally after two weeks of round-the-clock shifts, it looked like books could be shipped. But the first round didn’t pass quality control standards in the home offices. Why? Because the books shipped weren’t the ones he’d signed off on – an error on the part of the bindery operator. After many delayed schedules and huge labor inputs, the books finally passed muster. Much to a delighted company, Your Fantastic Elastic Brain is now out-selling other titles, but what a challenging birth it was.

Will there be more Terraskin books? Probably not, at least not from Little Pickle Press, and Anthony likely will discourage other publishers from trying. After much trial and hand-holding, these books might actually be viewed as limited edition works of art and perhaps a copy should go to the Smithsonian Museum as an example of changing publishing times and standards!

But other options for environmentally-conscious printing are being developed to meet consumer demand which is quickly growing. Though the costs are still 10-50% higher than conventional printing, variables like the percentage of post-consumer paper impacts the costs, and that’s where long-time professionals like Keith Anthony can help a publisher make conscientious choices. His company, K2 Print Media LLC, is a printing and mailing agency specializing in environmentally-sustainable printing practices for publications, books, and marketing collateral. Call him at 916.995.5803 or email for more information.

Now, dear readers, let’s have some fun! Leave a comment and your email address to get in the running for a copy of Your Fantastic Elastic Brain. Or order a copy right now at 25% off using coupon code BBTHEL at check-out.

Then click over to the Little Pickle Press blog and enter a second drawing for the Grand Prize of all five 2010 releases in a special eco-bag!

Thank you Dani!

Before you click away to enter the drawing, leave a comment or question for Dani Greer or JoAnn Deak.

41 comments:

  1. 'a new tree-free paper called Terraskin, made from calcium carbonate, a plentiful low-impact limestone powder – not even virgin material, but recycled from post-industrial use' How interesting! I like also the explanation about how publishing is changing these days. Best wishes with Little Pickle Press!

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  2. Very interesting post...and on an angle of publishing that I hadn't thought about. Thanks for this post, Dani!

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  3. How cool for the writer to have such a limited edition thing happen. However, it sounds like it probably cost the company a fortune in re-dos. Definitely not financially feasible!

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  4. So many of us rue the shrinking availability of paper books. It helps to know that there are businesses out there finding environmentally and strategic ways to keep us turning the pages, literally.

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  5. What an inspiring story! I'm an author and a reader. I love the new possibilities electronic books bring us BUT I still enjoy beautiful paper books. It's encouraging to know that small and inventive companies keep the trade going!
    Christa

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  6. Ooops, forgot to leave my email address: cpolkinhorn(at)verizon(dot)net

    Christa

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  7. I think it's amazing, Paul!

    Liza, I just hope they can somehow make it financially feasible.

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  8. Wonderful post. This says a lot for everyone involved in this cute little book. After the first sign of a problem, most would have quickly dropped the project and went somewhere else. Wishing you much success with this endeavor.

    Mason
    Thoughts in Progress

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  9. If you clicked on the link to B Corps to find out more about this angle, I think that's part of the reason nobody bailed on this job. The people involved were "stakeholders" in the company. Stakeholders aren't necessarily stockholders, interested in only the bottom line. They're interested in the mission of the company - that a big motivator.

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  10. Thanks for the chance!

    sweetpeasandsassafras at yahoo dot com

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  11. Good for Little Pickle Press for trying so hard to save a tree. And I admire Gorden's commitment to producing a quality book. Thanks for posting this.

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  12. Such a project! I'm glad someone did it, even though it may not be done again, for a while, anyway.

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  13. Kudos to LLP for taking the environmental "bottom line" seriously, and to Anthony of K2 for troubleshooting the terraskin problems so successfully. What about terraskin themselves--did they offer any solutions to the printing and ink issues? Despite the problems as a book material, terraskin looks like it could have potential for other applications--what about shopping bags and banners, for instance? (Thanks for the great post, Dani, and thanks to Helen for hosting this stop on the Fantastic Elastic Brain tour!)

    susan at susanjtweit dot com

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  14. I can only imagine the amount of frustration involved in that project. Thank goodness there was a master problem-solver on the job. :)

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  15. Terraskin looks like a great concept. Maybe it'll be the starting point for more tree-free books.

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  16. Hopefully print options and technology will grow and explore new options for the good of the environment and the publishing business. I never heard of terraskin but I hope the bugs get worked out and we hear more of it.

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  17. They'll print the next book to meet their environmental credo, no doubt about it. The previous books used post-consumer recycled papers. There are lots of options out there, and I should also mention they use soy inks, which is a great thing for children's books. Terraskin actually sells to many industries for just the applications Susan mentions - boutique shopping bags for example. Yes, there was lots of interaction between Keith, Terraskin, and the printer in Canada. Too long a story for here though! :D

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  18. That does sound like a nightmare! Too bad it didn't work out in the long run.

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  19. I loved the birth analogy, Dani. I agree that it was a very challenging birth, but what a beautiful, thriving baby! This special book was certainly worth all the headaches (and heartaches).

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  20. OK, now this is officially interesting to me from the paper angle. I found myself thinking of some of my experiences printing on thick, porous, uncoated stocks (Sundance springs to mind). I'm wondering if the Terraskin falls into the coated or uncoated categories--if it's uncoated, perhaps laying down a clear matte flood varnish first, then doing a second print run with the ink, might help with the color problems. Of course that would drive production costs up.

    Too bad about the binding issues, but hey, you resolved them, right? It seems to me that you gained an enormous amount of information about printing on Terraskin through this experience. It would be a shame to write it off completely (she says as she ducks and runs for the door).

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  21. This is the first I'm hearing of Terraskin, too.

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  22. I'm glad these print books are still "in." E-books are the rage, but for me they'll never replace such books as the Elastic Brain.
    annbest37@yahoo.com

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  23. Yes, all issues were resolved and the book is gorgeous. I'd call it a brilliant end-result on every level. It really did turn into a true work-of-art.

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  24. I think calcium carbonate is in my calcium pill, so it must be very natural!

    Going green with special paper is a great concept.

    Morgan Mandel
    http://morganmandel.blogspot.com

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  25. Ann, there is something special about holding a print book, especially one made with the care of this one.

    I agree, Morgan!

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  26. Cudos to LPP, Terraskin, Keith Anthony, and all those involved in this innovative project. Although there were production issues, you gained an enormous amount of knowledge, and your efforts may spur others on to expand on your ideas. Seems like you all put your own fantastic, elastic brains to good use. The end product, Your Fantastic Elastic Brain, is a gem!

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  27. Thanks, Helen. Your blog is always grand to visit, and this was a nice way to end the week! :)

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  28. The post is a perfect snippet of what we've gone through at LPP to steer the industry onto a more thoughtful production path, and will continue to do so. Thanks, Dani!

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  30. A new paper! What a cool story. I watched a documentary about making paper and veneer, for boats and cars, out of banana trees. At the moment when plantations are thinned the waste is left on the ground. Worldwide, there is a sustainable supply.

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  32. Wow! Sounds like a huge pain in the ass. But it also sounds like a great book. I'll check it out.

    As always, love your blog, Helen! Thanks :)

    Jenn

    Do you have love to share? Love Every Day

    Oh, I almost forgot my email address - mckay_jenn@hotmail.com

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  33. reginamos@gmail.com1/16/2011 8:52 AM

    Dani,
    I love that you are a passionate about getting the word out about living with integrity and respect for the environment.
    Regina

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  34. A very difficult and costly job, but well-worth the results.

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  35. Gosh, I would have thrown in the towel!

    A fascinating post thanks, Helen.

    I adore the name, Little Pickle Press.

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  36. What's the purpose of going tree-free? I guess recycled paper would do, if you wanna save resources.

    (I live in a part of the world where trees are abundant, so maybe that's why I don't get the point her)

    Cold As Heaven

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  37. Very interesting post Helen.

    ......dhole

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  38. Paper that doesn’t kill a tree – how exciting. As a lover of conventional style books over eReaders, I hope the industry can improve this product or come up with another where they are practical to use and don’t cause so many headaches in the printing process.

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  39. I hope so, too, Jane. People are happy that eBooks will not need trees to be cut down, but I'm sure eventually it'll come out that they cause some other bad thing. It would be nice to buy a book that you can hold and know wasn't harmful to the environment - or at least not as harmful as before.

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  40. What an interesting process Dani. This book looks as amazing as the others. I'd love to win them all. I've got grandkids!
    Nancy
    gillael@aol.com
    N. R. Williams, fantasy author

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  41. Wow, I didn't know all that! Fascinating and yikes. Thanks for sharing, Dani :)

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