Step 1 – Writing

The Art of Writing

Books are what self-publishing is all about. Although some writers have a gift and the talent to write, value can be added to books by understanding and applying the finer art of writing. A number of workshops are available for various writing courses and tips:

Setup

The book will probably be written in Microsoft Word which will make editing and proofreading easier. The following is a basic guideline for the sequence of the information in the book. The self-publisher can still decide to do it their own way. Uneven page numbers are always on the right-hand page of the open book (spread).

Half Title Page/Reviews and Series Title Page

Optional beforehand.

Page One – Title Page

The title of the book and author’s name appears here.

Page Two – General Information

The word “Copyright” and/or the copyright symbol “©”, accompanied by the publisher’s address and contact details appear here. This confirms that the copyright of the book is the property of the author.
Thereafter the ISBN, date (month and year) of the first print and the date of any reprint appears. (Groep 7 can register the ISBN number on behalf of authors and the cost is R200.)
It is a good idea to acknowledge who did the editing, translation, typographic layout and cover design. In the case of photos, sketches or pictures; the relevant copyright information (where it was taken/sketched and by whom or where it was purchased).
Lastly the printer’s name and address is added.

The following is an example that may be used to describe copyright:

“All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.”

Important: Please be informed on the copyright & permissions guidelines for use of text from South African Language Bibles as well as any other publication or photos. For more information email copyright@biblesociety.co.za.

Basic guideline: The BIBLE text of the Afrikaans, Northern Sotho, Southern Sotho, Tswana, Southern Ndebele, Swati, Xhosa, Zulu, Tsonga and Venda Bibles and New Testaments may be quoted in any form (written, visual, electronic or audio) up to and inclusive of five hundred (500)* verses without written permission, providing the verses quoted do not amount to 50%* of a complete book of the Bible nor do the verses account for 25%* or more of the total text of the work in which they are quoted. This permission is contingent upon an appropriate copyright acknowledgment.

*Specifications may differ between the different versions.

Groep 7 can do the registration of an ISBN on behalf of the author. Poetry book and books for the limited market do not need an ISBN but you can send your request to marietjie.debeer@nlsa.ac.za to apply yourself.

Page Three – Dedication (open on reverse side)

Special information is printed on this page, e.g. if the book is dedicated to a person who provided the inspiration that led to the writing of the book.

Page Four – Contents

A table of contents is normally only used in non-fiction works that have sections and chapters. A contents page is less common in works of fiction but may be used if your work includes unique chapter titles. It is never used if your chapters are only numbered.

Acknowledgement

This page is used to acknowledge anyone who helped, contributed, motivated and/or supported you in the process of writing your book.

Foreword and/or Introduction

The foreword or introduction may be written to give background information on how this book came to be published and to explain more about the book.

The foreword can also be a piece written by another person (usually well known) who has already read your book.

Body of Book – Chapters

The body of the book follows the Foreword, Introduction etc. and the first chapter will usually appear on the right-hand page, which is an uneven page number.

Last pages

Reviews, Book List (optional beforehand), Bibliography, Author’s Profile, Index and Addendum.