Typesetting Services at Lafayette & Greene
The vast majority of publications today are produced through digital typesetting that utilizes some type of specialized software. A typesetter takes the author’s finished manuscript and formats the text and/or illustrations according to a specific design in order to produce the proper files for the printing process or epub conversion. Many critical decisions are involved in this formatting process. Structurally, the size of the 
publication is determined here along with the amount of space on the page around the text. These considerations are directly related to the final page count, which determines the look of the work produced. A large-sized book with relatively fewer pages so that it is thin is typically less appropriate for a work of contemporary fiction, and will affect how the final price is perceived for the publication. Importantly as well, the size and page count are the most significant factors in the printing cost, which also determine the final price.
Decisions that affect both the look of the work, as well as its overall length, include the font size, line spacing, running headers, page number location, chapter title font and position, justification style, paragraph indents, etc. The front matter and if there is a table of contents must also be formatted properly. More aesthetic concerns include if glyphs are used, does the first word of a chapter use a special first letter, are sidebars or pull-outs used, among many other choices. Special formatting is required to produce epubs and for submitting ready-for-submit files to printers.
Most publishers will take care of all typesetting tasks in-house, and most will make each of the decisions without consultation with the author. An author who self-publishes and chooses to take care of every aspect of the process will certainly have full control over these decisions, but faces the daunting task of mastering the appropriate software and the expense of obtaining each of them. This is why many authors decide to outsource typesetting. Other providers will typeset your work for printing such as CreateSpace, Lulu and Author House; however, you are extremely limited to a few formats and afterwards you will be locked into publishing with these companies. If your end goal is one of the self-publishing companies, then perhaps this is the path to take. Alternatively, outsourcing is a better route if the objective is to maintain flexibility and keep your options open for publishing. We at Lafayette & Greene offer professional typesetting services and provide the client with input into the decision process. Contact us about obtaining an estimate for typesetting your work.