To Recto of Not to Recto

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Should every chapter of a book start on a recto page, even if that means leaving some facing pages blank? Like so many questions in book design and publishing, the answer is a firm…it depends.

First, I should make sure that everyone understands what a recto page is. It’s really just book shorthand for a right-hand page, a page that should have an odd page number (1, 3, 5, etc.).

What’s the opposite of a recto? That would be the verso (the left-hand pages with even page numbers).

Example of recto and verso pages

Now, back to the question of whether each chapter should begin on a recto page even if that creates a blank facing (verso) page.

FICTION
For most fiction, particularly genre fiction (romance, scifi, mystery, etc.), there is really no compelling reason to force every chapter to start on a recto page with the resultant increase in page count. This is most significant if the book consists of many short chapters, as short chapters tend to produce more blank pages than longer ones.

However, many of our clients just prefer the “feel” of having all chapters start recto. And that’s fine. Personally, I don’t like adding a lot of blank pages for some ill-defined esthetics. But, like I said, that’s personal.

There is an exception. If each chapter includes a different graphic that relates specifically to the upcoming chapter, the extra break in the flow combined with that graphic might serve a valuable purpose. On a related note, if each chapter actually starts with a two-page graphic spread at the top (or a full-page graphic preceding the actual start of the chapter’s text), you really need to force the text to start on a recto or the graphic loses its connection to the chapter.

NONFICTION
For nonfiction, we can make a more compelling argument for starting every chapter on a recto page since the chapters are often almost standalone chunks of material. As a result, a more pronounced break in the flow of the book’s text could be warranted.

Even with nonfiction, however, we might create a design that works just fine without the forced-recto solution, just letting each chapter start on the next available page, recto or verso. Again, this may come down to little more than personal preference, either of the designer or the author or publisher.

For my book Rough War I had the option of forcing each chapter to start on a recto without leaving blank pages. I had so many photos I wanted to include that it was easy to add them between chapters and format them so as not to leave any blank pages.

A THIRD OPTION
We might consider one other possibility: what if we just drop down a few lines at the end of a chapter and start the next chapter wherever that leads us?

Perhaps you’ve never seen this used. Not surprising, since in my experience this is used rarely and then mostly in old books (when paper was an expensive commodity) or in a few high-falutin’ books in what is called literary fiction. It does seem rather arcane when you encounter it, but that just might be a reason to use it in a unique novel.

ONE FINAL NOTE
If your book is divided into several parts with numerous chapters within each part, each part should be carefully designed to reinforce the idea that this division truly starts something new or different (time, place, viewpoint, subject, etc.). That’s why each part should start on a recto with its verso left blank. The first chapter, like the very first chapter of a book without parts, should then start on a recto.

This still leaves you with the decision of whether the other chapters should be forced to a recto or allowed to start on whichever side of the page comes next.

As I said at the top of the post, whether you start every chapter on a recto is a design decision and the correct answer is “it depends.”

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What Is Front Matter?

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bookmaking You might think that’s a dumb question. Front matter is just that stuff that comes before the main part of the book. However, while some books might have only a few pages of front matter, others might have 15 or 20 pages…or possibly more.

Marshall Lee, in his excellent book Bookmaking (no, this has nothing to do with taking bets), provides this definition of front matter:

The frontmatter [sic] is the entrance to the book and so it should be revealing and interesting. It should invite readers and give them confidence that the book will be esthetically and practically satisfying.

The Chicago Manual of Style (after noting that front matter is sometimes referred to as preliminary matter) says:

The front matter presents information about a book’s title, publisher, and copyright; it acknowledges debts to the work of others; it provides a way to navigate the structure of the book; and it introduces the book and sets its tone.

Both of those references place a considerable responsibility on the shoulders of your front matter. Realistically, if your book is a novel you might need no more than a title page and a copyright page (and maybe a page for the dedication).

If your book is nonfiction, particularly if a reference quality work that represents the culmination of a lot of research and cooperation of others, you may find you need much more to help set the stage for the main text.

Again, the Chicago Manual of Style provides this exhaustive (and possibly exhausting) list of potential sections that could be included in your front matter, listed in the usual order of appearance:

  1. *Half Title
  2. Series Title, Frontispiece, or blank
  3. *Title Page
  4. Copyright Page
  5. *Dedication
  6. Epigraph
  7. *(Table of) Contents
  8. (List of) Illustrations
  9. (List of) Tables
  10. *Foreword
  11. *Preface
  12. *Acknowledgments (if not included in the preface or placed in the back matter)
  13. *Introduction (if not placed in the main text)
  14. Abbreviations (if not placed in the back matter)
  15. *Chronology (if not placed in the back matter)

* These items should start on a right-hand (recto) page.

For this post, let’s consider the first six items on this list. I’ll discuss the others in subsequent posts.

1. Half Title: A page with nothing on it except the book’s title (not its subtitle or author’s name). Its use originated back when books were usually sold “naked” (i.e., unbound so the buyer could have a custom binding) to make it easy to identify the book without leaving the main title page exposed to wear and tear. Why keep it now that books are sold fully clothed? Tradition, I suppose.

But we often include the half title for more pragmatic reasons. In subsequent printings, we often have published reviews not available for the first printing. We can then delete the half title page and use that page (and its back, or verso) to print the best reviews without affecting the book’s page count (and, thus, the spine width).

2. Frontispiece: Sometimes, it is appropriate to include a frontispiece or just to extend the title page itself across a two-page spread. Rather than leave the front (or recto) of the left-hand portion of that spread blank, it seems more complete to use it for a half-title page. Sometimes, we list previous books by the author on this page, which faces the title page.

3. Title Page: As just noted, this can extend (left) to the verso of the half-title. Even if it does not, it is sometimes appropriate to include some form of illustration on the title page. In any case, the title page should include (as a minimum) the full title, subtitle (if there is one), name(s) of the author(s); and the name and location of the publisher. This is also where you will see the names of translator(s) and, for compilations, editor(s). The publisher’s logo may also appear. Although the year of publication can be included, we rarely do as subsequent editions might then have a year that conflicts with the basic copyright year on the copyright page.

4. Copyright Page: Everybody knows that the verso of the title page is where you put your copyright notice in hopes of dissuading people from infringing your rights to control your work. But other important data should be included: copyright year and year of publication (including any publishing history); publisher’s name and contact information (some or all of address, phone, email, and website); country of printing; ISBN (and LCCN if you have one); and permissions, credits, and acknowledgment of any grants. If you have Cataloging-in-Publication data (either from the Library of Congress or a third party such as Five Rainbows Services), it should appear on this page (if so, you really don’t need to list the ISBN or LCCN separately as they are part of the CIP data).

5. Dedication: This should be on the next recto page following the copyright page. It should be short, as lengthy dedications should be probably be incorporated into an acknowledgments page. There is no need to include a “Dedication” heading and rarely even a lead-in statement like “Dedicated to….” It’s generally better to just start with “To…” or “For….” The verso of the dedication page is left blank.

6. Epigraph: An epigraph is a relevant quotation intended to suggest the theme of the book. Sometimes, an author includes epigraphs at the start of each part/section or even each chapter. A book-level epigraph should be placed on a recto page following the dedication. All epigraphs should include an attribution. One word of caution: be careful that you are not guilty of copyright infringement with your epigraphs. If your quotation is from something published prior to 1923 or is short and taken from a book, you are probably OK under the fair use doctrine (although the definition of “short” is often only validated through court action). The potential for infringement and lawsuit is greatest when dealing with short poems and, especially, song lyrics. In those cases, you really should either acquire permission first or consult an qualified intellectual property attorney. As Dirty Harry might have asked, “Do you feel lucky, Joe Author?”

Many people give very little consideration to a book’s front matter, but a professional book designer should discuss what you want to include to ensure you’ve thought it through.

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The Benefits of Premium PCIP Data

After doing some research, you’ve decided to get PCIP data for your book. You know that publisher’s cataloging-in-publication data (PCIP) is an inexpensive addition that will add value to your book by making it easier and faster for librarians to catalog your book. It’ll get out on library shelves—and in front of more readers—faster. Most PCIP vendors offer just one type of PCIP data. You get a basic block (click here to see an example).

This basic block is PCIP data, so that’s all you get from most vendors. Besides, this is all the Library of Congress does—right?

Well, herein lies the secret. When the Library of Congress catalogs a book for their cataloging-in-publication (CIP) program, they do more than create a basic block of CIP data. They also upload each book’s information to WorldCat, the largest library catalog in the world. Only a few PCIP vendors are authorized to upload to WorldCat—and Five Rainbows is one of them.

But we do more than upload your PCIP data to WorldCat. We give you the chance to take full advantage of what WorldCat can do. Through our Premium, Premium Plus, and Premium Gold PCIP packages, we provide you with a variety of choices for your WorldCat records:

  1. Get a single, combined record for print and e-book formats OR get two separate records, one for print and one for e-book.
  2. Update your book’s WorldCat record after publication.
  3. Include additional information not found in PCIP data, such as
    • list price,
    • headings for fiction genres,
    • full series information
    • types of illustrations present in the book,
    • the primary type of content (dictionary, legal cases, etc.),
    • a brief summary, and
    • URLs to sites where the e-book version may be purchased.

Our prices for Premium PCIP data start as low as $79. For this price, you get both a PCIP data block and a MARC record that we upload to WorldCat. MARC records are files specially formatted for computers to read. MARC records can contain far more information than PCIP data. Our order forms for Premium PCIP Data contain about twice as many fields as the form for our Basic PCIP Data. For just a little more money, you get twice the benefit.

Why not give our Premium PCIP services a try?

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Lisa A. Shiel is the cataloging specialist for Five Rainbows Services for Authors & Publishers. She has a master’s degree in library science and previously worked in both public and corporate libraries. She’s also the author of numerous books, both fiction and nonfiction.

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WorldCat: What You See Isn’t All You Get

In 2012, Five Rainbows expanded its cataloging services to include a suite of both pre-and post-publication options, from standard PCIP data to MARC records for WorldCat. Before, we offered just two PCIP options—basic and expedited. Today, we offer Basic PCIP data as well as three levels of Premium PCIP data, plus the optional expedited service. All three of our Premium PCIP services come with MARC records. We also now offer MARC records for books that have already been published.

What is a MARC record? Essentially, it’s an electronic file specially formatted for library computer systems. MARC records are designed for computers, not people, to read. For a more detailed explanation of MARC records, visit our MARC cataloging page.

What are MARC records for? The answer is twofold: 1) librarians can download the records into their institution’s catalog, and 2) authorized vendors can upload the records to WorldCat, the largest library catalog in the world. Most of our clients opt to purchase MARC records from us because they want to get their books into WorldCat. But this raises another question.

How much of your book’s cataloging data makes it into WorldCat?

raw-marcWhen you order MARC records from Five Rainbows, whether separately or as part of a PCIP package, you must fill out a form that asks for all the information we need to create your MARC record. The form is necessarily lengthy, with nearly 50 required and optional fields, because a MARC record includes a great deal of information about a book. Much of the information is coded as strings of numbers and letters all squished onto a single line in the MARC record, so that the file looks like gobbledygook to most people (see the image on the left, showing a raw MARC record). Now take a look at a WorldCat record for a book published by our sister company, Jacobsville Books, and written by me (click the link below):

http://www.worldcat.org/title/revenge-of-the-ancient-ones/oclc/818361522

How many fields do we see on the WorldCat page? Let’s count them:

  1. Title
  2. Author/Illustrator
  3. Publisher
  4. Edition/Format
  5. Subjects (on the top right and at the bottom)
  6. Genre/form
  7. Material type (literary form)
  8. Document type (book or Internet resource/computer file—i.e., e-book)
  9. ISBN (the first 13 digits are the print ISBN; the next set of numbers is the 10-digit version of the ISBN)
  10. Notes (here, it’s about the series to which the book belongs)
  11. Description (physical description, not a summary of the book’s contents)

So we have 11 fields on the WorldCat page (some of the fields are repeated, like the subject headings and author/illustrator information; I’m counting each of those just once). The number of visible fields may vary slightly based on how much data was included in the MARC record, but the final count will be close to the 11 seen here. From the four dozen or so fields in the Five Rainbows MARC order form, we end up with just 11 displayed in WorldCat. Naturally, this raises an important question.

Why pay for a complicated MARC record when only 11 fields show up in WorldCat?

The answer is simple—because all that data is there in WorldCat, even though you can’t see it. We catalog your book and create your MARC record, but we can’t control how WorldCat displays that data. You can, however, rest assured that the data you can’t see is still there and, most importantly, it is fully searchable.

When I queried our OCLC rep (OCLC runs WorldCat) to ask how much of the MARC data is included in WorldCat, the answer was “just about everything.” Yet when you look at a WorldCat page, only 11 fields are visible. They’re kind of like your book’s skeleton—unseen from the outside, but they can be detected with an x-ray. The WorldCat version of an x-ray is the Expert Search feature.

This is different than the Advanced Search feature you’ll see on the WorldCat home page, right under the search box. The Expert Search offers a far wider range of options. The information about the Expert Search is available not on the WorldCat site, but on OCLC’s corporate site, in a document called “Index labels and examples of an expert search in WorldCat.org and WorldCat Local.” Index labels are simply two-character codes that tell the WorldCat search engine what field to search inside; for example, the index label “bn” searches the ISBN field.

Here are some of the index labels and their corresponding MARC fields, in alphabetical order by index label:

  • au = author
  • bn OR isbn = ISBN (with or without hyphens)
  • dd = Dewey Decimal call number
  • ge = form/genre headings
  • hl = subject headings
  • lc = Library of Congress call number
  • nt = notes
  • pb = publisher
  • se = series title
  • ti = title
  • yr = publication year

Although the general notes fields are searchable, you may not find your specific book by searching for terms found in the notes field. Other books may include similar words in their notes fields, which can lead to long list of search results with your book somewhere in there. But this does mean that when a WorldCat user searches the notes field for a term, such as “human origins,” if your book includes that term in its notes field then it will appear in the search results. The series note field, searchable using the “se” index label, often provides better results if you want to find your specific book.

The point is that nearly all the fields included in your MARC record are searchable on WorldCat. Users don’t have to know how to use the Expert Search feature in order to access these hidden fields. Typing keywords into the basic or advanced search boxes will comb through all the information available in the MARC records uploaded to WorldCat. It’s a lot like searching for books on Amazon. Type in a key phrase and out pop books relevant to your search.

For example, type in “human origins series shiel” and you’ll get a list of my novels. The search results also include books by other authors that, somewhere in their MARC data, include similar words. On the left-hand side of the page, the search can be narrowed by author name, with mine at the top of the list. The MARC data is there, even though much of it is invisible.

With WorldCat, what you see isn’t all you get.

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Lisa A. Shiel is the cataloging specialist for Five Rainbows Services for Authors & Publishers. She has a master’s degree in library science and previously worked in both public and corporate libraries. She’s also the author of numerous books, both fiction and nonfiction.

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Beware of Random House

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Thinking of submitting your ebooks to one of then ebook publishing imprints of that mega-publisher Random House. You’d better read this blog post by John Scalzi (yeah, that John Scalzi) in which he slices, dices, and dissects a horrendous contract from Alibi, one of those RH imprints:

A Contract From Alibi

Parody of a Bad Publishing Contract I suppose if your authorial goals include trying to make as much money as possible for somebody else, this contact might be a good way to go. Otherwise, I agree with Scalzi that you’d have to be a fool to sign it.

One point in his post to which I would add a caution is his insistence than any agent would run away screaming from this contract. Maybe, but given the questionable tactics stemming from the ranks of agents these days, I wouldn’t bet on it. Of course, the agent might try to steer you to their own Just Formed You’re Gonna Love This e-publishing operation so they can set about screwing you out of money directly with that pesky Random House middleman. That’s not to say there are not good agents out there, you just have to be at least as cautious when signing with an agent as when signing a book publishing contract. I think I’d rather spend some money to have a qualified publishing attorney negotiated a contract, paying him or her only once upfront rather than giving away a slice of the profits forever.

Another thing to keep in mind is that covering 98% of the ebook market is easy and, even if you hire somebody to take care of setting up accounts and uploading the files and metadata, cheap. If you want to cover that 98% (that’s just my own best estimate, by the way, although based on years of experience in the ebook marketplace and published figures from others), you only need four account:

  1. Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing
  2. Barnes & Noble PubIt
  3. Kobo Books Writing Life
  4. Apple iBookstore

Options 1-3 above can be done from any computer, PC or Mac, and the process of setting up an account is generally easy. It takes a bit of your time, that’s all. If you already have an Amazon or B&N or Kobo Books customer retail account, it’s even quicker.

Option 4, Apple iBookstore, is a bit more time-consuming and aggravating just to set up an account on iTunes Connect (the portal for the iBookstore), but again you can do from any computer. You must already have an Apple iTunes account (which can be set up here) that you’ve authorized by credit card purchases on the iTunes Store (which you can do via the iTunes software once you’re downloaded and installed it). There two caveats to note:

  • The actual file and metadata upload must be done using Apple’s iTunes Producer software, which only runs on a Mac. At Five Rainbows Services and Jacobsville Books, we purchased a Mac a year ago for the express purpose of handling this part of the process for out own and clients’ books (otherwise, we would never own a Mac for anything…but that’s a rant for another day).
  • Your ebook file must be a validated ePub that also meets Apple’s own unique requirements, which means you may or may not be able to use the same ePub file as the one you planned to upload to B&N or Kobo. Oh, and unlike Amazon, B&N and Kobo, you cannot upload an MS Word file to Apple since they do not do any conversions. I don’t recommend using the MS Word upload option for any of the sites, although it can work OK for an all-test book with no special formatting and, if you keep your fingers crossed and say the proper incantation, it might work with more complex books. In any case, an ebook prepared by a professional who guarantees their work is certain to look better and work well on all platforms.

Once you’ve set up these accounts and authorized direct deposit to a bank account, payments are automatic and consistent. You can log in anytime you want and view your sales to date as well as the monthly sales reports to see how much you will be paid for that month’s sales. But the actual deposits of those payments occur like clockwork from these reliable businesses with no effort on your part at all.

Of course, if you don’t want to waste your valuable time, time which could be spent writing your next book, you can get somebody to handle all that for you. In fact – you knew this was coming, right? – we at Five Rainbows Services have a cafeteria-style selection of specific services that you can order, one by one (just the ones you want or need), to get your accounts set up and your already-prepared files and metadata uploaded. And we won’t take a percentage of each sale, just one low, upfront fee to cover out time.

Just visit our Concierge Services page to add them to your shopping cart.

You could also sign a contract with an ebook aggregator company, and they would set your ebook up and all possible retail sites (if you’re anal about wanting that last 2%), but they either charge significant upfront fees or per-sales commissions or require you to use their other services. You will then get a consolidated monthly payment report, but you then have to trust two companies to provide accurate reports, and consolidated payments either by check or direct deposit. There is usually an extra delay in payments, in addition to the 1-3 month standard (it varies depending on the retailer) delay from sales month to money in your bank.

You do have that option, we at Jacobsville Books (and most of our Five Rainbows clients) find it easy to manage the four different accounts for our two dozen ebook titles, and it takes very little extra time.

I just can’t see much (if any) advantage to signing with an ebook publisher when handling it yourself is so easy. But the choice is yours!

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