How do you make a book?
If you want to make a book you first have to make drafts and in order to improve your
story every time. Secondly, you have to do research and check if you have your facts
straight. It might take many weeks or even months to get your story just right. After that
you have to type your story into a manuscript. When you’re finished with your manuscript you
send it to the editor at the publishing house. Editors are very busy. They sort through a lot
of stories and choose which stories should be published. The editor also decides who should
illustrate the manuscript. The illustrator chooses how big the pages are, plans out the
pages, and then makes a dummy book. The editor might make a couple changes. The designer
makes suggestions about the art, and if everyone agrees on how the book looks, it goes to
copy editing. The artist finishes up the pictures. The pages must be measured exactly so the
art can be in the right place. The artist makes marks where the pages are going to be sewn up
and makes trim lines where the pages are going to be cut. The lines need to be straight and
need to have space for the text. The artist delivers the art to the editor at the publishing
house. The editor checks the art for mistakes. The production director predicts how much it
will cost to publish the book, determines the printing schedule for the book and orders the
paper. The designer makes mechanicals to show exactly how the text and art will be placed.
Color proofs are made. Everyone checks if the colors match the illustrations. Printing
plates are made. Printing plates are used to transfer an image from the book to the paper.
The plates may be made of metal, plastic rubber paper or other materials. The plates will
be used to print the pages. Unlike making the story, creating the pictures and all of that,
printing only takes one day. The plates will go on four cylinders, and each cylinder has
its own color. The colors are yellow, blue, red, and black. The book comes out as one big
sheet of paper. After the sheets are done they fold and cut the sheets on the trim line.
After when the sheets/pages are cut the pages will be bound in the book. Then the books go
to the book warehouse until they are sold to libraries and bookstores around the world.
That’s how you make a book.

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