MotoGP Technology
Project details
TITLE: MotoGP Technology
CLIENT: Phoebus Apollo Publishing
AUTHOR: Neil Spalding
SPEC: 304-page, cloth bound book with Wibalin endpapers, foil-blocked spine, head & tail bands and dust jacket
The client says
“Writing and publishing your own book isn’t for the faint hearted; deciding as I did to try and make one’s debut as a publisher with a fully illustrated 304-page technical book covering one of the worlds most popular motorsports meant I needed some really high quality help and assistance.
“Damion came on board early on. He did his homework and quickly understood what we were aiming to achieve. A simple methodology was put in place that we could follow to simplify the workflow. Going from a load of completed words and picture selections to a digital file ready for the printers took nearly three months of hard work. Damion maintained a quiet confidence and provided reassurance and positive support throughout; he made the job enjoyable. It helps that he has the patience of a saint.
“In addition to his book layout, design and graphic skills Damion went out of his way to liaise with the print company to ensure everything was correctly specified prior to printing. I now have an excellent book that is receiving plaudits and selling well.”
—Neil Spalding
Project Notes
There were two key hurdles to overcome with Neil’s foray into publishing:
- how to convey tricky concepts to the reader about the technology underpinning the world’s most exciting motor sport and
- how best to collaborate from a practical standpoint to produce a book from scratch, when designer and author were 300 miles apart
We talked regularly and exchanged scanned sketches in order to get the basics right. I then turned those sketches into effective diagrams and illustrations with the author’s continual input.
I set the author up with the means to edit my page layouts directly and provided support and guidance throughout. He didn’t have to send me fresh Word documents each time he wanted to change the text; he didn’t have to mark up PDFs with hundreds of notes and he didn’t run the risk of losing track of changes.
This approach drastically cut overall production time thereby saving the author a lot of money, reduced the potential for errors and involved the author in a truly collaborative process. The net result is a product of which we are both proud.
Could this approach work for your book project? Please contact me here and let’s talk it through.