Begin with the reader, not the paper.
A print estimate is only as useful as the decisions behind it. “A paperback book” could describe a pocket-sized collection of poems or a heavily illustrated guide. They ask different things of the page, the binding, and the budget.
Before discussing materials, write a short description of the reader and the reading experience. Will the book travel in a bag, lie open on a desk, or sit on a reference shelf? Will people read continuously or move between short sections? Those answers help explain the physical choices that follow.
A good brief does not need to solve every production question. It needs to separate decisions already made from decisions that need discussion.
Describe the edition you mean.
Give the project a working title and identify its present stage. A completed, edited manuscript is different from a collection of draft chapters. An illustrated book also needs an image inventory: what exists, what is still being commissioned, and who controls the reproduction rights.
Then record the practical information a production conversation needs. Use a range when a number is genuinely unsettled, and label assumptions clearly.
- Reader and purpose: who will use the book, and why?
- Format: a preferred trim size, orientation, and binding, or examples that describe the intended experience.
- Extent: approximate word count, page count if designed, and the number and kind of images.
- Color and paper: monochrome or color content, image reproduction needs, and any paper preferences.
- Quantity: the first-run requirement and what evidence supports it.
- Files and proofs: who supplies final files, checks them, and approves production.
- Destinations and dates: where copies need to arrive, in what quantities, and by when.
Work backward from the delivery date.
The date a reader needs a book is not the date it should leave the printer. Allow for editorial review, design, corrections, proofing, manufacturing, shipping, and the final handoff. Ask each production partner to confirm their part of the schedule.
List the immovable date, such as an exhibition opening, separately from preferred milestones. A schedule built around an event needs a contingency discussion before the files are finished. If the timetable is tight, the format or production route may need to change.
Make proof approval someone’s job.
A proof is a decision point. Agree who checks the text, page order, images, cover, spine, and identifying information. Someone also needs authority to gather corrections and sign off on the complete edition.
Printer marks and bleed are technical settings that depend on the printer’s specification. Adobe’s guidance explains their purpose, but your production partner’s current file requirements should determine the export. Ask before assuming a familiar preset is suitable.
Finish the brief with a short list of open questions. A useful publishing conversation turns those questions into decisions and records who is responsible for each one.