What You'll Find in Desktop Publishing Success


A different kind of book * Desktop publishing for fun & profit * Too much to know & remember

*So You Want to Be a Desktop Publisher

What is desktop publishing? * A rapidly growing & evolving industry * Windows of opportunity * A mini-inventory for prospective DTPers

*Becoming a Desktop Publisher

What's DTP production work like? * What's the rest of your day going to be like? * Improving your chances for success & satisfaction * What you need to learn * Which software to learn first * Staying on top takes time * How much money can you make in DTP? * You don't have to be a perfect 10

*Starting Your Business

Take yourself & your business seriously * What kind of business plan do you need? * Naming your company * Your home or business office * Location, location, location * Control your business image * Plan to succeed

*Finding Customers

Marketing & selling fundamentals * Finding your first customers * Finding a market niche * DTP's specific selling points * Building up a sample collection * Sample promotional material * Getting samples on your time/on someone else's time

*Staying on Top of the Business

You can't stand still * Being nimble * Don't let a project flatten you * Help is at hand * Meet your tools' creators * Your best help: user groups * Connecting with other desktop publishers

*Assembling Your Toolbox

High or low end? * Evaluating hardware & software * What to get first * PC/Macintosh/other platforms * Your hardware & software starter kit * Compatibility * Retailers, VARs, & mail order * How much will it all cost?

*Assembling Your Toolbox

Getting saved * Backing up * Backup strategies * Rescuing data * Protecting your tools * Remember to protect your health * Don't waste paper

*Working Efficiently

Tracking your time * Steps in preparing a project * Managing large jobs * Be an organized crackerjack * Make life easier for you & your client * Think about workflow * Instructions to clients providing text on disk * Sequence for converting client files * Automate your tasks * Use the right tool for the job * Create a structure, then build on it * Become a style sheet whiz * Sample style sheet for client * Organize your pages for productivity * Anticipate the worst case * Sample editorial style sheet* Some favorite shortcuts

*Subcontracting & Vendors

Choosing employees * Managing & paying subcontractors * Typists, proofreaders, & copy editors * Making friends with your vendors

*Treating Your Clients Right

Treat all your clients like they're most important * Don't juggle in public * Level with your clients * Don't misrepresent your capabilities * Underpromise & overdeliver * Give away information * Help clients visualize the final piece * Clients love pleasant surprises * Clients hate unpleasant surprises * Don't lose steam * Don't lose track of clients after the job * Letting go of a client

*Pricing & Bidding

How much can you make? * First & second year strategies * Some DTPers make much more * How much should you charge? * What can your client afford? * Negotiating * Making the bid * Bid worksheet * Hours & dollars for typical jobs * What if you don't get the job * Mid-course corrections

*Expanding Revenues

Reducing your overhead * Working harder * Raising your rates * Finding a niche * Becoming a consultant, trainer, or specialist * Expanding

*Getting Paid

Work for clients who pay their bills * When to write a contract * Ultimate recourses * Make a smart invoice * Don't spring your bill on the client * When to send your invoice * Collections

*Incorporating & Accounting

Must you incorporate? * Business credit * Legal issues * Who owns what you produce? * Keeping the books * Tax issues * Selling your business

*Looking to the Future

Where will DTPers end up? * A few alternative directions for your worklife * Future software * Supermicrocomputers * The changing art of communications * Impact on institutions & society

*Profiles of Desktop Publishers

Rick Barry * Lynn Walterick * Stephanie Hill * Gan Young Wong * John McWade * David Doty * Michael J. Sullivan * On Far Tse * Roger Parker * Wendy Richmond * Chick Foxgrover * Denis Shedd * Eliott Epstein * Joel Landy * Susan Glinert Stevens * Ron Lockhart * Richard E. Luna * Sandy Mayer * Joel McIntosh * Paul Constantine * Lynn Yost * Lawrence Kaplan * Margaret Styne * Bob Mc Dowell * plus Felix Kramer * Maggie Lovaas
24 successful DTPers from around the country tell what they do, what they like, what they've learned [since their 1990 interviews, some of these folks have gone far!] * The authors tell their stories

*Appendix on Corporate DTP

Why companies make the switch * Planning the change * Checklist for a corporate DTP center * Cost & profit centers * Centralized versus decentralized operations * The physical plant * Making it all work * Who does what * Establishing workflows * Job ticket * Working efficiently in groups * Managing technical operations * Cost tracking * Getting a job at a corporate DTP center

*Appendix on Resources

Books on small business, working at home, marketing & selling * Books on the business of graphics * Books on DTP & graphic design * Magazines, catalogs, & specialized resources * Trade shows & conferences * User groups, trade groups, & professional organizations * Tools, furniture, & supplies * Buying & selling new & used computers

Back to About Desktop Publishing Success & ordering info
Back to Kramer Communications home page
This page (http://www.nlightning.com/dtpstoc.html) was last updated 29 May 1995