Gessert Books: Book Layout and Ebook Formatting

[Gessert Books]

I'm Phillip Gessert; and I'm a book designer, typesetter and print/ebook formatter in Madison, WI. I've been a graphic designer for over ten years, I began building books full time in 2011, and am especially passionate about page typography. I pride myself on building books to a high standard of quality, both aesthetically and functionally.

I was a member of Kboards for around three years, but I wanted to take a moment to re-introduce myself and describe my service.

I provide fully validated ePub and MOBI files, suitable for publishing on the Kindle Store and other retailers. All ebooks are created using hand-coded HTML & CSS, and take the unique considerations for different devices into account. The books are built to be flexible and render predictably across a range of e-readers. And I use traditional and classical typographical principles to give the books an appealing look.

I also provide PDF files suitable for print. I'm happy to build to Createspace or Ingram specifications, or simply build to industry-standard print-readiness. I use my pre-press experience to preflight and prepare PDF files that most any print service provider would be delighted to receive.

I have a website with lots of details about my service. It also includes a number of testimonials like these:

Phillip and I have worked together for a few years now and with each project he has devoted himself to the task and will not quit until the job is done to satisfaction. Very personable and detailed-oriented, I recommend him highly!

Phillip is the miracle worker every author dreams of when it comes to creativity, patience, understanding and collaboration, efficiency and delivery on a book design. He has full command of the design process and is one of the most reliable professionals I’ve worked with. His passion for his work and superhuman turn around time make him an even more exceptional designer. It has been a great experience and delight to have Phillip design my book Desert Mojito, and I look forward to working with him again and again.

You can check out my site here: gessertbooks.com

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Why Choose Me?
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I pride myself in finding high-quality, low cost solutions to common design problems. I aim to find a good nexus between quality and cost. This means I am not the cheapest book designer, but I do deliver bang for your buck.

I do not treat your book as a rote technical task. I am a designer, first and foremost, and strive to create tasteful and elegant designs.

I've created a survey to help me identify any issues with the site. If you choose to check out my website, and have any feedback that might help me make it better, please consider filling out this survey: http://goo.gl/forms/pr524gyAvY

A while back, I worked a design for Frankenstein. If you'd like a hands-on look at my work, you can download it on this page (download links are at bottom):
http://www.gessertbooks.com/2015/10/14/botanical-frankenstein.html

And if you'd like to use my service, you can contact me here or by email. I hope to work with you!

[Gessert Books]

Hello all! A bit of personal news, and a formatting special offer. I've crossposted this to my service thread back on kboards, so apologies to folks that might have seen it twice as a result:

In late August, my mother began showing signs of severe memory loss and cognitive impairment. I flew across the country to hospitalize her, and was told that she can no longer live on her own--so I got her all packed up and drove her back across the country to live with me. She is now safe and feels relatively calm given the disruption to her life (her condition is unfortunately irreversible).

Very sorry for the personal info, I'm mainly offering it up to help explain a special I am offering. While all this was going on, I did not feel comfortable accepting new projects (and withdrew from a few that I had accepted just before this happened). So my schedule is fairly open at the moment, and I'd like to offer my services at a discount to help cover some medical and travel expenses.

I can format the next ten fiction projects for $150 each. That goes for a manuscript at any length, and includes print and ebook formats. There will be no sacrifice in work quality, and for most books the turn time will be 5 days from receipt of deposit and manuscript.

I have been formatting full-time for most of my career, and have helped many kboarders. I am also a top-rated formatter on Reedsy (and I can extend this offer to you there too, if you are more comfortable working through that platform).

I hope to help with your next project! Thanks to all for reading and considering this offer.

[Jeff Tanyard]

Sorry to hear about your mother, Phillip.  Best wishes, man.   

On a more positive note, I'd just like to say that you do gorgeous work.  If I ever decide to outsource my formatting, your name will be on the short list.   

[Gessert Books]

Thanks, Jeff! Every day I learn a little more about how the mind works. She's teaching me a lot. Would love to work with you sometime!