How Core brought VBK Uitgevers costs savings of over 50%
"CORE more than fulfilled the expectations of saving over 50% on our typesetting costs!"
š VBK Head of Purchasing and Implementation Manager, Marte Kersten, Luitingh-Sijthoļ¬
What does VBK Uitgevers do?
VBK Uitgevers consists of various fiction and non-fiction publishers. The company represents around 7,500 authors and is the leader on the general book market. Neat!
Marte Kersten, VBK Head of Purchasing and Implementation Manager at Luitingh-Sijthoļ¬, explains how he pools the forces of the various publishing houses to make books and ePubs faster and more cheaply. It all started with the introduction of Core...
Core brings down typesetting costs for VBK Uitgevers
āAt VKB, we are aware of new techniques. The aim is to work more efficiently and save money. By taking advantage of the volume that we have as a group, we were able to make substantial savingsā, Marte explains.
The VBK Uitgevers team was now looking for a solution that would bring down the typesetting costs, without compromising on the quality of the books. That sounds like Core to us. So we implemented Core in their processes in 2018.
Curious about our total solution for novels and thrillers?
Core is two for the price of one
Core combines the best of both worlds:
- Part of the process is automatic and this means that your books can be made faster and more cheaply.
- But thereās more to it than that. The ePub is available almost simultaneously and because everything is in the cloud, VBK Uitgevers has constant access to all the files. This includes not only the PDF and ePub, but also the open files.
A Core advantage? Because the book is constantly monitored by a Crius Group designer, the graphic content is perfect. Great!
Standardisation, but within certain limits
Core uses patterns, resulting in standardisation. Itās as easy as that. Aspects such as formats and fonts are laid down in special templates.
āWe opt for clear, recognisable products, but when the templates were developed we made sure that there is enough leeway to meet the wishes of the editor, the publisher and the authorā, Marte explains. In fact, with Core we put the templates together with you. So you have your say, too.
The result of Core at VBK Uitgevers
Core was rolled out at most of the VBK publishers and it works really well. The costs are lower and the quality of the books is excellent. In addition, it is worth pointing out that they make far fewer prints at VBK Uitgevers because the proofs are digitalised. So itās great for the ecological footprint, too!
How the staff reacted
āUsing Core called for adjustments by our staff. For starters, manuscripts have to be supplied in a coded format. Itās not very complicated, but it has to be doneā Marte says.
In addition, corrections are made directly in the typeset file using InCopy. That was a significant change for the editors and proofreaders who were used to working on paper.
āFortunately everyone realised that the adjustments were outweighed by the many advantages that Core has to offer.ā
Training provided by Crius Group
āThe editors were well supported by Crius Group with a training course and now they are totally at home in the system. And if any issues do come up, the Crius Group staff are ready to help us out right away.ā
About VBK
VBK is an enterprising and innovative group of fiction and non-fiction publishers. Together they are the market leader in the general book market. From literature to children's books and from philosophy to food.
Do you recognise this story and would you like to benefit from Core as a total solution, too?
Our Sales Director Marcel Van Denken would be pleased to come along and see you. ā
Contact Marcel or call us on +32 (0)15 750 750