What do I need to do for sales?

At the onset of the project, we will ask you for basic information such as numbers of beds, numbers of admissions, and catchment area, to help us position your directory.

We also need a letter from the hospital, on hospital letterhead and signed by an authorized individual, for our sales professionals to use when soliciting advertising for your directory. Essentially it is a letter that endorses our activity, and helps introduce the new directory to the community. It will target businesses and professionals, and should include the following: that this is a new initiative, that it will benefit patients and their families, and that the hospital values the directory and the community advertising.  The letter is most effective when you outline for the advertiser to whom and how the directory will be circulated, ie. give information on numbers of patients, and on method of distribution.

What is my hospital content?

Your hospital content is simply the information about your hospital that you would like your patients to know; it forms the content of the directory. It is yours to write and organize.  Typically you will have seen samples of our work, and we encourage you to use those sample directories as a departure point in creating your own. Each hospital/healthcare organization has its own identity, and your directory should and will reflect that.

What are my deadlines?

We need to receive your content at least 12 - 16 weeks prior to the targeted publication date. Advance time depends on your publication circulation numbers, ie. higher numbers of copies require more time in production.
We will send you a proposed timeframes schedule, or otherwise agree to a deadline for receipt of your content, and we will contact you in advance of your deadline to remind you that it is coming due.

Give yourself enough time. Your information should be nearly print-ready when we receive it. We want to avoid a scenario where the layout proof, once designed, continues through many revisions due to text editing which would have been better handled at the word processing level. It is important, therefore, that any hospital decision-makers, who may want or need to wordsmith, review the original content and approve it BEFORE you send it to us.  Ideally, your content will then be signed off after 1 – 2 reviews.

How many pages of text do I provide?

Standard hospital agreements are for a maximum of 20 pages, single-sided and double-spaced. Generally speaking this will translate to the same number of pages laid out. This is influenced by use of icons as well as by number of headings, and of course, by font type and size. Although it is not an exact science, we do ask that you try to stick to that maximum number of pages.

How should I organize my material?

That decision is yours to make. If you need some guidance, use the sample directories or ask us to mail you more. Most hospitals group the information into sections, and list the subsections alphabetically. You will include a Table of Contents to help users find the information they need; we finalize that Table of Contents with you once the final layout is approved.

Some helpful hints:
-         most hospitals start with a Welcome letter from the CEO
-         some general sections include: About Us; Your Care Team; Hospital Services; For Your Visitors; How to Help (the Hospital)
-         don’t forget to talk about your Foundation…
-         this is a great opportunity to message anything new about the hospital, ie. new programs, equipment, construction etc
-         work for consistency in naming and style; edit the document accordingly (eg. if your hospital uses “health care”, then use that spelling throughout).  

How do I get you my content?

We require that you email us your content in electronic form. We can accept any number of Word processing formats; Microsoft Word is most common.

A few notes:
- organize the material in the Word document in the order you want it laid out.
- show us your main headings and subheadings by consistent use of bold, underline, all capitals, etc.

How about my logo?

Your logo will be on the front cover and the inside pages, so it is important that you send it to us in a press quality (minimum 300 dpi) jpeg or tif file, preferably even an eps file.  We would also ask you to provide us with the pantone #s for the logo.  The main pantone will serve as the directory colour which will be used throughout the book.

What about photographs?

All publications look better with photographs. Photography for the front cover can be full colour, but photography on the inside of the directory will be black and white. There is no set rule as to number of pictures for the inside, but we do ask that your total number of pages not exceed 25, so you will need to factor in any photographs.

In what format should I send my photos?

Photographs must have a minimum resolution of 300 dpi, and should be in JPEG or TIFF file formats. You can either email us the files, or if they are particularly large, you may need to burn to CD and mail them to us.

Will I get to see my proof before it goes to print?

Yes. You will need to see and sign off on your proof before we go to print.

Will I get to see the ad section before it goes to print?

Yes. You will need to see and sign off on the ad section. Typically this happens after you have signed off on your content, when that layout is set.

When will I receive my directories?

Once everything is signed-off, it takes 5 to 6 weeks in production before you will get your shipment. Sometimes we have a longer production queue; we will do our best to keep you informed of any delays.

How about shipping?

We will ask you to confirm shipping information as we approach delivery time, including any specifics on receiving location and contact names. Some hospitals require that we have a purchase order number in order to receive the shipment, even though shipping of your directories is free.