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Self Publishing Faq

Skype Me™! ph 626.799.7158 info@sekota.com fx 626.799.3512
Copyright 2006 Sekota Graphics & Publishing

 

Thanks for visiting our website. Sekota Graphics & Publishing, LLC was formed in January of 2007. We have been in the print publishing and freelance graphics business for over 10 years and upon relocating to the Pasadena area decided to form our own company.
My Experience and My Software
In early 2007, I started Sekota Graphics & Publishing after over 10 years of experience working in the graphic design and print publishing field. The following is a short summary of my experience. References from any/all of these employers are available upon request.

I "cut my teeth" in the newspaper business setting car and grocery store ads and learning the ins and outs of publishing and layout software on a mac computer. From there I went on to a manufacturing company where i designed the company OEM catalog, website and all of the magazine and direct mailing advertisments. All of this work was done on a PC platform using the same publishing software. From there, I went back onto a Mac platform at a large Home Improvement/ Fine furniture Chain where i designed everything from catalogs to posters to billboards to magazine and other periodical advertisments. Next, I hired on as the Art Director for Alaska's largest print publisher. there I designed everything from books to calendars to rack cards to posters and everything in between using both Mac and PC computers. Finally, When I recently relocated to Pasadena, CA, I decided it was time to go out on my own and formed Sekota Graphics & Publishing, LLC. Here I work exclusively on a PC.

The main tools I use in my work are: Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, ImageReady, Acrobat and Dreamweaver. I consider myself an expert in Photoshop and InDesign and functional but still learning in Illustrator. I have just purchased the new (4/18/07)
Adobe Creative Suite Design Premium Edition which includes all of the above programs as well as Flash and some others. Hopefully, I will be able to dive into Flash and start incorporating it into my websites. I have worked on both Mac and PC platforms but my freelance business currently runs on PC only. My future plans include more work with Flash and PHP for website development. I no longer work with Quark Express unless the Quark documents are convertable to InDesign. I find Quark too unpredictable and tedious for outputting quality press-ready files.
Rates
My current rate is a flat $60/hr for everything i do. That includes design, pre-press, editing, scanning, typesetting, website design, print brokering or anything else you may need. This rate is significantly lower than the industry average $75 - 85 and I work fast so you'll find that a lot of my projects end up costing half of what you might pay somewhere else. The bottom line is that, although i have 10+ years of experience, my freelance business is new. I want to build a solid client base so my rates are a good incentive for bringing in new business.

Logos take a lot of thought and therefore a lot of time. photo books can be time consuming when color and placement is critical. Regular books can usually be knocked out in 10-20 hrs but that can vary greatly depending upon content. I have knocked out a biography in as little as 7 hours and i have spent as much as 55 hours on a fishing book with lots of art and photos and detailed maps. Websites all depend on what you need. Rack cards usually take 6-8 hours. Magazine ads can take a half hour to 2 hours depending on the size and other considerations. there is a half hour minimum on all projects.

for a book, I will usually know after the first chapter or two about how long it will take to complete a project. If you contact the references below I think the general consensus of my work will be that i am very fast, reasonably priced, skilled and creative.

Business rates are available to marketing consultants offering continual projects!!

References
The following professional references include clients and companies that I have worked with at one time or another over the course of my career in computer graphics and/or publishing. I tried to choose people from a wide variety of sources to show my experience in these different areas.
Flip Todd - President, Todd Communications
Todd Communications is Alaska's largest print publisher handling a variety of media including calendars, books, rack cards, posters, etc. I worked there as the Art Director for 3 years.
www.alaskabooksandcalendars.com
flip@toddcom.com
907-929-5500
Shannon Cartwright - Illustrator
One of Alaska's most popular illustrators. There are more than one million books in print illustrated by Shannon Cartwright. We have worked together on many projects including 3 of her last children's books.
She lives deep in the Alaska bush but messages can be left at (254)-378-4381.

Yvette Rooney - Marketing Consultant
Owner of Alaska Marketing Consultants. I have worked on many freelance projects with Yvette including everything from magazine ads to trade show banners to rack cards to presentation folders and everything in between.
www.akmarketingconsultants.com
yvette@akmarketingconsultants.com
907-348-6051
Todd Salat - Photographer
Known as The Aurora Hunter, Todd is one of Alaska's leaders in photographing the northern lights. I have helped him with notecards, postcards and calendars and price sheets many times over the years.
www.aurorahunter.com
todd@aurorahunter.com
907-929-5500
Gunnar Pedersen - Author
Known as Alaska's Highway Angler, Gunnar has written many comprehensive books on fishing Alaska's road system. We have worked together on several large projects including his bestselling book Fishing the Kenai River.
highwayangler@yahoo.com

Jason Reading - Vice President
Jason is the former VP at a manufacturing company where I worked for two years creating the company OEM Catalog, website, magazine ads and other collateral.
jasonreading@yahoo.com
479-466-9329
Beth Epperson - Art Director
National Home Centers Art Department. I worked with Beth for 2 years doing magazine ads, catalogs, posters and other print materials for this large home improvement/furniture chain.
www.nhci.com
epperson@nhci.com
479-756-1700
Stan Wise - Editor/print broker
Editor for Alaska Directory of Attorneys. Stan and I have worked together for several years on projects ranging from editing to pre-press proofing and print brokering.
www.alaskadirectoryofattorneys.com
stanwise@gmail.com
907-929-5513
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