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New Self-Publisher’s FAQ
Printing the Book
What is an RFQ?
•
Should
I get shrink-wrapping?
•
Should
I get cover over-runs?
•
Should
I get postcards?
•
Should
I get bookmarks?
•
Should
I specify carton weight?
How do I know which printer to pick?
Why can't I use my local printer?
What is the difference between POD/digital vs.
traditional/offset?
What format should I use for my book?
•
Should
I use hardcover?
•
Should I use Trade paperback?
•
Should I use mass market size?
Why shouldn't I publish my book in a ringbound binding?
How do I get color printing?
What book size should I choose?
What are signatures?
What are all these paper types I keep hearing
about?
• What are paper weights and what should I choose?
•
What
cover stock should I use?
• Which is better, off-white or white paper?
• What
is the Green Press Initiative?
What are galleys?
• What are f&gs?
Much of what is covered here can be found in the following books:
• The
Self-Publishing Manual by Dan Poynter (Considered by many the
bible of self-publishing)
and
The Self-Publishing Manual Part 2
•
Book Design and Production: A Guide by Authors and Publishers
by Pete Masterson
• The
Complete Guide to Self-Publishing by Tom and Marilyn Ross
• The
Publishing Game: Get Published in 30 Days by Fern Reiss
• Unlocking
the Secrets of Publishing by Sylvia Hemmerly
•
Publishing
for Profit: Successful Bottom-Line Management for Book Publishers
by Thomas Woll
Here is an excellent website with a list of printers.
To get a bid from these printers, submit an RFQ (Request For Quote) to their sales department. Use this website as a template to write your RFQ .
Are there any additional services you request that are outside of this template?
Yes, we always specify having the books shrink-wrapped in 4s or 6s (depending on the thickness of the book). This helps limit scuffing and damage in shipping. This costs extra.
We always ask for a 10% cover over-run on paperbacks, 20% on hardcovers. The paperback covers are useful when putting together press kits. The hardback covers can also be used this way, but save lots for repairing returns, as dust jackets are frequently damaged and can easily be replaced. These usually cost extra.
You can also ask for a run of bookmarks and/or postcards to be run concurrently (the printer uses the "waste"--the space on the paper the cover doesn't take up). Ask you book designer to help you work this out. These cost extra and will incur further charges with your book designer.
We also specify that books be packed in cartons no heavier than 25 lbs. We do this because we don't like to carry heavy boxes, and this size often has just about the number of books wholesalers ask for when they order. Many people like to specify that each carton is marked with the title, ISBN and a bar code. Some printers just do this. Ask if this will cost extra.
How do I know which printer to pick?
Send out at least 10 RFQs. Evaluate each bid, taking into account price per book and freight charges. You can ask your top 3 bidders (who will probably be close) to send you sample copies.
Most printers offer the same services with the same technology. What matters are a) price and b) customer service. If you belong to one of the on-line publishing communities, ask your list-mates if they've had any trouble with the companies who are giving you the best bids.
You can hire Beagle Bay, Inc to act as a print broker and handle all the details
Why can't I use my local printer?
You can, but check their quality and the price against bids from the list above. Local is not always better or cheaper. Often, your local printer will simply send the book to another company to produce (perhaps even out of state). Find out if they do the work "in house" or "sub it out."
What is the difference between
POD printing and "traditional" printing?
POD (Print On Demand) or digital
printing allows a publisher to do small runs (as few as 10). The
trade-off is that the cost per book is terribly high. This is not recommended
for those who plan to sell in bookstores. Discounts (see explanation) will, in most cases, cause you to lose
money.
POD Printers can be found on this website.
Lightning Source, Inc. or LSI, is a digital printer that is owned by Ingram. Under LSI's book distribution program, you can have your book printed to fulfill direct orders Ingram receives from booksellers, libraries and on-line companies (ie: Amazon). The cost per unit (per book) will still be higher than off-set or traditional methods of printing. Many self-publishers are using LSI as their main source of publishing (rather than doing an offset run). You can also decide whether to offer a traditional 55% discount (important if you are targeting bookstores and libraries) or a 20% discount (if you are only going to offer the book via Amazon).
Off-set or traditional
printing is most cost-effective in runs of 2000 or more. The more
you print, the lower the cost. The usual goal is to bring the cost of your book
to under $3* (paperback) or under $5* (hardback)
per unit.
*This is actual cost. For accounting purposes, you will need to figure in "plant
costs" (design fees, editing, marketing costs, etc).
Beagle Bay, Inc can help you decide which kind of printing and the number of copies you need.
What format should I use for my book?
Few books need to be in hardcover. Even Coffee-table art books can be produced in a paperback form. Hardcover always drives up your costs. That means your book price (see explanation) will go up as well, limiting your customers. To help you make your decision, go to your local bookstore and see what format books similar to yours are in.
Many publishers print their first edition in hardback, then later go to paperback as demand increases.
Beagle Bay, Inc can help you make this decision
A Trade Paperback is a larger format paperback (about the size of a hardback book) and can be produced for under $3. (in offset runs of over 2000). Most self-publishers choose this format, as it has a lower cost per unit and is usually sold at an easily affordable price-point (see explanation).
Mass-market paperbacks are what you find in a grocery store. These books can only be economically produced in runs over 20,000.
can help you decide what kind of binding your book needsWhy shouldn't I publish my book in a ringbound or wire-o binding?
Ringbound books are not generally accepted by the book trade. Since most books are shelved with only the spine showing, there is no chance a customer can see what the book is about. Ringbound also has a bad habit of tearing the cover. These are only recommended for non-trade sales (see explanation).
Ringbound is perfectly acceptable for short run cookbooks, however.
How do I get full color printing for my (art book or children's) book?
There are no cost-effective printers for color books in the U.S. You'll have to bid off-shore to get a deal. You’ll be surprised how low the cost can be... but don't forget to figure in shipping. You can find color printers at this helpful website.
What are the book sizes I should
choose?
Most hardcovers and Trade
paperbacks are 5.5" x 8.5" (bound on the 8.5 side) or 6"
x 9" (bound on the 9"side). These are comfortable sizes for customers
to hold. You can make your book bigger or smaller, but think carefully about how
it will "shelve" in a bookstore. Go look at a bookstore to see what
size is "standard" for the type of book you are putting out. Also
consider that printers may charge extra for "non-standard" sizes.
Beagle Bay, Inc can help you decide what size your book should be.
The printer divides the pages of a book into 8s (or 16s or 32s, or, in some rare cases, 48s). When doing a page count in preparation for an RFQ, be sure that the page count is divisible by 8.
n the case of digital printing, they don't use signatures, so any page count is usually fine.
What are all these paper types I hear about?
Acid free is what you'll want for your book—and libraries demand. Acid-free paper doesn't deteriorate with time. This doesn't appreciably drive up your costs.
Archive quality should only be used for books that are created to be sold in museums or academic collections. This paper is heavier and costs more.
Recycled paper is what we should all be using. In previous years, the cost to "go Green" has been prohibitive. Now, some printers are quoting recycled paper at prices as low as 8 cents a copy over non-recycled. See below for the discussion of the Green Press Initiative.
What is the Green Press Initiative?
The Green Press Initiative is an organization that certifies books complying with a certain amount of post-consumer pulp in the paper used (recycled paper). Publishers using this program can certify their products and show participation in the initiative.
Read more about this in Hugh Griffin's guest article.
What are paper weights and what
should I choose?
Trade Paperback and many hardback
books are printed on 50#, 55# or 60# paper. This refers to the thickness, with
60# being a heavier paper. 50# is an acceptable industry standard and doesn't
make the book too heavy; 60# can drive a 200 page book over 1 lbs.—making it
more expensive to ship (see explanation).
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What Cover Stock should I use?
Cover stock is usually offered in 10 or 12 pt. 10 pt is perfectly acceptable and, with lay-flat lamination, looks very good. When spec-ing a cover with lamination, this is expressed in an RFQ as C1S (Coat 1 Side). While a 12 pt cover is thicker (and many people think thicker is better), again, this contributes to the weight of the book, making it costlier to ship (see explanation).
Hardcover dust jackets are usually 10 pt.
Which is better, off-white or
white paper?
For paperback white is
preferable.
Hardcover is a matter of choice. Many novels use off-white.
Beagle Bay, Inc
can help you decide on paper types, weights and cover thicknesses.
What are Galleys?
Galleys are a pre-publication book made especially to send to pre-publication
reviews (see explanation). Usually, very few are made (10-500 depending
on purpose). These are always done via POD / Digital press.
The galley should clearly be marked "Advance Review Copy: Not for Sale" (note: not "Advanced") on both back and front. It used to be that galleys had blank covers, and the cover artwork was sent as part of the package (cover letter, onesheet and cover image). Now, with digital printing being so affordable, it's not that much more expensive to do a finished cover, and it looks nicer, too. The finished cover should be as close as possible to what it will be when offered to the public. If minor changes happen after galleys are produced, send a print-out of the new cover with the book, or offer to send it to the reviewer as soon as possible.
All of the book's info (title, author, publisher, who to contact for info) should be on the front of a blank cover galley (back of a color cover). On the back should be a description, (see explanation) any blurbs, (see explanation) author info (see explanation) and a brief outline of the marketing plan (see explanation). Don't forget to put the title and author on the spine.
Beagle Bay, Inc can help you creative an effective galley!
Can’t I just use Kinko’s to print my galley?
Many people do use Kinko's to do this. They are still going to be pricier than the professionals, but you may decide to use them anyway.
Sometimes you can have a run of galleys done at the same time as your regular print run (see discussion in reviews on the disadvantages of this).
Other printers of galleys can be found on this website and look for POD/Short-run printers.
An f&g is "folded and gathered" signatures without the binding. It is usually done for art books and children's books when color printing is used. It's often too expensive to produce a POD/ short-run bound copy. It serves the same function as a galley.
Beagle Bay, Inc can help you creative an effective f&g!
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