Conduct as much research into printers as you can. There are online sites that collect information on more than one printer and these can be very useful. Research a minimum of ten printers, if at all possible. Before this kind of research can be useful, you need to have an idea what the parameters of your book will be (page count, size, type of paper, graphics, etc.) Many printers will expect you to know this information so that they can provide you a quote. Some will be quite detailed, which is a good thing, in our opinion. It means they are less prone to let things slip through the cracks. Top
Price is obviously a big consideration when selecting a printer, but not the only one--by a long shot. Quality is a big issue, too, so try to get some samples from candidates. You need to see their work. In addition, since we designed and prepared our book for the printer, we were concerned about how well he would communicate his technical requirements to us. In other words, we wanted to make sure we were preparing the text correctly. The printer we chose was extremely clear regarding what we needed to do--they provided a sheet of requirements that made the process go smoothly. We also got on the phone and talked to the printer's customer service representative to get a "feel" for how additional technical questions would be handled. You want someone with whom you are going to be comfortable, because the process can and will be stressful at times. We love our printer. The staff was knowledgeable, communicated clearly and never made us feel like idiots. TopMost printers want 50 percent up front with the file when you send it in, and expect the second 50 percent before the ship the finished version to you. Top
Although there is a Web site that sells ISBNs , this method requires the purchase of a quantity for a considerable price. Unless you want to go into the printing business, you don't need the extra numbers and the extra expense. What we did was find someone who had an extra ISBN number to sell. If you network at all with other writers, or belong to a writer's organization of some kind, it should be fairly easy to find someone who at least knows someone who is willing to part with an ISBN number for a fraction of the cost of the entire set. Top
Galleys are a pre-production form of your book, useful for inducing preliminary reviews (see question #4 following). The text does not have to be locked in and finalized (although it should be close), and the format does not have to be the same high quality as the completed project. In our case, we printed out pre-final edit copies on our computer (on plain ol' letter-sized paper) and took them down to a local copy place. We made about 20 one-sided copies and spiral bound them with a low-resolution color copy of our cover. Then we sent them out to people to review. Top
First commit to creating review copies as described in #3 above. Once you realize that is a necessity, you have to figure out whom to send them to. Who makes sense to write a blurb for you? Our book was local fiction, so it was logical to get local fiction writers to give us blurbs. If you happen to be writing a non-fiction book on airplane engines, you might want to solicit experts in the field to read what you've written and write blurbs. Top
We think three is a good minimum number of blurbs. You should get your galleys in the hands of potential reviewers a few months before you are set to go to press, that way you can have whatever they write back in plenty of time for setting up the cover, or where ever you want to insert the quotes. Top
We were quite fortunate in that this was a project that included ten people, so we could split the costs ten different ways. That kept our individual investment under control. Obviously the bulk of the cost is tied up directly to printing, but don't overlook the costs of other necessities such as promotional postcards, press kits and marketing tools and shipping. If you hire a paid editor and layout person that will cost, too. Self-publishing can be a daunting process, not the least because of expense. Go into the project with your eyes open, and don't cut costs that you think will affect the perceived quality of the book. Top
This issue was somewhat controversial in our group, and we debated it for weeks. The key is figuring out what your true cost per book is. This includes all costs, printing, marketing, etc., divided by the total print run. Once you get this true, per unit cost, there are several formulas used to come up with a retail figure. Byron, our chairperson, likes a simple 5x unit cost. Another fellow, Ken, prefers to multiply book unit cost by three to get a wholesale figure, then multiply that figure by 1.5 to get the cover price. We're sure there are other formulas, too. Top
Given that there are undoubtedly a wide variety of writers with a wide variety of books reading this, the question is a tricky one to answer. We don't know the content of your book or your target audience. In most cases, though, marketing amounts to a lot of hard grunt work on your end, working local bookstores and media trying to get exposure for your book. If you write a book it is undoubtedly going to be of more interest to a certain demographic than to others. Your job, as a self-publisher, is to figure out your demographic ahead of time, and the best way to reach them. The local marketing slant was a no-brainer for us, as people come to our Peninsula to experience all things local, including literature. We broke even in three months in large part because of an unquenchable thirst for regional color on the part of the tourist trade. We were quite fortunate in that regard. The local bookstores and media could see the appeal and threw their weight behind the book. You've got to figure out what's best for you. Top
Most printers like Adobe PDF, which made things easy for Chris Kemp, the FWOMP member who designed, formatted and readied the book for the printer. It's a universal format that is utilized by many of the most popular layout and word processing programs. Whether you do the work yourself, or hire someone to do it for you, PDF is universal enough to make everyone's life easy. Unless the printer you choose doesn't accept it, of course. Top
Can't speak for everyone, but Chris created the little white space on our cover and our printer inserted the appropriate barcode for about $50.00. That's one more factor you may wish to consider when selecting a printer, by the way. Top
Somewhat, but again it depends on the project and what you are aiming for. We avoided "flat white" and used a little more expensive eggshell kind of color for a more elegant, "easy on the eyes" look. It ultimately comes down to personal taste, though, as do font selection, leading, headers and footers, and all the other stuff that goes into book layout. Top
Well, we would be remiss if we recommended anyone except our boy, Chris Kemp. He's a professional with over 15 years experience in desktop publishing and layout and is quite reasonably priced. Plus his work is exemplary, as you'll see when you pick up a copy of Monterey Shorts. In this day and age with electronic communication and the Internet, distance and review really isn't an issue anymore, as evidenced by the fact that Chris is in California and our printer is in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The book came out looking great, testimony that in the Internet Age, the miles are not an issue. Top
Plus Chris is cool enough to answer any specific questions you may have. Just e-mail him at ckemp@aol.com
Revision Date: 05 Jul 2005