Dear sky123,
The least expensive way to self-publish your book is with a pure
print-on-demand program such as the one offered by CafePress. Although
programs of this kind charge no overhead, they expect you to supply your
own formatting and design or to farm out this work to a third party. The
printing fee is charged per unit whenever someone buys your book.
* No setup fees or minimum quantities.
* Black and white books with full color covers.
* Choose from Saddle Stitch, Wire-O or Perfect Bound binding
options.
* Choose from 5 book sizes.
Visit our Learning Center for information on how to publish your book!
Pricing includes book production, order management, fulfillment
and customer service. You choose the retail price and earn the
difference between the retail price and our base price.
The pricing is based on the number of pages in your book plus the
type of binding you wish to offer. For example, the base price
for a 100-page perfect-bound book would be $10.00, and you set
the retail price. Base prices are the same for all book sizes.
CafePress: Self Publish Books
http://www.cafepress.com/cp/info/sell/books.aspx
CafePress: Publishing Learning Center
http://www.cafepress.com/cp/info/help/learn_book.aspx
The following article series details the route one self-publisher took
with CafePress.
The bottom-line is this--it costs you nothing to sell merchandise
through CafePress. If no one buys your merchandise, no one buys
it. You make no money, but also you spend no money. You've got
no inventory, and no fixed costs. CafePress is willing to spot
you the storage space on their servers in the hopes that maybe
they'll make a few bucks off each item you sell.
Well, it so happens that CafePress is now in the
publication-on-demand business, and works just the same as the
rest of their services. You write your book, format it as a PDF
file, create graphics for the book cover, and upload the whole
shebang. And you set your price, and if anyone buys your book
you get the difference between your price and theirs delivered
to your bank account.
This is very cool, and it's the way it should be. And given that
I've got a book or two in me that I'd like to see in print, I
think I'm going to take advantage of it. And given that I've got
a blog, I'm naturally going to document every step of the process.
Laurie R. King: Publication on $0 a Day
http://foothills.wjduquette.com/archives/000881.html
If you lack the technical expertise to follow the CafePress process, you
should expect to pay up front for packaged design and formatting from
a full-service print-on-demand publisher. A particularly well-regarded
firm of this kind is AuthorHouse, whose current toll-free number is
1-888-519-5121.
Authors House, Director of Author Promotions, 1663 Liberty Drive
#200, Bloomington IN 47403; 812-339-6000; 800-839-8640; Fax:
812-339-6554. This site features more than 6,000 electronic and
print-on-demand books. Writers retain all rights (and are free to
publish elsewhere as well). Royalties go as high as 30%. They are
the only company to offer audio books on demand as well. Among
their authors are Amanda Brown, author of Legally Blonde; Buddy
Ebsen, author of Kelly's Quest; and Thomas Hargrove, author of
Long March to Freedom.
Book Market: Print-on-Demand and Ebook Producers
http://www.bookmarket.com/ondemand.html
Products & Services: Self Publishing
Standard Paperback Publishing
Includes everything you need to turn your manuscript into a
quality paperback:
* Black and white paperback format
* Full interior text layout
* Design of full-color cover
* International Standard Book Number (ISBN)
* Distribution to over 25,000 retailers and online
Author House: Self Publishing Products
http://www.authorhouse.com/GetPublished/Products_Publishing.asp
As an alternative to print-on-demand technology, which often results
in books of inferior quality, you can turn to a short-run printer
such as Blitzprint, whom you can reach at 1-866-479-3248. In addition
to printing a small number of units of your book, such as 50 or 100,
Blitzprint offers a custom design package for $599.
What will my book look like?
We have always believed every book should be unique. Our
publishers are welcome to use any outside service to
design and layout their book and bring us print ready
files or visit our design center for other options.
How long does it take?
Typically we work on a 3 week turn around from proof
approval. Timelines depend a lot on the proofing process
and getting everything just perfect should not be
rushed. We like to remind authors that it likely took
years to write your labor of love and it's not a good
idea to rush things now.
How many books should I order?
Ask yourself how many books you need? Add up all the
friends and family who want a copy, the reviewers you
should send them to, any buyers, bookstore managers and
media who will get complimentary copies. Having a good
supply of books on hand for these sorts of contacts is
crucial for successful marketing. In our experience most
authors have no problem going through an initial order
of 100 books. You can reprint anytime and publishers are
often wise to print only as they need books, rather than
invest in large quantities.
[...]
Will Blitzprint sell my books?
Blitzprint can make your books available at it's online
bookstore, as well as list it with sites like Amazon.com,
and wholesalers like Baker and Taylor. Selling your
book will always be best handled by those with a vested
interest in it's success, meaning you.
Will my books be available to bookstores around the country?
Yes, by listing with a major wholesaler like Baker and
Taylor virtually all bookstores will be able to access
your title.
Will Blitzprint handle fulfillment?
Yes, if you choose Blitzprint will warehouse a small
quanitity of books and use this supply to fill any orders
or drop shipments you require.
Can Blitzprint help me sell my book?
You bet. See our Selling Center.
Does Blitzprint collect royalties from the sale of my book?
No, all sales outside of Blitzprint's own online bookstore
are 100% yours and no royalties will be collected by
Blitzprint. Sales through our online bookstore are
subject to a 12% fulfillment fee.
Blitzprint: Info Center
http://www.blitzprint.com/Info_center.htm
For a print-on-demand publishing package with full service at a fixed
price, you may wish to consider Wheatmark. $799 buys you page formatting,
cover design, distribution, proofing, and five sample copies before
print-on-demand publication starts with 20% royalties to you, the author.
The Wheatmark Publishing Service includes personal author
support; custom book layout; custom cover design; ISBN, LCCN,
and other bibliographic registrations; electronic page and cover
proofs; publication and distribution through Ingram Book Company,
Bertrams, Amazon.com, and major online bookstores; sample copies;
substantial author discounts, royalties management; and a chance
at entry into our Great Expectations program.
[...]
Personal Author Support
A professional book editor is assigned to you and your book. Your
book editor works with you during the entire publication process.
Custom Book Layout
Your book editor designs a unique layout for the text of
your book. This process includes choosing an overall format,
chapter headings, header and footer styles, and fonts that fit
well with your argument or story. Once the format is designed,
your book editor uses it to do a complete layout of your book,
including the creation of title and copyright pages.
Optional Services: Image Placement, Image Scanning,
Footnote/Endnotes, Index Inclusion
Custom Cover Design
Your book editor works with you to create a full color cover
that is unique to your book, incorporating any images, artwork,
and photographs that you provide. Your book editor takes into
account what you are looking for, and what will make your book
the most marketable, before design begins. Your book editor also
does a free cover copy tune-up to make your front or back cover
copy the best marketing tool it can be.
Wheatmark: Book Publishing and Self-publishing Services
http://www.wheatmark.com/bookpublishing.cfm
One author who has self-published her books recommends the print-on-demand
publisher Virtual Bookworm.
Basic hardcover fee is $430.00. [...]
Royalties: Royalties are 50% of net receipts.
Author's discount: Basic discount is 30%, bulk discounts may apply.
Break-even point: Less than 200 copies of an
average length book sold through external channels.
Basic retail price: Retail price is competitive
($13.95 for a 200-page paperback).
Layout: They format your book for you, or you can submit
your own layout for a $50.00 rebate (subject to approval).
Graphics: Up to 15 graphics are included in the
basic setup fee, more can be purchased as an extra.
Cover options: They provide you with a basic cover
design or you can submit your own for a $50.00 rebate
(subject to approval).
Books and Tales: An Incomplete Guide to Print On Demand Publishers:
Virtual Bookworm
http://booksandtales.com/pod/publisherviewer.php?publisher_id=1
Books and Tales: An Incomplete Guide to Print On Demand Publishers
http://booksandtales.com/pod/index.php
You can reach Virtual Bookworm at 1-877-376-4955.
Packages:
Level 1: Includes all of the above services and one free book. The
package includes a generic cover, with an author photo and bio
on the back. The author may supply artwork for the front cover,
as long as the work is of 300dpi or greater.
Level 1 Price: $430
Level 2: Includes the basic services, Library of Congress number,
and three free books.
Level 2 Price: $495
Level 3: Includes all of the basic services, Library of Congress
number, five free books and custom dustjacket/casebound cover.
Level 3 Price: $650
Level 4: Includes all of Level 3 services, plus professional
editing package (for up to 75,000 words).
Level 4 Price: $950
Virtual Bookworm: Print on Demand: Hardcover
http://www.virtualbookworm.com/podhardcover.html
I wish you the best of luck with your venture. If you have any concerns
about the accuracy or completeness of my research, please advise me
through a Clarification Request and allow me the opportunity to fully
meet your needs before you rate this answer.
Regards,
leapinglizard
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