Printing without Publishing

Rebel Rider

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I've got a book that I'd thought would never see the light of day, but a few elderly friends and family want to read it. I'd like to print some copies out for friends/family, but not publish or market it. Does anyone have tips on where I could easily print a few copies out for family? I don't want the book on Amazon, or anywhere else for that matter. I just want my relatives to be able to enjoy it. Tips would be much appreciated.
 

cmhbob

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My first book was self-pubbed, and I used CreateSpace for the dead-tree edition, but I was hoping to sell a bunch of copies.

Do you want a "real, live book," with mass-market looking bindings and such, or is this more of a family history kind of thing? How long is the book?
 

kevinwaynewilliams

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You can format it for CreateSpace and order proof copies to your heart's content. It won't appear to anyone but you if you don't do the final publishing step.
 

Rebel Rider

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Thanks.
It would be a 89K science fiction story. I'd only do print, not digital. I'd like it to look something like a traditionally published book. Would I need to get an ISBN? Also, is it possible to have large print?
 

kevinwaynewilliams

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Thanks.
It would be a 89K science fiction story. I'd only do print, not digital. I'd like it to look something like a traditionally published book. Would I need to get an ISBN? Also, is it possible to have large print?

No ISBN for CreateSpace if you don't want one. Print is your choice, cover is your design.
 

M. H. Lee

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I'd also do Createspace and just order proof copies. They assign a free ISBN if you don't have one. No need to ever approve for distribution.

If you format with 14 pt or 16 pt font I believe that should be large print size. You'll have to adjust the templates Createspace provides because the paragraph spacing won't work with that font size if you use one of the formatted ones.
 

Pennguin

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OfficeMax will allow you to upload your document and have it printed and shipped. They also have options for binding and the like. Just a thought in case the others don't work out.
 

kevinwaynewilliams

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OfficeMax pricing for a loose-leaf printout is about twenty times what CreateSpace will charge you for a book.
 

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You can do this fairly inexpensively via Lulu. They have an option whereby your work is available only to you, not to the public. And good quality. And you don't need to get an ISBN.

caw
 
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Polenth

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CreateSpace proofs have the word "proof" in big letters on the last page, so Lulu is probably a better bet in this case.
 

Zombie Fraggle

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What's the best font to go with for a printed book?

That's a matter of taste and a whole lot of complicated typesetting issues like kerning that you probably won't want to bother learning for a hobby project.

But, generally speaking, you want a serif font (not a sans serif font, such as Arial) that's easy on the eyes. One of my favorites is Georgia. Other common options are Garamond and Book Antiqua.

I personally prefer Georgia over Book Antiqua because the latter leaves the illusion of spaces before and after em dashes. My beef with Garamond is its ampersand, which looks like I-don't-even-know-what when italicized ( & ).
 

Old Hack

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You could look at books you have, that you like, and see what fonts they're in.

Remember that many fonts are only licensed to you for personal use. If you are going to use them for commercial purposes you have to pay to do so, or risk receiving an invoice you cannot legally contest after you've sold a few books.