I am just about ready to go to press with my book. Next week I hope and I have a few publishers interested but I am not waiting two years for them, so I am off to the marketing world. My problem is that I don't know which printer to use. I intend to just order about 500 on my first run to start getting them out there. U.S. Press and Lightning Source are the only two I know of and I am in Montana. Nothing here! I searched both and it appears there is a little negative reference to Lightning Source. Any suggestions? I believe a publisher will pick up the book down the road but I've gotten this far and want to finish. Thank you!
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If you're going for a run of 500, you'd be far better off to find a short-run printer who will do offset. You'll find the cost per unit is far lower.
Check the Yellow Pages.
If you haven't yet read Dan Poynter's book, you need to.
Check the Yellow Pages.
If you haven't yet read Dan Poynter's book, you need to.
I can personally recommend two printers that handle short-run printing who I've used in the last few months: Thomson-Shore and Transcontinental Printing. Both have websites; both do quotes for free. T-Shore is in Michigan, while Transcontinental's short-run plants are in Quebec, Canada (good rate exchange right now means I get better prices from Transcon. at the moment).
I've done hardcover and trade with Transcon. and trade only with T-Shore -- both do quality work.
Check out your local printers and get quotes, too. Get at least three quotes for comparison. Be sure to give them all the pertinent info:
<dl>
<li>trim size
<li>page count (multiples of 16 or 32: each printer is different for signature counts, so check with them before you design & lay out your book!)
<li>paper choice for interior paper
<li>paper choice for cover (if trade]
<li>binding type (smyth, perfect, etc.)
<li>colors (interior and cover -- 1-color, spot, 4-color)
<li>print run (how many copies)
<li>shipping (more than one place?)
</dl>
You will need to get all sorts of info from your printer of choice before you design and lay out your book, as well as before you do your cover work.
You may want to consider hiring a production company to handle all of the above as well as deal with the printer. They will design and typeset your book, handle proofs, and neep printer neepery at your printer. It's the way a lot of self-publishing authors go, since writing is not the same skill sets as book production.
Write to me if you have further questions; this is what I've done for a living for 20 years (I produce books for the big publishers, such as Simon & Schuster).
I've done hardcover and trade with Transcon. and trade only with T-Shore -- both do quality work.
Check out your local printers and get quotes, too. Get at least three quotes for comparison. Be sure to give them all the pertinent info:
<dl>
<li>trim size
<li>page count (multiples of 16 or 32: each printer is different for signature counts, so check with them before you design & lay out your book!)
<li>paper choice for interior paper
<li>paper choice for cover (if trade]
<li>binding type (smyth, perfect, etc.)
<li>colors (interior and cover -- 1-color, spot, 4-color)
<li>print run (how many copies)
<li>shipping (more than one place?)
</dl>
You will need to get all sorts of info from your printer of choice before you design and lay out your book, as well as before you do your cover work.
You may want to consider hiring a production company to handle all of the above as well as deal with the printer. They will design and typeset your book, handle proofs, and neep printer neepery at your printer. It's the way a lot of self-publishing authors go, since writing is not the same skill sets as book production.
Write to me if you have further questions; this is what I've done for a living for 20 years (I produce books for the big publishers, such as Simon & Schuster).
Printing
OOh, thanks for all the tips. I definately have Dan Poynter's book and that is what has motivated me to continue! I have the cover and interior design complete by Archer Ellison and they use US Press and Lightning Source but I am going to check out these other options. If it is beneficial, I may do a print run of one or two thousand if it makes a big difference. I'll bet it does. Thank you!
OOh, thanks for all the tips. I definately have Dan Poynter's book and that is what has motivated me to continue! I have the cover and interior design complete by Archer Ellison and they use US Press and Lightning Source but I am going to check out these other options. If it is beneficial, I may do a print run of one or two thousand if it makes a big difference. I'll bet it does. Thank you!
Re: Printing
These are a couple of places I've found while checking out the possibility of self-publishing my next book...
Central Plains Book Manufacturing
www.centralplainsbook.com
Mennonite Press
www.mennonitepress.com
I haven't used either of these personally, but they may be something to check out...
These are a couple of places I've found while checking out the possibility of self-publishing my next book...
Central Plains Book Manufacturing
www.centralplainsbook.com
Mennonite Press
www.mennonitepress.com
I haven't used either of these personally, but they may be something to check out...
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Go for diggory press: they work out much cheaper than LULU if you are doing more than a dozen or so and will list you properly on websites like amazon as part of their low fees: www.diggorypress.com
Printer
I've used Morris Publishing in Nebraska, and they were great. They are personable and knowledgeable, were very professional to work with, and the books look fantastic.
As for pricing, they have a grid (both online and in their guide which they'll send you for free) that shows how much they charge per book, by quantity and number of pages. Other info/prices about covers and stuff is also both on the website and in the guide. You have to tweak the numbers as follows to come out with your full printing bill:
Add 10% (the standard "plus or minus.") I didn't want to give them my SS# (on general principles) so I just paid in full by check, so they gave me (and charged for) 10% more.
Add 22 cents per book for shipping, even though they don't say anywhere what shipping will be. (They told me they had a contract with someone for that as a flat rate. Given that I'm in PA and they're in NE, it's a bargain!)
There's another guy I really like in Maryland that I'm doing a spiral bound date book with as we speak, who is also excellent to work with. I'm not sure anyone can beat Morris' pricing for perfect bound books, though.
Bottom line (and I researched *a lot* of printers): Morris for perfect bound, standard size (5.5 x 8.5 and 8.5 x 11); Phil for everything else.
As always, YMMV.
I've used Morris Publishing in Nebraska, and they were great. They are personable and knowledgeable, were very professional to work with, and the books look fantastic.
As for pricing, they have a grid (both online and in their guide which they'll send you for free) that shows how much they charge per book, by quantity and number of pages. Other info/prices about covers and stuff is also both on the website and in the guide. You have to tweak the numbers as follows to come out with your full printing bill:
Add 10% (the standard "plus or minus.") I didn't want to give them my SS# (on general principles) so I just paid in full by check, so they gave me (and charged for) 10% more.
Add 22 cents per book for shipping, even though they don't say anywhere what shipping will be. (They told me they had a contract with someone for that as a flat rate. Given that I'm in PA and they're in NE, it's a bargain!)
There's another guy I really like in Maryland that I'm doing a spiral bound date book with as we speak, who is also excellent to work with. I'm not sure anyone can beat Morris' pricing for perfect bound books, though.
Bottom line (and I researched *a lot* of printers): Morris for perfect bound, standard size (5.5 x 8.5 and 8.5 x 11); Phil for everything else.
As always, YMMV.
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