Choosing a printer or publisher
Book designer Fiona Raven compares printers, print-on-demand publishers and full-service publishers, for self-publishing authors.
As a self-publishing author, you can have as much or as little help as you need publishing your book. Some authors choose to contract the services of an experienced publisher to handle their book's production from start to finish. Others choose to handle every aspect of their book's production themselves, including printing. Which choice is right for you?
Before shopping for a printer or publisher, ask yourself the following questions:
How much time do you plan to spend marketing and shipping your book?
If you answered "Not much!" to that question, you should probably choose to work with a publisher who can offer you those kinds of services. If you answered "Lots," you could consider a publisher's basic package, or having your books printed yourself.
How many books do you plan to print?
If you're planning a print run of 1,000 copies or more, your book should be printed on a printing press. A full-service publisher can help you, or you can have your books printed yourself at a printer. If you're planning to start with short-run printing (say 200 books) or printing books one at a time, then you'll want help from a printer or publisher that specializes in digital printing or print-on-demand (POD) publishing.
A range of choices
Most printers and publishers offer a range of choices to self-publishing authors. What's best for you? Read the summaries below about printers, POD publishers and full-service publishers to see what best suits your lifestyle and budget.
Working with a printer
You can choose to have your book printed by a printer. A reputable printer will provide you with a quote and samples of other books they've printed. Your book can be printed digitally or on a printing press. Some printers offer both; some do not.
When you print your own book, your book is published under your own name or under a publishing name you choose. This usually means that you'll be handling your own marketing and fulfillment. This includes storing your supply of books, keeping your book sellers (stores and distributors) stocked with your book, receiving checks, money orders and credit card payments (perhaps in different currencies), and shipping your books as they are ordered.
Handling your own printing can really have benefits if you don't mind the extra work of marketing and fulfillment, and if you enjoy having direct contact with your customers and readers. Working with a printer can also be very cost-effective if your book is an important part of your business, your field of work, or can be sold with your other products.
- your time: this is the most time-consuming way to publish your book as you handle every aspect of your book sales and distribution yourself
- cost: printing is cost-effective, you can choose the quality and size of your print run to suit your budget and have your marketing materials run at the same time
- benefit: you handle everything yourself and have direct contact with your customers
- quality: you choose the quality of your book based on your requirements and budget
- book price: you set your book's price based on your costs
- marketing: you handle your own marketing
- shipping: you handle all your book storage, sales, distribution and shipping
Print-on-Demand (POD) Publishers
POD publishers offer several packages, depending on how many or few services you require. Generally, a basic package will include getting your digital files set up on their computer and providing some copies of your book. A full package will also include setup on the Internet for ordering and shipping your book, together with a variety of marketing services.
Some POD publishers offer templates for book cover and interior page designs. Others have a talent pool and other resources to help you with every aspect of self-publishing your book.
- your time: usually you will already have your book edited, proofread and designed before submitting to a POD publisher. In addition to the Internet marketing offered, you will need to do your own marketing locally
- cost: relatively low because you're not paying for printing (each book will be printed after it is ordered and paid for by your reader)
- benefit: lower startup costs, fast publishing (could be within six weeks)
- quality: book quality can vary, limited choice of book size and paper thickness
- book price: prices are generally higher for POD books, your publisher will help you set your book's price based on your costs
- marketing: they can arrange Internet marketing for a fee, but you'll need to market your book yourself as well
- shipping: POD publishers usually handle fulfillment for you (receive payment for books via the Internet and ship your orders), then send you a check quarterly for your percentage of the book sales (this percentage varies from publisher to publisher)
Visit the Books and Tales Guide to POD Publishers for an in-depth comparison of POD publishers, as well as several articles about POD publishing in general.
Full-Service Publishers
Some publishers work only with self-publishing authors. Your book is published under their name, and they charge you a management fee for your project. They make sure your book is designed, edited and proofread by professionals, and you can participate as much or as little in those processes as you wish.
Full-service publishers routinely work with printers worldwide, as well as book publicists. They have distributors in place, attend book fairs and trade shows regularly, and send out catalogs advertising their titles.
- your time: they can handle everything for you
- cost: you pay a management fee for their services, plus the usual costs of designing, editing and proofreading, which your publisher subcontracts to a team of professionals they know and trust
- benefit: your book is published by a publisher with established contacts in the publishing business including printers, distributors and publicists
- quality: you and your publisher control your book's quality
- book price: prices are generally lower for books printed in quantity, and your publisher will help you set your book's price based on your costs and what similar books are selling for in the marketplace
- marketing: they can arrange all your marketing and publicity for a fee
- shipping: some publishers will arrange for storage of your books and handle fulfillment for you (receiving payment for books and shipping orders) for a fee
In summary
As you can see, you'll need to weigh the pros and cons of each printing / publishing method and decide which one best suits your lifestyle and budget. Some authors enjoy taking orders for their books and shipping them, as it puts them in direct contact with their readers (and perhaps gives them an opportunity to sell some of their other products). Other authors prefer to have someone else look after all the details.
Be sure to shop around. Make sure the printer / publisher you choose is reputable, and that you feel comfortable working with them. And don't hesitate to ask a lot of questions.
Copyright © 2004 Fiona Raven, Book Designer
For use of this article, please contact Fiona for written permission.
tel 604-731-1502