Building Your Book

Several factors, like the size of the book, the type of paper, the type of cover stock, the binding, and the overall look. It may sound confusing, but don't be intimidated. Most of the selection process can be very simple, based on what you see and like when you view other books.

No, but the good news is that you CAN decide everything about the look of your own book. You CAN design your own covers, and we will compose them. You CAN decide on the size of your book (6 x 9, 8 x 10, etc.). You CAN select the particular font you prefer, and the font size. In short, you can select whatever you want, and we will produce it. You can also purchase any of our services, and we can design and create components for you, if you prefer.

Trim size is the actual size of your book, measured across the top and along the side. The "best" trim often depends on the type of book you’re doing. A pictorial book may be easier to view as a coffee-table type book, 8 x 10 or larger. That way, it can lie flat so that the photographs are easily viewed, even by more than one person at the same time. For history books, a favorite of our customers is 6 x 9. Even elderly people who are sometimes less dexterous find it an easy size to hold and read. We also like it for other reasons. It allows us to sometimes use a slightly larger text, again making it easier to read for elderly people. We also like the fact that 6 x 9 enables us to enlarge many photographs to a size that is easy to see and offers more detail. And, we like the substantial "feel" that the book gives when you're holding it. Remember, you are not limited to 6 x 9 and 8 x 10. Many books use a 5 ½ x 8 ½ size, or a 7 x 10 format. Just tell us what you want. The choice is yours. We can advise you if you wish.

The thickness of your book will vary based on the type of paper used. When you look at types of paper used in books, you can check the PPI rating (pages per inch) to estimate how thick your book will be. Generally, our soft-cover books of 100 pages, if using 60 lb. opaque cream paper (an average paper), are about one-quarter inch thick; our 200-page books are one-half inch thick; and our 300-page books are three-fourths inch thick. Those are ballpark figures to give you an idea of what to expect. Measure some books from your personal library. If you thought one-half inch thick sounded kind of small, you'll be reassured that it is a substantial size.

We have mostly used 10-point white cover stock, coated on one side. It's best that you decide by actually holding and feeling sample stock. The 10-point that we normally use has worked out very well, and it is used on the great majority of soft-cover books you'll find anywhere.

Normally, perfect binding will meet your needs. Perfect binding is the pressed-and-glued binding that you see on most books. It allows for a nice spine where you will put your name, the book title, and the publisher or printer. When your book is standing on edge among other books on a shelf, the title and your name will be visible. Up to a certain size, books can be stitched (stapled). Stitched binding is cheaper to use, but stitched books have no spine, so they are anonymous unless you can see the full cover. If your book is very desirable to a small audience, you may do okay with stitched binding. Most books will sell better if they are perfect bound. Other alternatives, like spiral binding, are generally used for special types of books, like cookbooks. Spiral binding will allow a cookbook to lie flat while in use, a real plus for the active cook.

No, you don't NEED one, but read further before you decide. There is absolutely no requirement to have a barcode on your book. Most publishers will tell you to have one, since major bookstores will scan your book when the customer checks out. For the small publisher like you and us, there are other reasons to have a barcode applied to your book.

Your book faces the likelihood of being sold in a variety of venues, including gift shops and mom-and-pop type establishments. Many of them do not use scanners to record purchases. However, we include the retail price of your book in the barcode, and it appears in numerical form as well as coded form. Any store clerk can simply look at your back cover and glance at the barcode to view the price for entry into their register.

Among the other reasons to have a barcode: it is there for stores that DO use scanners; it is there in the event your book sales attract major bookstores (who require it); and aesthetically, you will probably feel that it gives your book a professional look. The barcode will also include your ISBN number, which is your book's personal worldwide identification number. All things considered, it’s a small expense (usually between $50 and $200 for a run of 1000 copies. If you want our opinion, we suggest you apply barcodes to all of your books. The final decision will be yours.

Don't worry. Stores that scan your barcode (and thousands of other book barcodes) make adjustments to their scanners to reflect new prices, or lower prices, like when a book is on sale.

That's a really tough question, because the answer is so important to the success of your book. If you pay to print 1000 and you sell only 250, you've made little profit, if any, and then you have to figure out how to sell the rest of your books. If you print 250 and sell 250, you've likely made a profit, and you have a decision to make about printing more books. It's far better than the decision to figure out how to sell 750 leftovers.

We can offer some ideas on how to assess the market for your book. WHERE your books will be sold will impact sales, as well as the availability of the author to promote your own work. Some books that we have written and published were targeted at certain geographical areas. We generally went with 1000 copies of each so that we would enjoy initial sales, but have enough inventory to continue spot sales as time goes on. If you need help deciding how many copies to print, we'll give you our best assessment.