Print Your Book
Submit your manuscript to be self-published as a printed book.
To make your printed book available for large audiences, you no longer need to spend big bucks to print and store thousands of copies. With the introduction of digital printing technology (or print-on-demand), books can now be printed as they are ordered, one-by-one or in almost any cost-effective quantity. In other words, you will have just the copies you need, when you need them with print on demand.
The per-unit cost of a POD book is a little higher than for a traditional offset printing run. But your up-front investment is much lower and setup can move more quickly. Submit your manuscript now for a written price guarantee.
With POD your financial risks are reduced because there is no need to keep a large inventory and there is little waste from unsold products. Preparing your book for print on demand requires a special format. Our team is expert in preparing your book for both on demand and e-book distribution.
How Print on Demand Works at Authorlink:
- Upload your titles to us for a written quote
- Set up your publishing account with major online stores such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble. We show you how!
- Print-ready files created by us are sent to you ready to upload to your retail outlets
- Customers order your titles from the online stores
- Your printer (we recommend the best one for you) prints only those ordered books
- You choose how the books are shipped—direct to you or your customers.
Print Book Editing & Formatting
The interior layout of your book helps you present your work professionally. Today’s online book sellers require books that have been professionally formatted to a rigid set of standards. You can do this yourself, but it is much easier if we do it for you. To provide the highest quality book, we consider many elements of interior design such as image size, graphic use, font usage, paragraph spacing, margins and more. While we do not offer full-blown editorial services, we edit to minimize production problems before they occur. And we ensure the underlying interior formatting will function well when printed in the desired binding, trim size and colors.
Binding, Trim Size and Colors
Your book can be formatted for a variety of bindings, trim sizes and colors. We can help you choose the best format for your book. Not all book binding types shown below are available, depending on the number of pages in your book, the paper stock you order and the trim size of your book. In general, here are the types of binding available.
1. Perfect binding is often used for paperback or soft-cover books. Various sections are assembled with a cover made from heavier paper, glued together at the spine with a strong glue.
2. Case binding or cloth finding is the most common type of hardcover binding for books. The pages are arranged in signatures and glued together into a “textblock.” The textblock is then attached to the cover or “case” which is made of cardboard covered with paper, cloth, vinyl or leather. This is also known as cloth binding.
3. Saddle Stitching refers to folded sheets that are gathered together one inside the other and then stapled through the fold line with wire staples.
Print-on-demand printers often offer a wide variety of trim sizes for books. Your book can be as small as 4 x 6” or 8.5 x 11” depending on what sort of binding, paper stock and colors choose. We make all of these decisions easier for you by recommending specifications that fit your needs and your budget.
Print Book Cover Design
As the marketplace grows more competitive, an exceptional book cover design is a must-have selling tool for self-published authors and independent presses. Cover design stands out best when conforming to the size of the book and the market you are trying to reach. We can price the cover design as part of your book package, or on its own. Standard designs range from $199 to $299, ala carte. Custom designs can run higher.
Distribution Consultation
We show you how to easily self-distribute to these major online retailers, and keep the extra third-party fees for yourself! The process of distributing your book can be daunting, but it doesn’t have to be! We show you the ropes. You don’t have to shell out up to 15% or more of your royalties to do the job. Distribution guidance is all part of our consulting service! It comes with the package when you choose us as your publishing service.
Book Price Estimate
The cost of your printed book will depend upon a number of factors, including :
- Number of pages
- Number and complexity of photos, graphs and charts
- Print configuration (trim size, color, binding)
- Consulting hours (two hour included FREE)
- Additional services such as scanning older book pages or typing
- Price range (estimate): $300-$1800*
*Does not include scanning, typing and proofing. Additional consulting, $60 per hour.
