Being published is a writer's dream, but big commercial publication is no longer the only option. Although conventional printing services are still available, Print-On-Demand companies are cheap to use, accessible, and fast. But is self publishing right for you?

If you've taken the time to write a book than you know how rewarding it can be to see your work in print. For years, the only way you could see your book in print was to find an editor in New York who loved your work, or to pay thousands to a publisher and have hundreds of copies of your book printed and delivered to your door. Print-On-Demand offers affordable services that allow you to see your work in print without spending years waiting for editors to return letters or spending thousands printing your work yourself.

Editors Have a Purpose

Editors are great. They are the gate keepers to getting your work on the shelves of chain bookstores. They exist for a reason: they filter the exceptional from the average and present only exceptional work to the world through national and international venues. Publishing companies, in general, also have a major purpose; not only do they market and help sell your book, they also maintain the details of distribution, graphic design, and other details that you otherwise need to learn should you decide to self publish.

Editors and publishing companies will only publish what they consider to be good work. They have standards and quotas and live by these in order to maintain not only their reputation but also the standards of the publishing industry. By representing you, they like and believe in your work and dedicate themselves to helping you achieve even greater success. Success for you means success for them.

But they also play an even greater role in marketing and designing your book. Not only do they provide you with essential criticism for the interior of your novel, they make it look nice on the outside and present an irresistible package to the public. They also take care of the details that you, as an author might not otherwise be aware.

What is Print-On-Demand?

Self-Publishing means that you, as an author, are taking full responsibility for the printing, marketing and distribution of your materials. In past years, this meant that you wrote and formatted your interior and found a printer who was willing to print a first run of book. Usually this meant paying around $15,000 for a first run of a couple hundred books. This is no longer the case, however, as the internet and technology have created the option for Print-On-Demand services.

What is Print-On-Demand? It means that your book is printed when it's ordered. If one person orders one copy than only one copy is printed. If multiple copies are ordered, than that is what is printed. It does cost more to print a single On-Demand book than if you order hundreds of copies, but it does save you thousands in up-front costs.

For example, if you ordered a printer to print a first run of your book, it costs an average of a dollar for each copy. Print-On-Demand services usually cost at least a few dollars per copy, but there are no fees up front and the cost of printing is taken out of the cost of the sale.

Two sites for Print-On-Demand are Lulu and CreateSpace. Each one costs about the same to print a paperback version of your book, but Lulu offers options to print it exclusively for yourself where as CreateSpace was designed for authors who hoped to market their work worldwide.

To view Emily's book Paper Airplanes, printed with CreateSpace, visit www.createspace.com/3344531.  The page has been personalized to reflect the logo of Red Box Press and can be personalized to reflect anyone's site based on their needs and marketing plan. 

A Press Release for Paper Airplanes has been attached for your convenience.  You can use this as a guide when creating your own targeted press releases relating to your product on CreateSpace. 

Whether you decide to print a huge run of books from a printing press or go to an On-Demand print service, you need to know the details.

First, make sure your book is formatted correctly with the proper margins and gutters for your work. Books come in all shapes and sizes and usually have a margin of at least 0.5” for the text part. Images are another story and you'll need to make sure your artwork “bleeds” just a little bit beyond the edges of the page to ensure proper printing. A “gutter” is the extra bit of margin that runs on the inside of the book and is mirrored with each consecutive page. This keeps the text from being hidden in the spine of the book.

Copyright pages, title pages, contents, acknowledgements, and prefaces all need to be in the proper order along with page numbers. Lulu has a wonderful section that thoroughly details this part of formatting.

Then there is copyrighting. As soon as your work is on paper, it is automatically protected by copyright laws. But, should someone plagiarize your work, you can only claim financial compensation if you file your work with the US copyright office. This costs around $45 and is well worth the price should you choose to publish your own work. This is not necessary if you go through a publishing company since they'll do this with you when your work is accepted.

In order to sell your book through either a store or website, you'll need an isbn number. An ISBN number is a unique number that registers your book in an international database. It is through this number that booksellers, websites, and consumers can track and find your book. Most websites and stores do not allow your book to be sold without one. You can purchase a single ISBN number for about $100 and a barcode for an additional $25. The ISBN number will not only appear on the back of your book but will also need to appear on the copyright page with all of your copyright information.

You'll need a good cover. Unless you are already a graphic designer, you'll need to hire one. Yes, you can design the cover yourself, but in order for it to fit the correct printing templates and look “professional” you may want to consider finding a graphic designer in your area that can help. Prices range, but you can often times find young designers who are willing to work at lower costs than established professionals. You can also negotiate the price in exchange for giving them credit for cover design.

Marketing is something completely different and is dependent upon the type of book you've created. If you've written and illustrated a picture book, for example, you'll need to market it through schools and libraries. If you've created a cookbook, you may want to see if local kitchen stores or websites would be willing to sell your book. For adult fiction, you'll want to target your audience through group websites and organizations. First determine your genre and then decide your likely audience and where you might find them.

Get Feedback

Before you publish at all, get other people (not your friends and family) to read and critique your work. You want your book to represent the best you have to offer so you'll need to find someone (preferably multiple people) who can give you honest feedback and critique on your work. There are professional editors available to line-edit your work and will give you a professional critique for a price. They can be well worth it, especially if you are considering marketing your work through major venues like Amazon or international groups.

For more information on self publishing, visit Lulu.com or CreateSpace.