#15 Writing Tip: Three top options for easy book printing

Now, you’ve written your book and want to make sure it’s produced beautifully in printed form. [A future post will cover the ins and outs of e-book creation.]

My first novel, printed on demand by CreateSpace. Almost all the authors I know — even those traditionally published before — are now using this Amazon company to produce their printed books.

So, where do you start? First, ask yourself some questions to help you decide between the three main options:

Option 1

• Do you want your book publisher/printer to lend credibility to your book?
• Do you want others to worry about publishing your book?
• Do you want your book to appear on book store shelves?
• Are you willing to give up most of the control as to the book’s content and design?
• Are you willing to wait at least a year to obtain printed copies of your book?

If you answered yes to any of these, you probably want to go through a traditional publishing house that will print your book for you. These are known as the “Big Six.”

• Hachette Book Group
• HarperCollins
• Macmillan
• Penguin Group
• Random House
• Simon & Schuster

[Learn more about the difference between traditional publishing and self-publishing in my previous blog.]

Option 2

• Do you want at least some help publishing your book?
• Do you want a bit of control regarding the book’s content and design?
• Are you willing to pay a few thousand dollars for publishing support?
• Do you want a book within a few months?

If yes, you’ll want to consider an independent publisher, sometimes called small press, that will print your book for you. You might consider these publisher/printers as “self-publishing with support” I know authors who have successfully published books through:

• AuthorHouse
• Abbott Press (a division of Writer’s Digest)
• CreateSpace (with a paid support package)
• Lightning Source

My research into this area pointed me to Lightning Source, because other indie publishers outsource to them for printing, and they are affiliated with Ingram, a leading distribution house. But, I ended up going with Option 3 in the end.

Option 3

• Are you willing to do most of the work to prepare your book for publishing/printing?
• Do you want total control regarding the book’s content and design?
• Do you not care if your book appears on book store shelves?
• Do you want to publish as inexpensively as possible?
• Do you want a book within a month or two?

Your option is a print-on-demand publisher that will print your book only when someone orders it. I went this way for my Rhythms & Muse novel, and enjoyed working with CreateSpace. This Amazon affiliate is also linked with Kindle. You can’t beat the cost [nothing until you order your book(s)], and they provide easy do-it-yourself (DIY) tools to help create books and other media. Upload, proof, print. Your book is on Amazon.

As a caveat,  I will add one additional option. You may want to find a printing house and work with them directly to create your book. I recommend this option if you fully understand the printing process, want to babysit your book as it goes through every step of the process, and have a very large bank account. [In other words, I don’t recommend this option.]

Tell us how you produced/printed your book and where we can find it!

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Write on!
Ann Narcisian Videan
Write • Edit • Self-publish • Word-of-mouth
avidean@videanunlimited.com