Frequently Asked Questions for
Self-Publishing
Q. What are the advantages of self publishing?
-
Cover design & layout: It’s your
book. The words, illustrations, page and cover design, dimensions
and binding options are yours to decide.
-
Editorial Control: The book will read the
way you want it to.
- Time: Your books are published much quicker.
Your sales and promotion efforts continue at your pace.
Q.Where is the best location for the author's
biography?
The most common place to put the author's bio is on the back cover
of the book.
Q. Where does the copyright page appear
and what does it include?
The copyright page is usually found on the back of the title page.
Normally this page includes the word "copyright", and/or
the copyright symbol, the publishing year, the name of the publisher,
the Library of Congress Catalog Number (LCCN), and the International
Standard Book Number (ISBN).
Q. How do I get my work copyrighted?
The law grants you copyright protection immediately upon creation
of your work. Thus, one need only place the name of the copyright
owner, the year of first publication, and the word "copyright"
and/or symbol somewhere within the document to secure copyright
protection. The use of a copyright notice is an author's responsibility
and does not require advanced permission from the US Copyright Office.
For more information click here US Copyright Office.
Q. What is the International Standard Book
Number (ISBN)?
The ISBN is a ten digit number that uniquely identifies a publication
worldwide. You can purchase an ISBN number from R.R. Bowker, the
US agency licensed to sell these numbers. The cost is $205 for ten
ISBN numbers. ISBN numbers are printed on the copyright page as
well as above the bar code on softback books. If one is printing
both a hard and a soft cover version of a document, an ISBN will
be needed for both versions. Click here for the ISBN website.
Q. Should I include a bar code?
The ISBN number is normally translated into a compatible bar code
format called Bookland EAN (European Article Number). Every bookstore
chain uses bar codes for scanning at registers so it is advantageous
for a publisher to place a bar code on the back cover of a book.
Multiple software programs are available that will produce bar code
and then it can be placed on the correct location on your back cover.
The bar code must be printed in black ink. For more information
please click here UPC/EAN Office.
Q. Should I include a Library of Congress
Catalog Number (LCCN)?
If you plan to sell your book to libraries, it is a good idea to
have an LCCN. All one needs to do is apply for a free Library of
Congress (LC) Pre-Assigned Card Catalog Number. Requests for this
number can be processed by clinking here Library of Congress.
Q. How do I prepare my text for
the printer?
We support the following programs:
- Quark express
- llustrator
- Photoshop
- Pagemaker
- Corel Draw
- Microsoft Word
*If your program choice is not listed,
please contact us to ensure that we can work with the program you
are using.
Q. What will the spine width be?
We use 50 pound off-set (an equivalent of copy paper) for the pages
of our books. If your book is one hundred pages (including ALL pages,
not just numbered pages), your sheet count would be 50 (100 divided
by 2 pages per sheet). You would then measure the 50 sheet thickness
(3/16ths of an inch) and add 1/16th of an inch to any measurement
for a total spine width of a quarter inch.
Q. How do I prepare the cover for the printer?
One can arrange the cover basically in any way one wishes, however,
these are some helpful hints to consider when designing your cover:
-
Front Cover: Need title, author's name, and
graphics (if applicable). If your graphic goes to the edge of
the cover, make sure that there is at least an eighth to quarter
inch "bleed room" extension of the graphic to ensure
that when the book is trimmed, no white is visible.
-
Spine (for perfect bound books):
Author's last name on top, the book title in the center, and
the publisher's name on the bottom
- Back Cover: Description of book, endorsements
(if applicable), bio of author if desired, and ISBN/bar code in
black ink.
Q. What final book size should I use?
We offer 3 standard book sizes including: trade paperback (5 1/2
x 8 1/2 inches and 6 x 9 inches) and workbooks (8 1/2 x 11 inches).
Should you need a customer book size, please contact us.
Q. What are my binding choices?
You have three binding choices:
-
Perfect: The standard paperback binding. Perfect
binding creates a flat spine where title, author and publisher
are printed.
-
Spiral: A wire is inserted through
a series of holes in a spiral fashion to bind the book. There
is no flat spine for printing title information.
-
Comb Binding: A plastic comb is inserted through
pre-cut holes to bind the book. There is no flat spine for printing
title information.
Q. What about
shipping costs?
Shipping costs are not included in your quote. We can ship your
products by a variety of methods, including UPS, FedEx ground or
overnight service.
Q. How do I distribute my book to www.Amazon.Com
and Barnes and Noble (www.bn.com)?
To be considered as an independent publisher or author, one must
follow the instructions on the Amazon.com website (www.amazon.com).
For bn.com, you must request an application to submit your title
(www.bn.com) Please be warned, these distributors usually require
60% of the retail price as payment for be listed on their site and
you have to pay to ship your books to them.
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