A Quick Glance at Self-Publishing
So I thought about self-publishing for a while. I decided not to do it
(mostly 'cause I found an publisher to do it for me), but here's a little
info that might be helpful to those considering it for their own work.
Keep in mind that a) I only consulted one source -- there may well be
plenty of places where it can be done cheaper, and b) there's a couple of
good books on the subject out, which if you decide you want to actually
do this, you should probably read first. Misc.writing is also a good
newsgroup to ask for advice in.
1-800-537-6727
(I talked to a very nice man named Tim.)
They do fairly quality, professional-looking work. They sent me a free
sample book, which looked like anything you'd find in a real bookstore
(somewhat thin).
For a book of 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 dimensions, already laid-out in
Pagemaker on Mac or DOS (if it's already in Postscript, it would be
cheaper), white cover, black print, paperback, they gave me the
following estimates in April of 1996 -- obviously, don't expect to
hold them to these numbers:
- 56 pages (28 sheets of paper)
- 50 copies - $1,153
- 100 copies - $1,170
- 250 copies - $1,266
- 500 copies - $1,359
- 64 pages
- 50 copies - $1,124 ($22.48/book)
- 100 copies - $1,144 ($11.44/book)
- 250 copies - $1,247 ($5.00/book)
- 500 copies - $1,349 ($2.70/book)
- 72 pages
- 50 copies - $1,276
- 100 copies - $1,299
- 250 copies - $1,398
- 500 copies - $1,499
- 1000 copies - $1,939
As you can clearly see, it's well worth investing the extra money to take it
to a thousand copies, if you have a hope of selling that many. I didn't write
down the quote for a color cover, but each b/w photograph for the interior was
a $10.50/photo flat fee. Keep in mind distribution costs (packaging,
postage), possible storage fees (if you don't have a spare basement), and
factor in your own time (and lots of it). Consider whether you want to
deal with the extra hassle of shipping overseas. Think about whether you
want to mail directly to people who order over the web/e-mail, or whether you
plan to use bookstores. Think about layout and artists (I found people who
volunteered to do both for a percentage of profits, but you may need to pay
people up front).
Another option is to bind it yourself, btw. I'm told that there is a
binding machine available for less than $300 that allows you to bind
together up to 1" of regular-sized paper, 8 1/2 x 11. It is hard-cover
and costs about $3 per book. The binding itself can be done in less than
a minute per book.
Whatever you choose, it's a LOT of work, from what I've seen. The main
benefit is that you have complete creative control over your book, from
start to finish. Best of luck, whatever you decide.
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