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Author
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Topic: First book gettin closer
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Charles
Administrator
Member # 7
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posted
Hey there folks, for those interested in my forthcoming first book, an update.
I've made progress to the point where I can say with a good degree of certainty that it looks to be the month of May as to when it will be coming out.
Something exciting I discovered in the process. Digital printing and book production, if in volume, is on parity with China as far as expense goes. It's now possible to get a book printed in the US with current digital printing technology at virtually the same price. And you get it delivered faster. A matter of 2 or 3 weeks as opposed to 3 months.
This has been and continues to be a significant learning experience for me in publishing.
I should be in a pre-sales mode by early May. Once the proof comes in and I'm happy with it and confident in the printer, I'll announce it online and disclose the nature of the work.
Thanks and best wishes to all.
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roger
IE # 141
Member # 2352
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posted
Yes but the chinese win hands down if there is any special quality labour proces like bookbinding, Pop-ups , Board Book, offset for the price of rotation etc. Fair enough time can be an issue but for most of our productions (1500+ pages per catalogue = heavy) seafreight becomes a good option and we have the advantage that Rotterdam is a very busy seaport ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
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http://www.canvas.nl
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Gagne Michel
IE # 40
Member # 365
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posted
Hey Charles, I just wrapped up a new book (64 pages - full color) and I was planning on going to press in the coming days. Everything is set up in a PDF and ready to go.
I've been investigating POD digital printing and I've decided to go that route with this particular title. After some research, I pretty much settled on Lulu. However, if you have found a better option, I'd love to hear it.
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knowledge
IE # 258
Member # 462
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posted
Congratulations Charles and I also second Michel's question that if you have a better option than Lulu, let us all know!!
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Charles
Administrator
Member # 7
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posted
I've been aware of Lulu for a while now and have researched their site and system. With Lulu, there's no money out of pocket when it comes to printing expenses. They'll cover the cost until your book sells, if you decide to sell through their site, then they withdraw that amount from the final price of the book that you set, plus a 20% fee of the difference on top of that. It's not a bad deal at all when you consider that you're getting your book printed, published and also marketed without spending any of your own money.
You can also use Lulu as a POD resource and get as many or as few books printed as you want, then have them shipped to you. If you're getting a very small run, Lulu pays off. You can put in an order for just 1 book printed and they'll do it. But if you go into volume, there isn't much of a discount at all. For example, a hardcover color book they would charge $38 for printing a single copy would be discounted to $35 if you ordered a thousand. You'd wind up paying $35,000 for a print job that would come in as low as a third of that or even less with other printers.
According to Dan Poynter's "Self Publishing Manual", a publisher's markup on a book should be 7 to 8 times the cost of printing if you expect to stay in business. Imagine how much you'd have to sell your book for if you used Lulu as a volume printer. If you apply that margin to Lulu, you get an idea as to how much their actual costs are to print your book.
Lulu is a valuable resource, but I was looking for someone to talk to and work with. Aside from the community based help centers and member forums, there didn't seem to be a way of communicating by phone one on one with an individual within the company prior to printing, to get more info or to establish a relationship. Maybe there is a way, but I couldn't find it. None the less, the future of publishing is definitely digital print on demand and I see this system getting better and more efficient as time and technology progress.
There's a few printers I've received quotes from. If you're looking to print and need some referrals, get in touch with me through AN, make sure your message reads attn: Charles, and I'll be happy to pass along info to you. Be a little patient with my response time please.
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Charles
Administrator
Member # 7
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posted
Man, I got a lot done the past few days. I'm at the point where I do believe I can say that this is the week where I'll be able to go to print with this. I've got most of the small detail work out of the way, proof reading, etc. About all that's left is one more pass through and adding a barcode.
I should be ready for presales by May 1 or thereabouts, with an idea of a release date soon. This is exciting. A new world of creative expression. Publishing a book. I'm hopeful it'll be well received. It sure has been fun working on it, and very educational as well I might add. The second time around will be smoother.
Thanks for indulging me with these updates, friends. Keep creating, it's the way of the future... way of the future... way of the future... That won't make sense unless you've seen Leonardo DiCaprio in "The Aviator".
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Shane Glines
IE # 87
Member # 2513
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posted
Lulu has been great for me- very easy to use- fast, high quality, professional, and quick to respond to any problems that come up- and you don't have to pay anything to get started.
The only problem is the high price of hard cover, full color printing. My "S Curves" book is over 400 color pages, and the cost comes to almost $80. I doubt I would use them again for a color art book for that reason, although I have printed up several different art books just for myself because it's fun and still amazing to me that I can publish my own professional hardcover art books and have them delivered to my door in two weeks.
If your book is black & white softcover Lulu would be a great option. For color I would look at other options.
Good luck with the book, Charles.
S.
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www.shaneglines.net
www.cartoonretro.com
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gergley
IE # 200
Member # 74
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posted
Hi. I'm not totally up on the POD trends. But, a while ago I read something about how Amazon.com was going to limit POD publications that are sold via its site to publishers who use Amazon's POD service.
This might not be a big thing, especially since LULU seems to be the go-to service for a lot of self-publishers. But, to be frank, it was news to me that self-publishers could even be listed on Amazon.com.
Sooooo...I bring it up in case the info is of use to anyone. If it is, you might want to seek more information on it.
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Charles
Administrator
Member # 7
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posted
Well guys, about all that's left is the copyright page and putting a barcode on the back cover. Getting the last of the production details worked out with the printer, looks like next week it goes to press.
I'll be ready for pre-sales around early May. Got a friend helping to build a site for it, plus the best news, I started scanning stuff for a follow up book I'm planning.
I appreciate the good word and well wishes from everyone, thank you! This is fun. Keep Creating!
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