How do I self-publish a non-fiction book?

Question

Subject matter would be geared toward middle-aged adults

Answer 1

Depends on your budget.

Trade books sizes are the most popular but the most expensive because you cut away a lot of blank paper.

For economy you go with either 8x11 or 5x7

You MUST have an ISBN number or NO ONE will sell it for you. You have to buy 10 ISBNs at a time and it's like $300

Maybe you can find a printer who sells individual ISBN numbers.

Catalog printing companies will get you the best rate.

Should be an 8 or 16 web minimum.

Don't know if Digital printing has become cost effective yet.

You need to have perfect pages, clean type in the PROPER size for reproduction at the size of pages you want. You'll have to experiment with this.

1 1/2" inside margin and 1" margins top, bottom and outside.

You must do your own page numbering and indexing.

Be a good idea to have headers with the book name or chaper name, but that's an option.

Footer for the page numbers maybe center bottom or top

Just before you are READY to go to print for REAL you should apply to the Library of Congress for a cataloging number IN ADVANCe and include that up front on the Copyright PAge near the bottom.

It takes about a month to get this and it's free and it will help get you LIBRARY business.

When you have it ready call up some Catalog printers for quotes.

If the book is over 100 pages it can be Perfect Bound otherwise it will be stapled.

Get the UV coating on the cover front and back

ISBN goes on the back cover near the bottom.

You will HAVE TO PAY to get software to do the BAR CODE unless the PRINTER will do that for you from the ISBN code number. Ask the PRitner if they can Bar Code it for you

Otherwise it's another $100 for the software.

So, remember to ask the printer if they can sell you an ISBN and do the Bar Code for you an get that in the quote.

If a printer charges $200 higher than another but can do the bar code and provide an ISBN it's worth it to go with the higher biddern and saver youself $$ unless you want to Ebay the other 9 ISBN numbers or go into business selling ISBNS (at cost) and bar coding them (at profit).

I think it's illegal to sell ISBNs at a profit.

OR, if you have a FRIEND in CANADA, ask them to get you a ISBN. It's free to Canadians.

England might have better terms too!

A UPC is not GENERALLY required, but it can be a good idea. UPCs are free, but you will need to code taht also, the same $100 program should generate a UPC code as well as ISBN

If you go with a UPC put it in a different place. Maybe the bottom left on the back cover.

BUT you MUST have that ISBN to get into Amazon and Bookstores.

Cover is low cost black on white card stock, some will do black on color card stock (color inside and out).

Multi-color covers are expensive.

You MUST have your cover artwork ready, including BLEED area if it is a color cover, plus that ISBN on the back and it should be in a WHITE BOXED area on a color cover.

Then you get it printed and try and sell them.

You might be able to get a distributor like Ingram in Tennesse to pick it up, but they generally want a promotional program. They want to see if you are bicycling cable Access shows promoting it, doing the country at small books stores, doing things like Elderhostles, doing College Extension programs or LEarning Tree type places.

They want to know how deep your distribution of review copies will be to the press and to TV.

Then it's on consignment. You give them 1,000 copies and in six months they send you back 900 dog earied copies and 35% of the cover price in payment on the other 100 copies. You have to pay shipping both ways.

You should buy an ad in Library Journal or Library review ($300 t0 $750) to see if you get any lbrary sales.

There are 2,000 public and private libraries in the US and a few many buy the book.

Or you can hit them indivudally with postcards or mailers.

Within 90 days of publication you have to supply the Library of Congress with a free copy.

It might be a good idea file for a published copyright and send the two copies, one of which goes to the Library. $30 fee for this.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Check out http://www.lulu.com - a reputable POD publisher. You're in charge of everything, though, except printing - meaning you do the technical layout of the book, the cover, the formatting.

It's free publishing and you keep all the rights. You don't pay unless you order your own book.