Cost for Design and Layout
The fee for
design and layout of perfect-bound books varies from book to book
and is billed at $36 to $50 per hour ($35 is the "discount-to-the
muse" and
struggling writers' rate; $40-$45 is the rate for nonprofit organizations; $50 is the professional or business rate
for authors who know they have a niche market and will have no problem
retailing books). Costs for design and layout have varied between $165
and $1800, depending on the complexity of the
book. Generally, design and
layout costs average between $250 and $350, more if books require
editing and proofing or extensive revisions, or there are multiple photographs or an index. This includes final preparation and
shipment
of camera-ready
files
and, when need be, hard copy, to the printer — or uploading
of files to a print-on-demand house.
There is an additional fee of $20 for a Wordrunner Press ISBN (barcode included),
if desired. A Library of Congress number is free
if the book is eligible. Note that Kindle Direct Publishing supplies a free ISBN (but no LOC number). See FAQs for more
information.
Wordrunner Press (WP) bills only after the books have been approved
for printing. Payment is due in full once the books are received, by
check
or paypal. The
ISBN will not be registered until final payment is received.
Cost for Printing
The printers listed below do high quality work at reasonable
costs; however, WP will work with any printer authors designate.
Costs for printing and binding
books are on Gorham Printing's price
charts for "ready-to-print" books. There you select
the size of book and estimated number of pages to determine prices
for so many
copies. You can also figure out approximate shipping costs or WP will
do it for you.
If over 500 books are ordered, it becomes more cost effective to offset
print them. Perfect bound (glued) covers are digital color laser prints,
unless more than 1300 books are ordered.
Once book production is underway and the number
of pages is ascertained, you'll get an estimate from Gorham
by email, which eventually you must sign and return to them with a
check for half the total
amount
due.
At the same time, WP ships camera ready files and hard copy.
After you review the galleys, if anything needs to
be changed, WP will
do it for you (Gorham charges $80 an hour for revisions).
Final payment
to Gorham is due when the books are received.
Second printings: You can order additional
books yourself directly from Gorham. First, contact WP to add "Second
Printing" and date to
the publications credits page, at no additional cost. There is no discount
for ordering additional books. The more you order, the less it costs
to print.
Smythe sewn books: The printer broker (Lorna Johnson of Petaluma) is also
paid separately, half up front and final payment on receipt of books.
Each job is custom priced. Ms. Johnson offers extremely competitive rates and
high quality printing.
Print-on-demand payment arrangements with print on demand (POD) companies such as Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) (formerly CreateSpace) are
different. Authors can open an account and upload the final files created
by WP,
thereby maintaining complete control over ordering and marketing.
Otherwise, WP can handle some or all details,
but, in either case, payment for printing must be made in advance
to the POD company or WP. Easy-to-use calculators on
the KDP site estimate cost of books at different sizes. Note: If
even one color page is added to the book, the entire book is priced
for color, which substantially
increases the cost. Authors can always order books at cost
plus shipping, from one copy to hundreds. Books printed by POD companies can
be sold on those sites at a retail markup. Any profits from sales (royalties)
are deposited in the author's bank account.
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