The production process begins with your emailing the manuscript to
Jo-Anne Rosen at publish@wordrunner.com.
There are two production phases: (1) Design and layout by Wordrunner
Press and (2) printing and binding, which is handled separately (see below).
Design and Layout
Design:If you have any preferences at all with
regard to fonts, layout or cover design, please advise. Also include
a photo of yourself and brief bio if you would like that on the back
cover. If you have a photo or illustration you think might work for
the front cover, send that as well. Otherwise, Wordrunner Press designs
a book based on its content and presents you with two or three cover
designs, using stock photos or other artwork.
Any artwork should be scanned at 300 dpi and the
files emailed. Alternately, artwork can be mailed to Wordrunner and
scanned here. The art will be returned with the first cover proof.
Books may also have photographs or illustrations inside, which can
be printed in black or (at significantly greater expense) in color.
Dimensions of books. Standard sizes are 5 x 8 inches,
5½ x 8½ inches, 6 x 9 inches and 8 x 10 inches,
but books can be trimmed smaller, if desired (or larger, depending
on which printer is selected). The size of the book should
be
agreed on early on.
Light editing and proofing services are also available.
If not requested, the final “flyspeck” proof of the galleys
is in your court. It's a good idea to ask a trusted friend to look
it over.
Drafts are sent to authors via email (pdf files), unless a printout is
requested.
Printing and Binding
Printing: Wordrunner Press does not print books. They are digitally printed and perfect bound, either via CreateSpace (see POD below) or at Gorham
Printing in the Seattle, WA area, and shipped directly
to the author via UPS. As few as 25 copies may be ordered from Gorham,
but the price decreases as more copies are ordered. Hard cover and
spiral binding are also available.
Gorham Printing emails the author a pdf proof. Changes may still be made at that point
for a small surcharge. (There are almost always changes!) See Costs for
more information.
Smythe-sewn covers are stitched as well as glued.
This is an archival library binding, recommended where more than
1,000 books will be printed, as that is when the cost would be about
the same as for books that are simply glued (perfect bound). A smythe-sewn
binding is more durable and when the books are open, the pages lie
relatively flat. These books may be printed anywhere
in the world. Arrangements are handled by a printer broker.
Print on Demand (POD). This is an excellent option for
printing small numbers of books. It is possible to order only one copy
for a relatively low price.
The book must be camera-ready and the final “proof” is
a finished book (which can then be revised, if need be). POD books are often purchased at
the POD site. If you really can't invest any time in marketing your
book, this is be the way to go.
The most affordable POD option is createspace.com, which is an Amazon affiliate. This means books can be sold on the Amazon site without an additional fee. (Amazon takes a larger percentage, so royalties are less than they are when readers purchase book on the CreateSpace site.) Books printed by CreateSpace can have as few as 24 pages (no printing on spine).
For a more detailed overview of online POD companies, see this comparison chart. (Some information may be out of date.)
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