Book Binding Primer for Self Publishers

First time self publishers often seem to get hung up on what book cover they need for their first book. In almost every case we hear first time self publishers who want their books to be published in hardcover. That is, until they hear the price. Hardcover books are great, they are the premium of the book world, they last forever, look great and ooze quality - but - they are expensive. If you are a self publisher and you are paying the bill and a batch of say only 500 books is costing you say $20 each (plus shipping) you can easily be starting off with a bill of $10,000.00  No small sum to get started.

Hardcover versus Softcover
Compare that to a minimum book order of soft cover books, same size same quality, with a color cover, but now we can print a minimum of only 25 books, and now the price is only $5.00 per book for a total price of only $125.00  Now doesn't that sound a bit more comfortable. Thats the kind of issues we see on a daily basis. What I tell first time self publishers is this. Before you invest $10,000 in a book that you don't even know how well it is going to sell, first try out a few books in softcover to see how they go ... then, if they sell like crazy and you really want to make the investment, go for the hard cover books.

Spiral Bound

There are more options available than just hard and soft cover choices.  First you must know who your audience is. For example, we recommend spiral bound books for both cook books and for children's books, Why? ... simply because they lay flat which means they are easier for children to manage just as they are easier to manage when you are cooking, you don't always want to be touching the book to keep the pages open. There is a limit to the number of pages for spiral bound books, but most projects we have been involved with have been well within the limits.

Saddleback
If you are doing a small book, almost like a how-to book or small manual, a saddleback book might just be the answer. For small inexpensive books of about 30 pages or less, a saddleback book could work. The pages are simply printed on a double width page then folded over and a couple of staples inserted down the spine of the book; easy simple and inexpensive.

Softcover
By far the greatest number of books we produce are softcover books with color covers. They look great, are reasonable in price and we can print them in quantities that are reasonable for most self publishers, often we can print as few as 10 or 15 book minimums, depending on page numbers.

I always tell authors, your first book will be the one that is the most agonizing for you because it is the one you are learning on, so be patient, ask lots of questions, take advice from the pros, and watch your budget, do not let it get out of hand because there will likely be more books you will want to do in the future so make your first book you learning experience and have some fun with it.

Copyright - Colin Knecht
Bookmark Self Publishing

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