Gentlemen, I have learned something about book writing/printing that I would like to share. I have a friend who estimates jobs for one of the biggest printers in Dallas. They have all kinds of presses including digital machines used by the P.O.D. publishers. Don said that a book size is cheapest to print if it fits the big piece of paper they use. If the book page size is 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" 8 copies {both sides at once} can be printed on one piece of paper! It is all digital and once your book is 'set up in their computer' they can run off a thousand copies easily. Now the advantage of the P.O.D. publisher/printer is that they print as many copies as they need right then. With no one thousand copies siting around in some warehouse getting dusty. The P.O.D. printer takes the orders for say a month or two and prints/ships whatever sells. Dons company would produce a much better product because he knows what he is doing and is a friend. Now, the advantage of having a friend like old Don, is that I can get my book all set up with paper weight and type, type size, correct margins, photographs, And know exactly what to tell the 'P.O.D. printer', and be sure I'm right. The P.O.D. publisher/printer should get the job anyway as Dons company doesn't want to mess with something that small. Least of all ship and collect on the final product. That's what P.O.D. printers/publishers do and that is a good idea. One P.O.D. publisher said in their literature that 'they send authors a check every 3 months'. I realized that is why I have heard complaints about turn around time to fill an order with P.O.D. outfits. that: "they take 2-3 months to fill an order"! But they have to wait 2-3 months for orders to pile up before they print and ship the books. They can't print one book! Four times a year the POD guy takes the orders from one author, prints and ships them. So I'll just warn people about that. I can plan the size book at 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" {with text 6 1/2" x 4"} 250 pages, and know it will take 113,000 words to fill them. {I have 85,000 now or enough for 188 pages} I can size the text on my computer therefore saving a grand on editing. And when I get the book ready just shoot it to the P.O.D. printer/publisher ready to go! {Hope I had 'room' for another post Cogito dude} Y'all take care... Jack the Knife
Interesting about the page size best for PODs, and certainly some printers are better than others. It is good that you have a friend that works at a good one. A major thing to consider is once the book is printed, how will it be distributed--how readers learn about it and how will it get into their hands? Terry
Gentlemen, I just talked to Ken at xlibrus publishing, I called and asked: Since my book is on my computer in #12 type could I retype this and save editing costs, or can you fix this a page at a time? He said that they can fix that easily. And since my text is wider than 4" {which would fit on a 5 1/2" page} can they fix this too? Yes. If I sent in my book to xlibrus in #12 size type, and with margins wider than would fit a 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" page, can they change this a page at a time and not have to type through the entire book in order to fix the type size and text width? You wouldn't believe what he said! "Of course we can! We have software that is designed to do this". So I am light years closer to publishing my book! I don't have to type through the entire thing just get the text in order so it will fit the page but just send it in and they can do the rest. I told Ken also that my book is written in m.s.word, but stored in a forum based story stash. It is a private 'pro-boards forum'. Imagine 25 lines, 1-2-3-4... with line 1-25, being named: cover, blank page, title page, Library of Congress, preface, foreword, table of contents, list of illustrations, Chapter 1. Chapter 2... 3. 4. ect... When I click on Chapter 1. I get {like in PDF a 10' long page} Click on Chapter 2. and the same, every Chapter is a continous long page. I asked Ken if they could chop these long pages into 7" tall text with 4" wide text and #10 type? No problem he said, that's what we do, its easy, and there's not even an extra charge. I am so happy I wanted to share this, it saves me a years work. I may go with out beer for 3 months and eat beans too, in order to get my book published before the deadline for 1/2 price publishing on their premium package. That I can afford. The last day of August is the deadline and I said: 'call me back a few days before and if this can be finished I'll let you know then'. Jack the Knife Sandymay und von Dukedog {My name is Jack and I make knives} {I write books} Thank you...♪
