Frequently asked questions about publishing in paperback or hardback
F.A.Q.s:
Do you have a list of editors and cover designers who can help me with my book before i submit it?Yes, but all payments for their services are made through us in advance.
Can i have my book published in the uk and the usa?Yes we will automatically make it available on either or both sides of the Atlantic unless you request otherwise.
How much do i earn from retail sales?The authors share of any retail sales revenue will be a 60/40 split (in your favour) of net revenue. The net revenue is what is left after the print costs, and the bookseller margins have been deducted from the cover price. (RRP). In the case of e-books the costs are Credit or Debit card charges and VAT, which is chargable on e-books only.
How often do i get my royalties?We pay royalties quaterly, starting 6 months after publication date.
Can i buy books for myself and how much do they cost?Authors can of course also buy a supply of copies to retail themselves This is charged at print cost + 25% (20% for enhanced service authors) of the retail price +
How much does it cost to print each copy of a book?To print our book sizes (up to 246 x 189 mm)- we are charged 1 penny in the UK or 1.3 cents in the USA, per page of text plus 70 pence in the UK or 90 cents in the USA for the cover per copy produced. Therefore a 180 page book will cost
Can i insert pictures or illustrations in my book?The Quick answer is black and white, yes, colour, yes but currently restricted to two sizes only.
How long before my book is available to buy through bookshops?From the moment we submit your book to the printers, unless you have specifically asked for a 'proof-copy' (not to be confused with the 'sample' copy,) the details of the book are entered into the ISBN system which is the standard method of cataloguing all titles worldwide, and your book will begin to appear on Internet bookstores such as Amazon within a week to 10 days. At the same time the ISBN details are sent to all bookshops and therefore your book should also be available to order through high street outlets simultaneously. However please be aware that a lot of book shops only update their catalogue records monthly, so it will take a few weeks for every shop to be fully conversant with new titles.
How does the isbn and distribution system work?Your book is give a unique identifying number known as an ISBN or International Standard Book Number which is registered with the various ISBN agencies, such as Nielsen Bookdata in the UK, who supply the bookshops and Internet stores such as Amazon, with title and availability information. Along with the ISBN other basic information is also supplied such as title, author(s), size of book and synopsis. The ISBN also identifies the publisher. For example our ISBNs all start with 0-7552, whch tels the Booktrade that it is published by Authors On Line Ltd.However since Feb 1st 2007, a new system called ISBN13 has come into operation and all books currently have two ISBNs, one with 10 numbers and one with 13 numbers. This was introduced because we were running outof numbers under the old system. So now Authors On Line books under ISBN13 start with 978 and become 978-0-7552.
All our books are also automatically distributed through the major book wholesalers in the UK and the USA, through which most bookshops order their titles. The major players are Gardners Books and Bertrams Books in the UK and Ingrams in the USA. So when a bookshop wants a copy of your book, it simply orders through its normal wholesaler and the orders are automatically channelled through to our printers, who print and supply without redress to us. We simply get notification of sales on a monthly basis, or we can look up current sales in real time via their website.
Will my book be on the bookshelves of major (or local) bookshops?No, not unless you persuade individual stores to stock them. POD is designed for prepaid books to be ordered through bookstores. Individual customers order the book and pay for it. The order is then placed through that bookshop's normal wholesaler and distributor. The book is printed and delivered back to the bookshop, usually within 3 - 5 days - thus 'Print (or manufactured) on Demand'. Shelf space is invariably taken by 'litho' printed titles and in the case of large bookstore chains is often 'reserved' by the major publishing houses.Our Individual authors however often persuade their local bookstore(s) to hold a few copies but none of the major bookstores are ever going to order POD books as standard stock items. This is because POD is a prepaid system, whereas stocking a bookstore is a 'sale or return' system. Bookshops order shelf copies of a particular title via their wholesaler, with whom they usually have a credit arrangement and pay for that title within a certain time frame, usually 90 days, or return any unsold copies. The POD system by definition does not have any returns policy.
Can my book be bought anywhere in the world?Yes, but only by mail order outside of the normal distribution areas of Ingrams in the US, Gardners or Bertrams in the UK. At the moment we do not have distribution to bookshops outside of the UK, USA, Canada, Mexico and some parts of Europe.
What is the minimum and maximum number of my own books i can buy at my discounted rate?The minimum number is a single copy, but the order will be subject to postage and packing and a possible additional charge per item, so in most cases the minimum economical level is 25. There is no maximum, but if a single order is more than 2000 copies POD may not be the most economical way to proceed!
Will my book be available via amazon?It most certainly will! It will appear on Amazon.com if we publish your title in the US, and Amazon.co.uk if we publish it in the UK. It will also appear on every other Internet bookstore that subscribes to the ISBN data feeds provided by the various ISBN agencies.
Do you market or help to sell my book once you have published it?We do not judge submitted books on their commercial merits, so consequently we can not afford to market them. If we did we would, like traditional publishers, be forced to turn down 99%. However, we don't throw you to the wolves and do offer help where we can. We would suggest you visit our marketing page where our philosophy and marketing policy is fully explained. Most sales will however have to be made as a result of your own efforts. If you are not prepared to market and sell your own book we would advise that you are unlikely to see a return on your investment.
Can i publish for private use only?Yes you can. We don't have to make your book available for public distribution and we can always do so at a later date. We would still allocate an ISBN to your title, as our printers use the ISBN system for processing, but we would not register it with any of the agencies until you say so. It would also mean that we wouldn't mention it on our website or make it available as an e-book. Our rules of, legal, honest and decent do however still apply; we are not in the business of printing subversive or pornographic work for private distribution! And our printers wouldn't print it anyway!
What size books can you print?Our complete range of books sizes are (Click on link to our printers website to see the layout of a cover template): - 5 x 8" (203 x 127) Perfect Bound
- 5.5 x 8.5" (216 x 140) Perfect Bound
- 6 x 9" (229 x 152) Perfect Bound
- 6.14 x 9.21" (234 x 156) Perfect Bound
- 6.69 x 9.61" (244 x 170 ) (Pinched Crown) Perfect Bound
- 7 x 10" (254 x 178 ) Perfect Bound
- 7.44 x 9.69" (246 x 189) Perfect Bound
- 7.5 x 9.25" (235 x 191) Perfect Bound
- 8.25 x 11" (280 x 210) Perfect Bound
- 8.268 x 11.693 " (297 x 210 ) A4 Perfect Bound
- 5.5 x 8.5" (216 x 140) Casebound
- 6 x 9" (229 x 152) Casebound
- 6.14 x 9.21" (234 x 156) Casebound
- 7 x 10" (254 x 178 ) Casebound
- 5.5 x 8.5" (216 x 140) Dustjacket
- 6 x 9" (229 x 152) Dustjacket
- 6.14 x 9.21" (234 x 156) Dustjacket
- 8.5 x 8.5" (216 x 216) Color Perfect Bound
- 8.5 x 11" (280 x 216) Color Perfect Bound
- 8.5 x 8.5" (216 x 216) Color Saddle Stitch
- 8.5 x 11" (280 x 216) Color Saddle Stitch
What are the most popular book sizes?Our three most popular sizes are:5 x 8" (203 x 127) Perfect Bound
5.5 x 8.5" (216 x 140) Perfect Bound - DEMI
6.14 x 9.21" (234 x 156) Perfect Bound - Royal
What is your maximum and minimum page count for paperback editions? The minimum number of pages for black and white interiors is 48 and the maximum is 740 pages for books of 6 x 9" (229 x 152) or smaller, and 828 pages maximum for all sizes greater than 6 x 9".Please note that for books of between 48 and 108 pages the print cost will be as an 108 page book
Books containing any interior colour content have a minimum number of 4 pages and the maximum is 480 pages
Please note that for books of between 4 and 16 pages the print cost is as a 16 page book
Also please note that all final page counts must be divisible by 4 with the last page being completely blank which is reserved for a check barcode and other coded production information by our printers.
By way of an example:
What is your maximum and minimum page count for hardback editions?We also publish in hardback, where the minimum number of pages is 96 and the maximum is 1,100 pages up to size 234 x 156, 924 pages for Crown Quarto, and 406 pages for the A4 size.
What is the weight of the paper for paperback edition?It's approximately equal to photocopy paper and as such when held up to the light will show the writing or picture printed on the other side. Books smaller than 156 X 234 are printed on cr
What is the weight of your paperback covers? Paperback covers will be printed on white, 250gsm (80-lb) offset, enamel paper and laminated. Please note that books with a page count of less than 80 pages can not have spine text.
What is the weight of the paper forhardback books?Hardbacks are bound in 250gsm (80lb) cr
