Good luck Peter with your enterprise. You might visit Luminous Landscape; Michael Reichmann wrote an article there within the last couple of years about his experience getting books printed overseas--China I think.
There were a total of around 160 pages, mixed colour and B&w...which can make a difference. The company I think was called Copy General...need to check. They needed alot of managing, and I paid a friend of mine who was a publisher to manage it all...I paid her $1500. The books retailed for around $42...or at least in Euros they were Euro35 each in 2006. I made a good profit, but I also took all the risk. You need to consider which approach you want to follow. Oh I also arranged a launch party which cost Euro 1000, but the place I had it then displayed my prints there for 6 months, I sold several canvese and prints from this as a sideline....and ofcourse got word of mouth. Ultimately the book made it into the national press, and I even got an interview! Rgds, Kal
Not any more, I have moved back to Europe, and sell the odd one here and there, if someone contacts me after seeing it on someone else's table. I didn't get an ISBN number since the bulk of the sales were intended in China. I personally would not repeat it the way I did. It was alot of hard work and took the fun out of photography for me (it took three months to slelect images, layout the book with my publkisher friend etc....and then after release, there was six months of marketing on weekends etc). Blurb seems to be an easier option without the stress of the outlay. The advantage of Blurb is that you can produce a single printed book, and use it as a basis for seeing if outlets are interested. You can then get it an ISBN number...but as I say...you don't make much money the Blurb route (I know a couple of people who have produced books through Blurb, like Suzanne Levy on APUG). Depends on what you are wanting out of this. The act itself, or as an investment/return project. K
As an aside, I've frequently wondered why the publishing industry hasn't gone to POD for all but its very top-list authors--JK Rowling, John Grisham, and their like.
Wouldn't it make sense to accept higher per-book production costs, but print only what is ordered with virtually no unsold books or other "carrying" costs?
No, mainly because the economics of commercial trade publishing doesn't work unless at least a few thousand copies are sold of a new book anyway. Unless you've got a way to eliminate editorial costs, typesetting, advertising and promotional costs, corporate overhead, etc. and etc. On the other hand, POD makes a lot of sense for slower-moving backlist where those costs have already been amortized.
Also, as long as you're moving physical product through retail channels, there will be unsold books. No matter what.
As to printing, it's been a few years since I've had to do any print buying, but you might look to see who's doing printing in Iceland. You didn't say where you were, and whether you needed color or b&w (makes a big difference). Some years ago I saw some print samples from a printer in Iceland (the name unfortunately escapes me at this time), some museum exhibit catalogs, both b&w and color, and the work was absolutely top-notch. Really, some of the best half-tone repro I'd ever seen. Prices were not too bad, even at shorter runs, though more than Hong Kong.
Sponsored Ad. (Subscribers to APUG
have the option to remove this ad.)
My father has just had a collection of poems published that he completed online though an Irish company called Choice Publishing. A quick look at their site and I could find prices, which were very reasonable, as well as an option to choose full colour picture books .
When they arrived, the box included book marks, with the name of the book and author, and invitations to the "Book launch" at a time and place to be decided by the author.
We're all busy planning that bit now
His book turned out brilliantly, but it is poetry and therefore simply type apart from the front cover, but it may just be well worth a look?
__________________ Síle
Quotation is a serviceable substitute for wit... Oscar Wilde
[ You can then get it an ISBN number...but as I say...you don't make much money the Blurb route (I know a couple of people who have produced books through Blurb, like Suzanne Levy on APUG). Depends on what you are wanting out of this. The act itself, or as an investment/return project. K[/quote]
unfortunately its the investment/return option. the stupid option!
As to printing, it's been a few years since I've had to do any print buying, but you might look to see who's doing printing in Iceland. You didn't say where you were, and whether you needed color or b&w (makes a big difference). Some years ago I saw some print samples from a printer in Iceland (the name unfortunately escapes me at this time), some museum exhibit catalogs, both b&w and color, and the work was absolutely top-notch. Really, some of the best half-tone repro I'd ever seen. Prices were not too bad, even at shorter runs, though more than Hong Kong.
full colour if you can remember any of the printing house names that would be fantastic!
My father has just had a collection of poems published that he completed online though an Irish company called Choice Publishing. A quick look at their site and I could find prices, which were very reasonable, as well as an option to choose full colour picture books .
When they arrived, the box included book marks, with the name of the book and author, and invitations to the "Book launch" at a time and place to be decided by the author.
We're all busy planning that bit now
His book turned out brilliantly, but it is poetry and therefore simply type apart from the front cover, but it may just be well worth a look?
i'll check them out,thanks a million and congratulations to your father.
Linear Mode
