Print alternatives

Book printing currently offers two options. 

Batch or traditional printing can be long or short runs, one-off runs or reprints. Print on Demand books are only produced to fulfil an order. There is no stock, and no warehousing or storage costs involved. 

With batch printing, you obtain quotes for the printing process and you set the price. For Print on Demand, we prepare the costing and help you set the price of your book. The calculations show you how much you will receive per copy for books sold. As we act as your agent for POD, we must agree the pricing structure of the book. You fill in the form and pay the initial POD fee.

With traditional printing, you will receive galley proofs to check before the printing starts. With POD, the book designer will send some sample pages and cover designs for your approval. We will quote any further costs involved.

With batch printing, you have to make arrangements for the delivery & storage of your books. For POD there is only a small annual fee to maintain your book in the POD system.

At this stage your printer would normally show you a copy of your book in proof form, which needs to be corrected before the final go-ahead is given for printing. If you want to make any changes your contract will tell you who has to pay. With POD, WritersServices sends you two copies of the printing contract. This covers how your book will be printed and distributed and how the money will be collected and passed on to you. You should check it carefully before returning a signed copy. 

If you are using a specialist or batch printer, the cost of printing and delivery will normally be billed on completion. Once we receive your contract we will bill you for any additional POD fees. We will issue an ISBN if required and send the barcode to the designer.

With the traditional approach, the book is then printed, bound and any dust jacket fitted. There are warehouse and distribution companies who will hold copies on your behalf. Copies can be held in sheet form (i.e. unbound) until required to save some money. With POD, the book is printed or 'published' on the POD system and we order the copies agreed in our contract with you, normally about 20, for legal deposit, your initial copies and any agreed promotions.

Traditionally, a book is published by making it available for people to buy and read. With POD, the book trade is notified, through the normal channels, that the title is available.

Please bear in mind that if you do want a larger quantity of books, we can negotiate and handle this for you. POD printers can offer better prices for bigger runs which would normally be handled through batch printers.

The next stage is to sell your book