Printing and Binding Guide

When you decide to self-publish, there are a number of things you will have to consider. This Printing and Binding Guide is designed to help lead you through the process of publishing a book yourself. Of course, you will need someone to print and bind it for you, but that goes beyond the scope of this guide.

After you have written your book, there are a still a lot of things you need to contemplate. Writing the book is only part of the process in actually CREATING a book. You will also need to consider the following: Cover Design or Cover Art, Interior Design (which includes the font, margins, and graphics), Book Size, Printing and Binding, and Marketing.

Remember that your vision is the best one of what the book can be, and work with your publisher to realize it.

Printing and Binding Guide

• Cover Design

  People do judge books by their covers, so make sure that yours makes a favorable impression! Make sure that the cover reflects the feel of your work, both in color and image. A few things to keep in mind are what your characters look like, what the theme of your book is, and who you expect your audience to be and what will grab their eye! Try sketching out a few designs on paper, with figures and titles blocked in, to see what the main effect will be. If you can design the cover or have it designed for you, it will benefit you greatly. You know best what the cover of your book should look like. If, however, you need our help, we can provide some names and links to excellent graphic designers who can work with you to create a book cover.

• Interior Design

  When a reader opens up your book, what is he or she going to see? You want to avoid a look that is too cluttered, but you also don’t want them to feel like you are "stuffing" the book by having margins that are too wide. Everything from chapter headings to fonts are things that you need to think about, so give some thought to the "whole package" that your book presents. Font sizes range from 10-12 points. The left size of the page will have what is called a "gutter". This is the area where the book is bound together. You don't want your words to be too close to the gutter area or they will be unreadable. For that reason, your left margin needs to be a bit wider than your right margin.

• Book Size

  Will your book fit best tucked into a backpack, or will it only be comfortable carried under someone's arm? Larger books can be fairly unwieldy so avoid them unless you have published a workbooks or manual. Using 5.5" by 8.5" or 6" by 9" are more standard sizes, especially for fiction works. While these may be more common sizes, keep in mind that there's no reason your book can't be whatever shape you think will be the most popular with your readers! The only caveat is that some bookstores do not like carrying odd sized books.

• Printing and Binding

  We use digital printing and perfect binding at Vaughan Instant Publishing. There are a number of options including offset printing, but weigh each option carefully and bear in mind that you may face expensive options that don't necessarily match your needs. We work very hard to keep our prices low so that you can have your book printed and bound quickly and economically while maintaining outstanding quality.

• Marketing

  When it comes to publishing, marketing your book can be almost as much work as writing it! Remember that you are the best person to sell your book; after all, you're the one who knows who should be reading it and who will get the most out of it! For a start, visit your local bookstores and ask them to carry your books. Offer to do book tours and signings and remember to make a press release to all your local newspapers and radio stations! And remember, in this day and age, having a well-made website can be a terrific tool for getting your name and your book out there! Follow each of the links to find out more about the various aspects of marketing. We do our best to help you each step of the way.

To contact us for a quote on your project, follow this link: Contact Us

If you are finished reading this Printing and Binding Guide, click here to read about the kinds of books we create

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