book printing
Paperback Versus Hardcover: How Should You Print Your Book?
January 17, 2011
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by Katie Steigman
If you’re taking the reins on how your book is being printed, you’ve probably already come to face-to-face with the many available options. We’ve talked before on the Big Bad Book Blog about print-on-demand versus traditional printing, but we thought it might also be helpful to discuss binding style. Paperback, hardcover, mass market—everyone has seen these formats in bookstores, but how do you decide which is right for your book?
Let’s start by clarifying a few terms:
Paperback (also called soft cover or perfect-bound) books usually have a cover made from paperboard or a very thick stock, and the pages are attached to the binding with glue. When we talk about paperback books, we typically mean trade paperbacks, which are the typical 6 x 9 or 5.5 x 8.5–sized books you see in bookstores. Mass-market is a type of paperback you often see used for romance novels or thrillers. Mass-market books are usually smaller in trim size and fatter with a thinner, lower-quality stock and cover.
Hardcover (also called casebound or hardbound) books have covers that are sturdier, usually made from thick cardboard wrapped in cloth. Here the pages can be glued or sewn into the spine, making the spine more flexible so that the book can lay flat when opened. The book title and author's name are often stamped onto the cloth binding, and hardcover books typically come with printed dust jacket with artwork.
So if you’re making arrangements to have your book printed, how do you decide which format is best for your book? Here are the three main determiners.
Cost to Consumer
The retail price a consumer will pay for a book is largely dictated by the format, and retail buyers have strict guidelines about how a book can be priced. A paperback book is often significantly cheaper than a hardcover book (for more on price, see this post). Because hardcover is more expensive to the consumer, you could encounter readers who just don’t want to pay $21.95 for a book they could otherwise get in paperback for at $16.95. This bears repeating—if you print in hardcover and subsequently price your book higher, you risk losing sales because of the high price point. This consumer choice in price is also important considering the rise in ebook sales, which cannibalized hardcover sales in the last quarter of 2010, according to Bowker. That said, there are many reasons a consumer might prefer a hardcover book, including durability, style, and longevity.
Genre
Genre is one of the biggest indicators for format. Books that can be found in hardcover are frequently in the genres of business, coffee table/art, first-edition fiction, or collector’s editions of classics. Traditionally, fiction comes out first in hardcover and later in paperback. This is changing due to the economic climate, and to stay competitive many fiction titles, especially from newer authors, are coming out in paperback to entice readers with a lower price point. Penguin recently released a beautiful set of hardcover editions for people looking for that classic aesthetic that only hardcover brings. Topics with rapidly changing information, like health, technology, science, and politics, are usually released in paperback (or ebook) formats, so that new editions can be released and consumed more quickly. Of course, these are broad generalizations meant to provide a little guidance, and doing research on comparable titles can help inform your decision on the proper binding for your book.
Printing Cost
Printing hardcover is more expensive than printing paperback, so if you’re on a tight budget, you might get more books for your buck by printing paperback. The margins for hardcover books are usually better than for paperbacks because the cost to consumers is significantly higher than the cost difference in printing—it only costs a little more to print hardcover than paperback and you can charge a lot more in retail. If you do have a strong platform or fan base, or if you have direct sales opportunities, hardcover may be a good way to go. Your clients and fans may be more likely to buy your book even at the higher price point that hardcover commands since they are already interested in your content.
Other Considerations...
One other point to consider is the sale of paperback rights. If your goal is to be picked up by a traditional publisher, you may want to release first in hardcover (again, depending on the genre). If your hardcover sales catch a traditional publisher’s eye, they may inquire about the rights to your paperback version. It doesn’t really work the other way around, though, so if this is important to you, hardcover may be a good choice.
There is no magic formula for deciding what format to print your book in, and there are a lot of factors to consider. The first step is establishing what your price point will be for any format you are considering. Making sure you have an appropriate price point is imperative for accurately running the numbers on your margins. Once you have looked at printing cost versus retail cost, taking a close look at your genre and comparable titles is a good next step to making a decision on format.
Have Questions? Thoughts? Let us know!
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Printing Your Book: Should You Go with Print-on-Demand?
December 9, 2010
by Katie Steigman
When you’re deciding how to print your book, you have two main options: print-on-demand or printing on an offset press. What do those two options entail exactly? Print-on-demand, or POD, allows you to digitally print a single book at a time, often using a large laser printer. Offset, or “traditional,” printing involves a huge press that transfers the image from an inked plate to a rubber blanket and then to the paper, and usually necessitates a print run of at least 1,000 units to make economic sense. So which is right for your book? It depends on several factors you’ll want to weigh before making a decision.
You might consider POD if…
You’re planning a limited release and just want your book available online or for order.
If you’re not planning on national marketing or distribution, POD is an easy way for interested parties to find your book and order a copy online. This may be the case if you just want the book available for friends and family.
You don’t want to pay for a large print run upfront.
Offset printing requires a comparatively higher investment since you’re essentially buying 1,000 books (or more). If you’re not in a position to pay for a run of that size or don’t want the risk of not selling all the units you print, POD or a smaller digital print run may be a better fit. With POD, you print just the quantity you need, when you need it.
You have content that needs to be frequently updated.
Books on current events or anything technology related will likely require frequently updated content. With print-on-demand you won’t have old stock lying around once you’re ready to release an updated edition, and it’s easy to add or change content.
You might consider offset printing if…
You’re planning a national release and will be widely distributing and marketing your book.
If you already have a strong platform (link to platform article), have direct sales opportunities lined up, or are planning a big publicity push, an offset run might be a better choice because of the lower price per unit and the higher-quality printing required for retail.
You are willing and able to invest in print run of at least 1,000 books.
As mentioned earlier, there is a larger upfront cost when you print offset, since you’re potentially paying for the printing of several thousand books instead of a few dozen. That said, the more books you print at once, the lower the price per unit—1,000 books is typically thought of as the minimum number of books you’d need to print to reap the benefits of an offset run.
You want or need higher-quality printing or flexibility with printing specifications and technology.
POD printing is restrictive when it comes to your choices in trim size, paper weight, color inks, and printing technologies like embossing, debossing, cut-outs, or foil. Offset presses offer the widest variety and highest-quality printing choices if you are planning on a uniquely sized book or a book with color images or photos.
A few additional notes…
- Shipping and warehousing is something else to consider—with offset printing you’ll need a place to store your books.
- Technology in digital printing has advanced rapidly and there are more choices now than there were just a year or two ago. Options in digital printing will probably continue to increase.
- While print-on-demand is a type of digital printing, it’s important to mention “digital printing” as a separate entity all its own. Digital printing is an option for small print runs (around 25–500 copies) and has fewer printing restrictions than POD. Like POD, you will still typically encounter a higher price per unit than offset, but unlike POD, you will have to arrange for shipping and warehousing.
- POD and digital printing have a quicker turnaround time, usually about 2 weeks, whereas offset printing usually requires 4 to 5 weeks for paperback and 6 to 8 weeks for hardcover.
These are, of course, not necessarily the only points to consider, but they are the most commonly debated issues. As with almost any part of the publishing process, when considering your printing options, one of the most important things you can do is to clarify what your goals are and what resources you’re putting towards your book to help you determine the best option. For more information on printing options, take a look at this FAQ from BookMobile.
Have questions? Leave us a comment on this article and we’ll be happy to answer them.
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Book Printing: How to Avoid a Printing Disaster
September 20, 2007
by Vern Harris
Going to press is exciting. Lots of hard work is behind you, and the finished book is close to becoming a reality. But as you print your books, you should be aware of potential complications. Consider the printing of your book as a custom project. The jacket, covers, and text are unique–written, designed, and printed specifically for you as opposed to being interchangeable commodities to be pulled from a shelf.
That being said, it's difficult for a printer to produce the precise amount of books you request. When the printer orders materials for printing a book, he must allow for spoilage at each manufacturing stage. If production runs smoothly and spoilage is kept to a minimum, there will likely be higher yields of the final product. These extra books are referred to in the industry as "overs."
And here's where people tend to get confused: Your invoice will reflect the total amount of books shipped from the printer, meaning that if relatively few books have defects, you'll end up being charged for the total number of books shipped.
Potentially, there are also "unders." You guessed it–that's when spoilage is higher than anticipated, leaving you short on your print run. Unders are less common than overs, but your chances of receiving them rise with smaller runs and more complex projects. Press "make ready" (bringing a press up to speed, setting the proper ink densities, registration, etc.) typically takes the same amount of time and material whether you're printing 2,000 or 20,000 books. Thus spoilage, or lack thereof, can have a greater impact on the actual copies shipped on smaller runs versus larger runs.
When you go to press, you should be prepared to receive up to 10% variance in the final amount of copies. That's the industry standard, but you shouldn't be charged for overs that exceed 10% of the initial run. Likewise, the printer should be expected to provide at least 90% of what you ordered.
Don't, however, assume anything. Communicate with your printer, getting detailed information on their over and under policy, before signing an agreement. Set a print run that takes into account worst-case scenarios. If you must have 2,000 books for an event, order more to avoid too few copies. An unexpected underage can leave you in a tight spot, as you will probably not have time to go back to press. (Average time to allow for reprints can be 5-6 weeks, even longer if you're printing overseas.)
It's best to go in knowing that you'll have to be flexible. But the important thing, as always, is to create consumer demand and sell the books you do get, no matter what the exact quantity may be.
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Shotgun Publication
January 9, 2007
by Clint Greenleaf
Rushing a book to market without understanding all the consequences of your decision is about as bright as marrying someone you meet in Las Vegas after a fifteen-hour drinking binge. Even if the reasons behind the rush seem legitimate, beware of the beer-goggle effect—your book won’t look nearly as attractive when it comes off the press as it does in your head when you’re deciding to skip vital steps in the publication process. There are three areas where rushing will come back to haunt you with particular vengeance:
Editing
Your content has to deliver the goods. Editing isn’t just about making sure your book is free of typos and grammatical errors—it’s the part of the process that focuses on sharpening the reading experience for your customers. If you don’t invest the time and money to have experienced book editors work with your book, success in this industry will be an uphill battle. Don’t try to justify your rush by duping yourself into believing that you can save time-consuming editorial work for the second edition or the next printing. Crappy books don’t go into multiple print runs or second editions. It’s like not showering before a first date and thinking that you can always wash up for the second date—unless you’re meeting the Vegas drunk from the scenario above, there’s no way you’re getting the second date, stinky. It’s worth the delay in your book launch to work with an editor who can help you develop a rock-solid title, unique hooks, a smart structure, and a compelling voice. If you rush the editorial process, you’ll compromise the integrity of your work for short-term gains. Is a goal like having books in time for one event really worth that?
Design and Printing
While powerful marketing, a strong author platform, and compelling content are essential for a book to succeed, production quality is equally important. And yet there are countless articles that downplay the importance of quality, often making the obtuse argument that anyone with Photoshop or InDesign can throw a book together in no time, or that the difference between top quality and bottom quality is negligible due to advances in technology. Both assertions are appalling fallacies. The quality of your design and printing determines what kind of first impression your book will make. Retail buyers, book reviewers, and consumer make gut decisions based on this first impression, so while good quality costs money and takes time, this is not an area in which it is okay to be either cheap or hasty.
Sales and Publicity
Sometimes, we’re at the mercy of others. Pitching your book to retail buyers and media outlets is one of those times. If you want to sell your books in bookstores or other trade outlets like Costco and Wal-Mart, know that it takes almost twelve months to get your books ready for distribution. This time is spent setting up the title in wholesale and retail systems, presenting to buyers, and preparing the logistics for an on-time launch. And there’s similar time sensitivity inherent in a proper publicity campaign. You only have one book launch, and if you don’t get advance review copies to reviewers at least four months prior to publication, your print campaign has virtually no shot at success.
Deciding to produce a book on an abbreviated timeframe may be possible from a purely logistical standpoint, but you shouldn’t rush your book launch unless you’re prepared to have a product that isn’t set up to reach its full potential. So take a breath and slow down. The book of your dreams will wait for you. If you follow the rules and wait too, the launch will be much more special. If you know what I mean.
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How Much Will My Printing Costs Decrease When I Reprint?
March 30, 2006
by Chris Mcray
Going back to press? You may find your printing costs to be higher than you expected. Typically, reprinting is more cost-effective than first print runs, but as many publishers are finding out, rising printing costs have been outweighing the discounts. Why is this?
Several market changes have affected the printing industry this year. The first change has to do with basic supply and demand. The demand for book printing has increased, taking printing costs with it. In fact, 2005 was the best year for U.S. printers in a long while. The lower demand for book printing in preceding years kept competition fierce and margins small among U.S. printers. Now that demand has increased, the phenomena of a “buyer’s market” has diminished for publishers going to press. As long as demand remains high, the costs associated with book printing will probably be a little higher than they were a couple of years ago.
Additionally, gasoline and postal service rate increases have drastically affected freight costs. Meanwhile, several major domestic paper mills have been on strike in recent months, lowering inventory levels at many presses and driving up prices for some of the most sought-after papers. The industry sector most affected by the strikes is uncoated offset paper, commonly used for standard hardcover and trade paperback books. The weakened U.S. dollar has made paper imports unfeasible for printers, meaning that the publishing industry will need to tough it out until domestic conditions change.
Higher printing prices shouldn’t necessarily keep you from going back to press, however. As it turns out, consumer spending is on the rise as well. You may be able to sell more books than usual in upcoming months. Don’t miss out on increased sales just to hold out for better printing prices. As always, make sure you have enough books in the warehouse to meet consumer demand. It may be the right time to go back to press after all.
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