You've finished your manuscript, now what? You need to publish but don't know where to turn to. Do you traditionally publish? Do you self-publish? What about POD? What is POD? Thanks to the good people at Writer's Weekly, you can compare some of the top Print on Demand companies in one place. So before you publish, regardless of how you publish, do your research first.
NOTE: All publishers below currently offer distribution through Ingram (the largest book distributor), as well as inclusion of their titles in the major online (amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, etc.) and physical bookstore systems.
.jpg)
BookLocker: $517 (Deduct $200 if submitting your own cover)
No hidden fees or upselling. Books are usually on the market in less than a month. No extra charge for graphics. 35% royalties based on list price for public sales; 15% royalties based on list price on wholesale/bookstore orders. Authors own their production files. Added Bonus: Returning authors are only charged $149 setup fees on their second and subsequent books. Rated "Outstanding" by Mark Levine, attorney and author of The Fine Print of Self-Publishing.
No hidden fees or upselling. Books are usually on the market in less than a month. No extra charge for graphics. 35% royalties based on list price for public sales; 15% royalties based on list price on wholesale/bookstore orders. Authors own their production files. Added Bonus: Returning authors are only charged $149 setup fees on their second and subsequent books. Rated "Outstanding" by Mark Levine, attorney and author of The Fine Print of Self-Publishing.
iUniverse: $599.00 (includes 5 "free" copies)
Warning: They own your files after creation and you have to pay $300-$1500 to get them back if you leave their service! They charge extra to include more than 25 photos/graphics. Charges $12 per image if you want more than 2 images on your cover. No expedite service. Turnaround is 3-4 months. NOTE: IUNIVERSE IS NOW OWNED BY AUTHOR SOLUTIONS, A HOLDING COMPANY THAT ALSO OWNS AUTHORHOUSE, XLIBRIS, AND TRAFFORD. (SEE THOSE COMPANIES BELOW.) Rated "Publisher to Avoid" by Mark Levine, attorney and author of The Fine Print of Self-Publishing.
Warning: They own your files after creation and you have to pay $300-$1500 to get them back if you leave their service! They charge extra to include more than 25 photos/graphics. Charges $12 per image if you want more than 2 images on your cover. No expedite service. Turnaround is 3-4 months. NOTE: IUNIVERSE IS NOW OWNED BY AUTHOR SOLUTIONS, A HOLDING COMPANY THAT ALSO OWNS AUTHORHOUSE, XLIBRIS, AND TRAFFORD. (SEE THOSE COMPANIES BELOW.) Rated "Publisher to Avoid" by Mark Levine, attorney and author of The Fine Print of Self-Publishing.
CreateSpace: $763.00 (Deduct $259 if submitting your own cover)
Add $500 to price above if you want more than one color and image featured on your cover. Limit of 10 interior images; charges $15 per image and $25 per chart/table/graph thereafter (cost of first 25 images included above). Does NOT publish hardcover books. IMPORTANT: BookSurge was rolled into CreateSpace in November but they're still using the same employees, equipment, etc. Read more about BookSurge's problems HERE. We recently ordered some BookSurge books and one looked so bad they inserted an apology note inside, saying it was the best they could get from their supplier. They ARE their supplier! Another one arrived with the interior pages appearing upside-down. Some CreateSpace authors have been complaining about their high shipping costs.Rated "Just OK" by Mark Levine, attorney and author of The Fine Print of Self-Publishing.
Add $500 to price above if you want more than one color and image featured on your cover. Limit of 10 interior images; charges $15 per image and $25 per chart/table/graph thereafter (cost of first 25 images included above). Does NOT publish hardcover books. IMPORTANT: BookSurge was rolled into CreateSpace in November but they're still using the same employees, equipment, etc. Read more about BookSurge's problems HERE. We recently ordered some BookSurge books and one looked so bad they inserted an apology note inside, saying it was the best they could get from their supplier. They ARE their supplier! Another one arrived with the interior pages appearing upside-down. Some CreateSpace authors have been complaining about their high shipping costs.Rated "Just OK" by Mark Levine, attorney and author of The Fine Print of Self-Publishing.
Trafford: $1073
IMPORTANT - Price above does **not** include full distribution (Ingram, Amazon, etc.)! Choose the $2297 package if you want that. Expedite service not offered. NOTE: TRAFFORD IS ALSO NOW OWNED BY AUTHOR SOLUTIONS, A HOLDING COMPANY THAT ALSO OWNS XLIBRIS, IUNIVERSE, AND AUTHORHOUSE. (SEE THOSE COMPANIES ABOVE AND BELOW.) Rated "Publisher to Avoid" by Mark Levine, attorney and author of The Fine Print of Self-Publishing.
IMPORTANT - Price above does **not** include full distribution (Ingram, Amazon, etc.)! Choose the $2297 package if you want that. Expedite service not offered. NOTE: TRAFFORD IS ALSO NOW OWNED BY AUTHOR SOLUTIONS, A HOLDING COMPANY THAT ALSO OWNS XLIBRIS, IUNIVERSE, AND AUTHORHOUSE. (SEE THOSE COMPANIES ABOVE AND BELOW.) Rated "Publisher to Avoid" by Mark Levine, attorney and author of The Fine Print of Self-Publishing.
Lulu: $1369.00 (Deduct $650 if submitting your own cover)
Lulu now charges directly for many services they previously farmed out to other companies. Lulu appears to be having customer service problems and authors are upset about their high shipping costs. Read THIS to learn more. Rated "Pretty Good" by Mark Levine, attorney and author of The Fine Print of Self-Publishing.
Lulu now charges directly for many services they previously farmed out to other companies. Lulu appears to be having customer service problems and authors are upset about their high shipping costs. Read THIS to learn more. Rated "Pretty Good" by Mark Levine, attorney and author of The Fine Print of Self-Publishing.
AuthorHouse: $1468
Charges extra for photos/graphics ($10 per image after first 10 - included in cost above). Expedite fee ($500) is for publication in 30 days instead of 6 months (included above). Claims ownership of files you pay them to create...meaning you can't use the edited/formatted files if you want to move your book later. NOTE: AUTHORHOUSE IS OWNED BY AUTHOR SOLUTIONS, A HOLDING COMPANY THAT ALSO OWNS XLIBRIS, IUNIVERSE, AND TRAFFORD. (SEE THOSE COMPANIES ABOVE AND BELOW.) Rated "Publisher to Avoid" by Mark Levine, attorney and author of The Fine Print of Self-Publishing.
Charges extra for photos/graphics ($10 per image after first 10 - included in cost above). Expedite fee ($500) is for publication in 30 days instead of 6 months (included above). Claims ownership of files you pay them to create...meaning you can't use the edited/formatted files if you want to move your book later. NOTE: AUTHORHOUSE IS OWNED BY AUTHOR SOLUTIONS, A HOLDING COMPANY THAT ALSO OWNS XLIBRIS, IUNIVERSE, AND TRAFFORD. (SEE THOSE COMPANIES ABOVE AND BELOW.) Rated "Publisher to Avoid" by Mark Levine, attorney and author of The Fine Print of Self-Publishing.
Xlibris: $1922 - (includes 5 "free" copies)
Charges expedite fee of $349 (included above) for publication in 2 months instead of 4-6 months. Charges $10 per image (included above); $20 per table. Limit of 1 cover image. NOTE: XLIBRIS IS NOW OWNED BY AUTHOR SOLUTIONS, A HOLDING COMPANY THAT ALSO OWNS AUTHORHOUSE, IUNIVERSE, AND TRAFFORD. (SEE THOSE COMPANIES ABOVE.) Rated "Publisher to Avoid" by Mark Levine, attorney and author of The Fine Print of Self-Publishing.
Charges expedite fee of $349 (included above) for publication in 2 months instead of 4-6 months. Charges $10 per image (included above); $20 per table. Limit of 1 cover image. NOTE: XLIBRIS IS NOW OWNED BY AUTHOR SOLUTIONS, A HOLDING COMPANY THAT ALSO OWNS AUTHORHOUSE, IUNIVERSE, AND TRAFFORD. (SEE THOSE COMPANIES ABOVE.) Rated "Publisher to Avoid" by Mark Levine, attorney and author of The Fine Print of Self-Publishing.
***Prices based on least expensive package offered by each publisher on similar offers targeting U.S. authors. Fees include setup, original cover design, print proof, ebook creation, up to 25 interior photos/graphics, an ISBN, barcode, a listing on the publisher's website and distribution by Ingram, all within 6 weeks.
NOTE: Many companies offer perks that others don't, some try to upsell authors on extraneous services, and a few even claim ownership of files the author has paid them to create! Study each publisher and contract carefully before making your choice.
No comments:
Post a Comment