Print-Ready PDF

You’ve decided to have your book as an ebook but you have always wanted to see it in print as well. Why not have both? Many authors find that having their book just in digital format is not enough – why miss out on the printed book market? New technologies have made Print on Demand a viable option for the self-publishing author or small publisher. You no longer have to order huge stocks of books that you then need to sell yourself. Companies like Createspace and Lightning Source will list your book on websites like Amazon then print the book to order. The book will then be delivered to the customer in the same timescale as a book from one of the big publishers.

It can be tricky though to set the book up so that it fits the requirements of the printers. This is where Ebooks by Design can help you – we can supply you with a perfectly formatted Print-Ready PDF.

We will give you a list of the standard book sizes you can choose from. (You can have any size you like, but, whilst we do not charge extra for non-standard sizes, there may be an extra charge from the POD company) Once you have decided on the size book you want then you can leave the rest to us. we will set up the gutters, margins etc and format the book so that it is ready for print. We will send you proofs then upload the book and it’s cover for you if you want us to – there is no charge for uploading we will do it for free.

You will need to have a separate cover file with a spine and backcover – we will work with the cover designer to ensure that the spine is the correct width once the amount of pages in the book has been settled.

With Printed books it is especially important to ensure that the book is thoroughly checked and proofread. Once it has been accepted for print it can be difficult to update the book without incurring extra charges.

Here are two of the main companies in the print on demand business, there are lots more far too many to list!

Createspace

• Createspace are part of Amazon making this the easiest way to get your printed book on Amazon.
• You can use your Amazon ID to set up an account
• Your book will be tied to the your ebook on Amazon
• Createspace are a hugely popular Print on Demand company

Lightning Source

• Lightning Source are a part of Ingrams who have outlets all around the world
• Lightning Source distribute to retailers around the world
• Lightning Source have different distribution models – you can let them distribute the book or you can sell the book yourself and they will fulfill the orders using their printers in different parts of the world.