General Information
As the title of this step implies, you’ll need provide some basic facts relating to your book:
- Title
- Subtitle (optional)
- Author name
- About the author
- Language
- Size of your book
- Type of paper
- Whether you want the book in black and white or full colour (the cover is always in full colour)
Click on ‘save’ when you’re done to ensure that all the information you filled in appears where it should. You can edit all the information up until the moment you publish your book.
Tips
- Author name: If you wish you may use a different author name for each title.
- About the author: You can choose to write a different text in this section for each separate title. This information will always be linked to your book title, rather than your profile.
- Sizes: We offer eight different book sizes. For normal books (novels, thrillers, chick-lit) the sizes 5.3×8.5” (135x215mm), 6.1×9.3” (155x235mm) and 6.7×9.5” (170x240mm) are most common. For children’s books we advise using the square and landscape sizes.
- Type of paper: For regular books ‘cream book paper’ is the most suitable option. If your book contains lot of pictures however, we advise using glossy paper instead.
- Price table: Check the price table to see what your book will eventually cost to print, and to determine an appropriate retail price. In step 6, ‘Price’, you will set the definite retail price.
- Black and white or full-colour: Full-colour pages are more expensive to print than pages in black and white. Consider whether you need full-colour pages or not. We only charge for the pages actually using colour, i.e., if you only have one coloured page in your book, that is all you’ll be charged for when printing. Check the price table to review production costs.
FAQ
What types of books can I publish?
Generally speaking, you can publish any type of book. Even picture books.
Is it possible to alter titles later?
Yes. Up until the moment you actually publish your book, you can still alter all details you fill in during the publication steps.
Can I publish under another name?
Yes, you can. It’s possible to select a different author name for each book if you wish. This name does not have to correspond to your real name that you enter in ‘my account’.
What is ‘About the author’?
This section allows you to talk a bit about yourself (or your alter ego). Like the author name, it is tied to individual titles. We use this information primarily for promotional purposes, such as the press release (promotion steps).
What size should I choose?
This really depends on what your personal preferences are and the type of book you’re creating. Currently we offer 8 different sizes. A novel, thriller or poetry book will do well with 5.3×8.5” (135x215mm), 6.1×9.3” (155x235mm) and 6.7×9.5” (170x240mm). The landscape and square sizes, on the other hand, are more suitable for a travel books, children’s books and cookbooks. For management reports, papers and syllabuses the A4 size is most common.
What type of paper should I choose?
A novel, thriller or poetry book usually does well with cream book paper. If your book contains many pictures we advise you to use white glossy paper.
How does the price table work?
Based on the book size you have chosen, you estimate the number of pages (unless you already know the exact number). After choosing a black and white or full-colour pages, you can see what the minimum and the suggested retail price are. At the minimum price your profit margin is 0. This option useful for when the book is meant for private use, or as a gift. At the suggested price your margin is included, which is the same as our margin. At step 6 ‘Price’ we always show you the suggested retail price. You can modify that price yourself by either raising or lowering it.
Why is printing in colour so expensive?
We also wish that printing full-colour pages was less expensive. However, as the machines are more costly and ink usage is higher, this is unavoidable. Besides, we only charge for the actual number of pages in full colour (supporting colours as well).
Is the cover in full colour?
Yes, the cover is printed in full colour by default. If you want a cover in black and white, that’s also possible of course.