How does BookPrintOnDemand work?
1. Is BookPrintOnDemand a publisher?
No. We are a printer and work with a network of digital printers working to provide revolutionary services for publishers. Publishers have ownership over content, pay royalties, and are responsible for marketing and selling content (books, e-books, etc.) to retailers and consumers.
2. If I am an author, can I use BookPrintOnDemand?
Yes! We consider authors who are self-publishing their own books to be micro-publishers.
3. Will BookPrintOnDemand market and sell my books?
No. We do not market nor sell your books. Authors and publishers are responsible for marketing and sales. The marketing and sales process can be a rewarding experience and no one can market their book better than the author/publisher. BookPrintOnDemand's sister companies do offer marketing and sales tools, however, which can help you sell your books more efficiently.
4. What is the perfect print run at BookPrintOnDemand?
We specialize in print runs of as few as one copy, but can print as many units as is required.
5. Are there any hidden fees?
No. You pay for printing and shipping/handling. That's it.
6. Are there set-up or change charges?
No. A publisher can change their book as often as they like. Simply upload the changed PDF and print a proof to ensure the printed copy is as you wish.
7. How much royalty do you keep?
None. We are printers and do not own any rights to any publisher content...therefore there is not a royalty to pay.
8. Will you own my book rights?
No. We are simply printers and service providers. The publisher always maintains full rights and control over their content and book files.
9. Can you convert my files to e-books?
contact us for more information.
10. Do I need to sign a contract with BookPrintOnDemand?
No. Customers are required to agree to our terms and conditions in order to open an account, but there are no contractual obligations for an account. Publishers are free to print as little or as many books as they like and are free to print with other printers.
11. How long do shipments take?
We offer customers shipping options through UPS and the US Postal Service. Customers can choose the shipping option they prefer given the price and time to ship. Generally shipping in the US takes 2-4 business days.
12. Do you offer discounts?
Because we print digitally on fully automated equipment, the economies of scale have already been reached with the first book. We are able to offer low prices with no minimum order quantity – the volume discounts have already been achieved with the first book and while we can print hundreds of units for our publishers, we give our best deal on the first unit. We welcome our publishers to compare our pricing for one unit, or hundreds of units with our competitors.
13. What are the payment terms?
All payments for orders through our website are made by major credit card.
14. What is your return policy?
Like all printers, we encourage customers to print a sample copy before ordering multiple copies. Any issues with printing will show up in the sample. Any changes made to a book interior or cover should also prompt the printing of a proof. Unless the book has a manufacturing defect, we do not take returns or replace books.
15. Isn't everything moving to e-Books?
No. Popular books offer e-book editions alongside traditional print editions. In some cases, books are releasing in an e-book edition only, or prior to releasing in a bound edition. As e-books become more popular, traditional print runs get shorter, and the need for quality, efficient digital printers like BookPrintOnDemand become more important.
According to Bowker, a leading industry aggregator of sales data, e-book sales still represent a minority (although growing) of overall book sales.
ISBN Numbers
16. Do I need an ISBN number?
Publishers only need an ISBN number if they are planning on selling a book at retail. This includes Amazon.com and other online retailers. If a publisher or author is only publishing a book for family, friends, conferences or direct-to-consumer distribution purposes, they do not need an ISBN.
17. What is the purpose of an ISBN?
The purpose of the ISBN is to establish and identify one title or edition of a title from one specific publisher and is unique to that edition, allowing for more efficient marketing of products by booksellers, libraries, universities, wholesalers and distributors.
18. Who can assign ISBNs to a publisher?
There are over 160 ISBN Agencies worldwide, and each ISBN Agency is appointed as the exclusive agent responsible for assigning ISBNs to publishers residing in their country or geographic territory. The United States ISBN Agency is the only source authorized to assign ISBNs to publishers supplying an address in the United States, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico and its database establishes the publisher of record associated with each prefix.
19. What do I do when I receive the ISBN and where should it be located?
An ISBN should be assigned to each title or product, including any back list or forthcoming titles. Each format or binding must have a separate ISBN (i.e. hardcover, paperbound, VHS video, laserdisc, e-book format, etc). A new ISBN is required for a revised edition. Once assigned, an ISBN can never be reused. An ISBN is printed on the lower portion of the back cover of a book above the bar code and on the copyright page.
20. How do I get an ISBN?
ISBN numbers can be purchased from Bowker.
Shipping
21. What options do you offer for shipping?
We give customers full control over the shipping process. After the shipping destination information is fully entered online, shipping options and their prices for the order will appear on screen. The customer can then choose the shipping option they prefer.
We offer the following shipping methods:
USPS Priority Mail
USPS Priority Flat-Rate
USPS First Class
USPS Parcel
USPS Media Mail
UPS Next Day
UPS Second Day
UPS 3-Day Air
UPS Ground
22. How long do shipments take?
We offer customers shipping options through UPS and the US Postal Service. Consumers can choose the shipping option they prefer given the price and time to ship. We encourage customers to educate themselves on how long it will take, using different shipping carriers and option, for their books to ship from our printing facility in Phoenix, Arizona. Generally, shipping in the US takes 2-4 business days.
23. Can I ship internationally?
Yes. Currently, we only offer a USPS Priority Flat-Rate option for international shipments.
24. Can I use my own shipping number for shipments?
Currently, we do not offer this option.
25. What kind of bindings does BookPrintOnDemand offer?
Currently, we offer perfect bound books (paperback). The prices on our website reflect perfect-bound books and coil bound books. See our materials and specifications page for more details.
26. How do I stop a print order?
Because of the rapid turn-around of our print process, a book is often printed very soon after it is ordered and therefore impossible to stop. For that reason, we urge publishers to print a proof before printing larger quantities. If you have made a mistake please send us a message marked URGENT to: info@bookprintondemand.com.
27. What is the average turnaround time for printing?
We produce most book orders in three business days or less (not including the day of order) for orders of 500 or less. Larger orders may require an additional 1-5 business days to print. During periods of high volume, orders may take an additional 1-2 days to print.
28. What are the trim sizes that BookPrintOnDemand offers?
We offer any trim size from a minimum of 4"X6" to A4 (slightly larger than 8.5"X11"). See our materials and specifications page for more information.
29. What paper is used by BookPrintOnDemand?
We offer a variety of paper options. To see our current list, click here.
30. Do you print photos and grayscale illustrations?
Yes, we print excellent B&W photos and grayscale illustrations within the text of a book.
31. Do you print books with four color interiors?
Yes! We recently started printing short run four color books. See our pricing chart for details.
32. Do you do hard cover/case bound books?
Not currently. We plan to add this option in the future.
33. What is "bleed"?
Bleed is a printing term referring to printing that goes beyond the edge of the sheet after trimming. Bleed ensures that the color on the cover goes all the way to the edge and no "white appears at the edge." In our case, the recommended bleed is 1/4th of an inch on each side.
When designing a cover for our system, the bleed should be designed into the cover size. For a book that is 6 inches wide, the cover will be 12.5 inches + the spine width (6" for the front; 6" for the back; plus 1/4 inch for front and back bleeds).
34. Do you laminate or UV coat covers?
We use both a lay-flat gloss laminate cover option and a matte laminate cover option. UV coating is currently not an option. You will find these cover options under the settings box (upper right hand corner) of your cover template.
35. Do you offer matte finish on your covers?
Yes! We recently added matte covers to our list of options. You will find these cover options under the settings box (upper right hand corner) of your cover template.
36. How do I get my "out-of-print books" printed?
If there is not a digital file available, a publisher can pay to have the book scanned, and then load the scanned PDF files into their account per the normal uploading procedures. info@bookprintondemand.com for more information about scanning.
37. How do I make a PDF?
Click here for a full discussion on this subject.
38. What is font embedding?
Embedding is a way to ensure that all the fonts and graphics you have used in designing your book will be printed. For a more complete discussion on this subject, click here.
39. How do I upload a book?
For full instructions, click here.
40. What if my PDF file does not work?
We recommend using a Microsoft XPS or PDF/X-1a file for uploading to our servers. For a full discussion regarding how to make a PDF or XPS file, click here.
41. How can I get help with formatting my file(s) for printing?
We can help! Contact us for more information.