In the days before on-demand book printing, getting a book printed and bound was an expensive, complicated process, beyond the means of many self-published authors. Thankfully, with new companies out there it’s easier (and less expensive!) than it ever was before.
Instead of having to go the traditional route to get your book published, you can now find a company that can do it for you.
We’ll be going over what you need to keep in mind before you choose a printing and binding company, what you’ll need to have ready, and some various companies you can choose from.
In this article on book printing the easy way, we’ll cover
Why you would want a printed and bound book
If you’ve gone through all of the hard work of writing a book, you now will want to create physical copies to hand out or sell.
There are a lot of reasons you’d want to learn how to get a book printed and bound. Maybe you have written your first fiction book. Maybe you are creating a training book for your employees. Maybe you’ve written out your family history and you want to bind it together in a gift.
Whatever your reason is, having a printed version of your book is a thrilling experience. It’s so exciting to hold all of your hard work in your hands.
Let’s go over what you need to look for in a printing and binding company.
Things to consider from a book printing and binding company
There are a lot of companies to choose from, and we’ll break down some of the biggest companies out there and what each one offers so you can pick the right one for you.
Until we cover them, let’s go through what you’ll need to keep in mind when it comes to looking for a company that is a good fit for your needs.
Number of books
One of the top things you need to keep in mind is how many books you will need. If you’re only planning to distribute or sell a few books, you can order in small batches.
However, if you plan to sell hundreds or more books, you need a company that can handle that amount. You’ll want to plan that out as much as you can ahead of time, so you don’t need to eventually switch companies to handle the amount you need to order.
Speed of delivery
Depending on how fast you’ll need your physical copies, you will need to find a book printing company that works in your time frame. If you have an event coming up and need a ton of copies right away, you’ll need to find a company that can get them to you that soon.
Customer service support
Some companies are a little more hands-off than others. If you need a lot of help with each step, you’ll want to find a company that provides quick and adequate customer service. Some offer support by phone and email, but if you’re comfortable waiting for a response, you might not need a company that responds right away.
Quality of the books
Quality is another feature you’ll want to look into when it comes to selecting a book printing company. Depending on what your books are for and how often you expect them to be used, you’ll need to find a company that can deliver the quality you need.
Help with book design
It’s not as common, but some of the companies will go the extra step and give you tools to help design your book as well. If you need help on inspiration for your book cover design, we have an article with some design inspiration.
Type of binding
There are quite a few options when it comes to binding. There are coils, section sown, spiral, interscrew, PUR, and more. You’ll want to know the exact type of binding you need for your book before you select a company to work with.
How to get a book printed and bound – the companies that can help
We’ll be taking a look at a few different book printing companies that allow you to print and bind your books.
Keep in mind, you’ll need to have your files ready and formatted in the correct way that the site needs in order to print your books.
Us! aka The Book Designer Team
The Book Designer, in conjunction with selfpublishing.com now offers a Publishing Package. If you need full, comprehensive help from finished manuscript to uploading your book on Amazon, we can help you. We offer book cover design, formatting, uploading, and more as part of our package. Visit this page for more details.
BookBaby
Bookbaby helps give you guidance along the entire self-publishing journey. If you need full, comprehensive help from editing to selling your book, they have a variety of services and options for you to choose from.
You’re able to bundle the services you need most into one comprehensive package. That way, you have assistance every step of the way. Of course, you can simply choose one of their available services if you only need help in one, specific area.
Features:
- Book editing – proofreading, copy editing, etc
- Book publishing
- Book printing
- Cover design
- Book distribution – assistance to help sell your book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and so on
Lulu
With over 3,000 format, color, and size combinations for books, Lulu offers a ton of options when it comes to bringing your book to life. They’re able to offer a ton of sizes and types of books for printing and binding. Their templates work with InDesign, Photoshop, and Word so you can put your template together quickly and easily.
Features:
- Lets you print hardcovers, paperbacks, photo books, notebooks, calendar, comic books, magazines, ebooks, cookbooks, yearbooks, and more
- Multiple sizing choices to choose from
- Interior color options
BookPatch
BookPatch streamlines the book printing and binding process into just a few simple steps.
You upload your text PDF, you then upload (or create) your cover, and then order your books. They also have a straightforward book cost calculator so you know exactly what you’re going to pay.
Features:
- 3 to 5 day turn around
- No minimum orders
- No set up fees
Friesens
Friesens is tailored more toward people who want to order their printed books in bulk (great for conferences or other in-person sales opportunities). Their minimum order requirement starts at 250 books.
They’re known across a variety of markets, but some of their biggest book markets are in trade, photography, cookbooks, and magazines.
Features:
- Have offices throughout the United States and Canada, if you want extra personalized service
- Can produce books that require high-quality color or duotone
Book printing and binding – the DIY option
If you truly want a hands-on experience, you also have the option of binding your book yourself. This would be for books you don’t want to sell in a mass-market kind of way, but
This video from Sea Lemon will show you how to stitch a text block for case book binding.
There are a ton of ways you can bind your books, depending on the overall look and feel you want for your books.
How to get a book printed and bound on Amazon
If you’re debating selling a book on Amazon, we have a whole pro and con list of if it’s worth it for authors.
With Amazon being one of the most popular places to order books, it only makes sense for some authors to use Amazon to publish their books as well. You can see their hardcover printing costs in this breakdown.
You can fully customize your book, top to bottom, so you can create the exact book you’ve always imagined. By using Amazon, you also have the option of working with Kindle Direct Publishing as well.
Conclusion
Now that you understand how self-published authors can approach book printing and binding, be sure that your book has an amazing cover. A great cover will grab readers’ attention and help increase sales.
