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Prepare for Publishing
Book Sizes
We offer four standard page book sizes:
4¼" x 7"
5½" x 8½"
6" x 9"
8½" x 11"
8" x 10.75" Hardcover/ Casebound*
*For Hardcover/Casebound Books.
The 6" x 9" size will always be undersized. We have clearly marked the page size with templates for each book size.
Cover templates are also available for the type of binding you select. We recommend .75” left and right and .7” for top and bottom margins for each book size.
Custom Sizes and Bleeds
Custom sizes and bleeds are available. You will be charged for the next size up on the pricing calculator and an additional $.10 cutting fee for bleeds and non-standard sizes. You will be responsible for layout of your special size templates that are only offered for standard sizes.
Custom Size:
Final Trim Size applies if the book will need to be trimmed to a custom size that is smaller than the standard book size. For instance, to order a 5"x8" book, you will need to select 5.5"x8.5" for the book size, then enter 5"x8" in the final trim size.
*For more information and pricing, visit our Pricing Information page.
Manuscript Preparation
 The best way to produce a book is to go to a bookstore and look at as many page designs as possible. Pick one you like and follow the same type of format. Be sure to size your document to the size of book you want to publish, before you start typing, as this will save you from having to reformat after typing. If your manuscript is already entered onto your computer, you can still re-size; but you will need to go back through and make sure everything falls on the correct page and looks correct. The easiest way to tell what page falls where is to look at the physical page number. The easiest way to set your book size is to enter the size of the book as the paper size on your page setup screen and enter .75" for left and right margins and .7" for top and bottom margins.
To produce a book you should start with a title page followed by the copyright page. The title page typically includes the title, subtitle, name of publisher and author. In book publishing, the copyright page must contain Copyright © followed by the year and name of who the copyright is filed under. One frequently quoted source is Strunk & White's "The Elements of Style" at http://www.strunkandwhite.com. If you have questions about type for your text pages, you might look at http://www.adobe.com/type/ for ideas. Your cover can optionally be full color. Content pages can be printed in black type or can be in full color.
Listing the publisher (your name) and printer on the copyright page is standard in the book publishing industry. The book would be printed in the United States of America by InstantPublisher.com.
All books are priced by the number of pages. Many books will have special pages such as a Table of Contents, Foreword or Introduction, Glossary or Index. You are the publisher and have full control of how the pages will look and in what order they appear in your book. When planning to publish your book, do not use too many fonts, especially on the same page and never use all caps.
Page Numbering
Background Info of Word Page Numbering
Microsoft Word's page numbering scheme isn't directly obvious, but it isn't needlessly complex either. Indirect might be a good term for it. Once you understand how it works, all sorts of possibilities open up. So, for the moment, forget everything you've learned or thought you knew about page numbers. Let's start from some background info of this topic.
A new blank document consists of a single section. Each time you insert a Section Break into the document, the document gains a section.
In other words, if you create a new blank document, then choose Break on the Insert menu and select a Next Page Section Break, the document will thereafter consist of two sections: material from the start of the document up through and including the break represents
Section 1— Material after that represents
Section 2— (In some cases, Word inserts Section Breaks automatically, such as when you change the number of columns in part of a document).
Cover Design
The cover for your book is a very important selling tool. You can have a great story to tell, but if the cover fails to draw attention, the book will not sell. All large book publishers and distributors look for an attractive cover and book title. Good designs are what make buyers reach for the product.
 First Choice— (Black & White)
InstantPublisher.com book publishers have four choices to make in cover design. The first, a black and white design printed on white cover stock. This can include grayscale images on both the front and back cover. Covers are to be uploaded separately to your library. [ JPG, TIFF and PDF files may be emailed as well after placing your order with the order number.] *Cover specs are set to 1/8" larger than your actual book size to incorporate bleeds with .5" margins for text. Photoshop templates are available.
Second Choice— (Stock Full Color)
Stock full color cover designs is the second choice offered by InstantPublisher.com and can be personalized with your wording and the selected typestyles. If you choose this selection on your order, you will be given a screen during the order process to complete the information you want imprinted and the cover design you selected. Back cover text and images can be added for a flat fee of $20 for initial set up.
Third Choice— (Customer Full-Color)
Customer full color is the third choice. You will email, upload to your library or ftp your custom cover art separately after placing your order. Customer full color photos or art designs can be printed on your front cover, including bleeds. All images for the cover should be scanned and saved as EPS, TIF or PDF files at 300 dpi. For color accuracy, be sure to use CMYK colors and take the hard copy proof option. Cover specs are set to 1/8" larger than your actual book size to incorporate bleeds with .5" margins for text, Photoshop templates are available.
Be sure to get the correct spine width using our spine size chart.
Fourth Choice— (InstantPublisher full custom cover design)
1) The Standard Self-Publishing Cover Design Package includes cover consultation and one hour of cover design time and 2 online proofs for $85.00.
2) The Premium Cover Design Package includes cover consultation and 2 hours of cover design time and unlimited online proofs for $150.
Most simple cover designs can be completed with the standard design time. Intricate cover designs will need to use the premium service. We will need an order placed before we can start on a cover design for obvious reasons.
Custom cover design includes clip art services but not illustration services. Custom Illustration services are available.
Artwork and Photographs
Black ink line art and black and white images either within the text or as a cover will be printed for no additional charge. Our black and white printing process has a maximum resolution of 600 dots-per-inch (DPI), which produces acceptable quality for most line art and photographs. Color printing is printed at a 720 line screen. If in doubt, print your document from your library viewer (utilizing the 'Direct Print' option) to a Hewlett Packard LaserJet or compatible printer and view the quality. For cover art, all photographs should be scanned and sent as EPS, TIFF or PDF file at 300 dpi. A full color photo design on the front cover (Customer Full Color Cover Design) is $.25 per book.
*See Cover-Design-Options for more information on book printing.
InstantPublisher.com can print a book from any Microsoft Windows or Apple Macintosh based software. However, many word processing programs do not accept high quality photograph scans like the graphics programs. The following programs i.e. QuarkXPress, Adobe InDesign or Photoshop, do accept high quality photograph scans. If your cover design or content contains photographs and you want high quality printing, you will have to utilize a graphics program like one of the three programs listed above. Microsoft Word will accept photos within the text; however, when printed the quality is limited to 600 dots-per-inch. You can quickly tell the quality by printing the file to your local laser printer.
Creating a High Resoultion PDF
Click on the button below for a step by step process for making a high resolution PDF via Acrobat Distiller.
Copyrights
Although it is not necessary to print a copyright page when publishing your own book, it is recommended. Normally, the copyright page is the second page in the book after the title page. The page usually includes Copyright © 2001 John Doe, All Rights Reserved, your ISBN number if you have one, contact information and printer information. For different ideas on how to create this page, take a look at the books on your bookshelf and you can use one of the formats from their copyright page to create your own copyright page. To obtain an actual copyright number for your book, please visit http://www.loc.gov/copyright/
ISBN/EAN Numbers For Publishers
The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is the 13 digit number on the back of a book. This number identifies the publisher and the book title. Booksellers use this number to order, price and keep track of inventory. If you will not be selling your book in bookstores, this number is not needed. An EAN bar code is your ISBN transferred into an OCR scanable image. InstantPublisher.com can provide both the ISBN and the EAN bar code for your book. InstantPublisher, a book publishing company, offers two different ISBN options. The first ISBN option retails for $75. This number will list InstantPublisher as the publisher of record and we will be listed as the main contact for your book. (We must be the publisher of your book with this option.) The second ISBN option retails for $95. This number will be sent directly to you from R.R. Bowker. Purchasing this number entitles you to list your name as publisher of record and have full control of this number with access to your own books in the print account. Both numbers are provided with an EAN barcode for the back of your book. If you wish to purchase a number, visit our ISBN/EAN order site.
ISBN numbers purchased through InstantPublisher.com will be delivered in 2-3 business days via email after the ISBN order is placed.
If you already have an ISBN number, InstantPublisher.com (an established book publishing company) can create the barcode for $15.00 during the order process.
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