: Re: Cheap ways a young person can get paper books printed/bound from their manuscript? (Please incl sample costs) Some budding authors (school aged young people) want to see their creative works in

@XinRu607

Vote Up Vote Down

A more general answer, to complement what others have said:

It is unusual today to order a private print run of a self-published book, although I have done this with one author of a private edition because he needed special binding. Vanity presses that would charge you to print a certain minimum number of copies still exist, but they are obsolescent.

The current norm is what is generically called "Print On Demand" (POD). POD generally uses digital presses and standard paper stock (although you can ask for custom), often incorporates guts, cover and bindery in one production line, and has the huge advantage in your situation that there is no inventory to purchase or store. Setup charges are minimal or nonexistent, so you pay only the per-unit price for each book.

In a school-age setting such as you describe, I would look locally before considering the Lightning Source (excellent), CreateSpace or Lulu options. Google "Print On Demand" and look for local printers who offer the service. There are many today, and not just in the biggest cities.

You gain several educational advantages by using a local printer: you can establish a relationship with the printer, who will likely take an interest in the school and possibly provide tours and/or presentations for the kids; you are likely to find one who'll give you a great discount or even donate some funds to the project; you'll have someone you can work with directly on the formatting requirements; and, not least, you can actually see the facility and talk over different options for paper stock, cover and binding styles, etc.

(0)

Login to post a comment!