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How To Publish A Book

   Here is a step-by-step process that shows authors how to publish a book, by leading them through the self-publishing process.

   Not only do we make it simple to learn how to publish a book, we
provide an easy process to get your books printed fast and
professionally.


 




This is a flowchart that explains
each step of the book printing process. It's color coded:
BLUE
is things that YOU need
to do, RED
is things 48HrBooks does, and
GREEN
is decisions to be made. Each step is detailed below.









Step 1: You WRITE and FORMAT your
book


You've probably already written
your book, but it may not be formatted properly. We now have Free Templates
for Microsoft Word, Word Perfect, Open Office, Pages or just about any
other word processor. Download and use these to format your files
properly.


Is it the right page size?



Maybe you typed it into a
word processor (like Microsoft Word) using the standard 'Letter size'
paper, but you want your book to be printed on half-size paper. Don't
worry. There's an easy way to change it, without re-typing the entire
book. First, use a copy of your Word file, putting the original in a
safe place. Then open the copy and select "File > Page Setup". On
the "Margins" tab, make sure it says "Apply to: Whole Document". Choose
the "Paper" tab and change the paper size to 5.5" x 8.5". Go back to
the "Margins" tab and change all 4 margins. While we recommend .75 on
all 4 sides, the minimum should be: .5 for Top, Left and Right, and .75
for Bottom, to leave space for your page numbers. Hit "OK" and Word
will reformat your book. Now, you'll have to go through the entire
book, page-by-page, to fix any awkward breaks that may have been
created.


Are you using the right fonts? There are
two basic styles of type: "serif" and "sans serif". "Serifs" are those tiny
tails Most books use a serif font for the body copy, like Times, in 10 or 11
pt., and a bold sans serif font for headlines and chapter titles. If your
audience is older, you may want to use a slightly larger font to make it easier
for them to read. It's your book, so the final decision lies with you. You can
use whatever font you'd like, but there are certain accepted standards, and you
should think twice before deviating from the norm.

Once you've finished the WRITING
of your book, you've got to put it into a reader-friendly format. The following
is instructions for setting up the most standard size and format. If you've got
a specific book layout already in mind,  that's great. You can still look over
these instructions and taylor them to fit your preferred format.

The most common size is 5.5" wide x 8.5" tall with margins of 0.75" on all 4
sides. And since most writers use Microsoft Word, we'll use that in our
examples. For other programs, the steps should be very similar.

A) Make a BACKUP of your book file, and only work on the
backup copy. If you completely screw things up, you can always throw the backup
away and go back to your original.

B) Open your book file, go to File > Page
Setup ... and hit the "Paper" tab. Change the paper size to
"letter half" if it's available, or just manually change Width to 5.5" and
Height to 8.5". A little lower on the same "Paper" tab, make sure this is
applied to "Whole Document".

Now select "Margins"
tab and change margins (top, bottom, left and right) to 0.75". Make
"Gutter"=0, "Gutter position"=Left, "Orientation" = Portrait, "Pages" =
normal, and "Apply to" = whole document. See the sample below.

 








Click "OK", and see if it completely screwed up
your book file. Don't panic yet. It may LOOK messed up, but it can be fixed. You
probably have spacing issues, because you set up your pages to look good at 8.5
x 11, but they're going to be printed at 5.5 x 8.5. You may need to reduce font
sizes of some of your headlines, delete some forced spaces or tabs that you used
trying to center certain lines, things like that.

C)
Select an agreeable font combination. This is up to the individual author, but
most people find a very basic serif type (like Times New Roman) to be easiest on
the eyes for body copy, and a sans serif font (like Arial) for headlines. What
is a serif, you ask? Serifs are the tiny tails on letters, circled in red below:




As a general rule, you'll want to split your headlines and body copy.
Use a serif font for one and a sans serif font for the other. Since
sans serif fonts are generally bolder, they work better in headlines.
And since serif fonts are easier to read in large paragraphs, they work
better in body copy. The ideal paragraph line spacing should be set to
"Multiple" at 1.25. This gives a little more space between the lines of
type. But again, it's your book ... if you want to be different, go
right ahead!



D) Add "Page Breaks". Whether your book is a chapter
book, a book of poetry, or a cook book, it's simply a collection of "entries".
An entry
may be a chapter, a poem, or a recipe. But regardless of what type of
book it is, you'll want to put page breaks before each new entry. This
will force a new entry to start on a new page. If it's a traditional
chapter book, you'll probably want to insert an "Odd Page Section
Break," so the next chapter starts on a right-hand (odd) page. Simply
click in front of each entry, then select Insert > Break ... > and either select Page Break or Odd Page and hit OK.













Step 2: You EDIT your book until
it is perfect


You've probably spent many months,
even years, writing your book. We HIGHLY recommend that you spend an
extra hour or two looking it over one last time before you send it to us. Our
prices are very reasonable, but they do NOT cover corrections to your files. If
you only have a few corrections, it's usually cheapest for US to make the
changes on our system (we charge a very reasonable $75 per hour, so your changes
may only cost a few dollars.) But if you have a lot of changes, you'll probably
want to make the changes yourself and send us a new file. You can send revised
files for a $50 fee. If we need to re-format or re-convert your
files to PDF, there will be additional charges for that, so you really want to
get it right the first time.








Step 3: You CREATE PDF files


Alright, you've finished writing,
editing, formatting and editing some more. You're ready to convert your Word
document into a PDF for printing. Here's how:


If you have the full version of
Adobe Acrobat (not just the free "Reader" version), you should have a menu
item within Word titled "Adobe PDF". Choose "Adobe PDF > Change Conversion
Settings" and choose "High Quality Print" from the drop-down menu. This will
automatically do the two most important things when creating your PDF: include
your graphics at high resolution and include the fonts.


If you need a conversion
program,


download doPDF here and select 'Run' when prompted. This installs a virtual printer named 'doPDF'
on your computer. With it, you'll be able to 'File > Print ...' to
create a PDF from any Windows application. (If you've got a Mac, PDF
conversion is built right into your system.)



To create a PDF file, simply open your file, select 'File > Print ...' and choose 'doPDF' as your printer.
*** The first time you use doPDF, hit the 'Preferences' button and
change 'Graphic Resolution' to 600 dpi (near the bottom right of the
window.) Hit 'OK' and your Preferences are all set. *** Hit 'Print', make sure 'Embed fonts' is turned ON, and it will create a PDF.


IMPORTANT:
Keep in mind, we print directly from the files you send us, so if there's
a mistake in your file, that same mistake will be in every one of your books.
So check your files, then check them again, then have somebody else check them
... you get the idea.









Step 4: You place your order at



www.48HrBooks.com



A)
From our homepage, use our simple
cost calculator to determine what your costs will
be. To place an order, simply hit the "PLACE
AN ORDER" button to the right of the cost
calculator.



B) Enter information about YOURSELF. Under "Shipping
Information", you can either: (a) pick up the order
in Akron, Ohio, or (b) ship it to your account
address, or (c) ship it to a different address. Then
hit the "Next >" button.



C) Enter information about YOUR BOOK.
You will see question boxes

next to some fields. If you have
questions about an item, hover your mouse over the question
box and more detailed information will appear. Some
fields have drop-down boxes: just click on the arrow
at the right of the box, and a list of choices will
appear. When you're finished, click the "Next >"
button.

D)

Enter payment information. We accept PAYPAL and the 4 major credit cards: Visa,
MasterCard, Discover and American Express.

- If you select "PAYPAL",
you'll log in to your Paypal account, and initiate the payment
there.

- If you select "Credit Card",
you'll enter the card number, expiration date, etc.

- Your card will be AUTHORIZED when
the order is placed.

- If you need to make other payment
arrangements, select "Other" and then contact us.

When you're finished, click "Next
>".

E)
Enter your method of shipping. We generally ship UPS
Ground, but have faster choices available, too. When you're
finished, click "Next
>".

F)
Review the information that you entered. If everything
is correct, click "Submit Order" and your order is placed.
Please don't hit your browser's 'Back' button, or your card could be
pre-authorized twice.









Step 5: You SEND us files

As soon as your order is submitted, you'll be
taken to your order page. Click the "Add Files" button on the right, near
the top of the page. Then simply browse your computer hard drive, find the files that you
want to send us, give each one a short description (like "inside pages" or "front
cover", etc.), and hit "Upload". Depending on the size of your file, it
may take some time to upload, so be patient. If you've got extremely large
files, or if you're using a very slow "dial-up" connection, you may want to put
your files on a CD or thumb drive and ship them to us (Next Day Air if you're in
a hurry, regular mail or UPS Ground if you're not in a hurry.)









Step 6: We SEND you a PDF Proof

We will immediately start working on your files.
When we're done, we'll upload PDF Proofs of both the cover and the inside pages.
Then we'll send you an email with a link to your proof files. Select the link
and you'll be taken to your Order page. You will see a "Files" section. The
files marked with a Yellow box are your PDF proofs. Click on each file, select
"Save", and remember where you saved them. When you are done saving them, hide the
browser window, open each of the PDF proof files, and look through them VERY
CAREFULLY. Again, if there is a mistake on the files, and you don't catch
it, that mistake will be on all of your books. It is YOUR responsibility to
proofread these PDF proof files carefully. Sometimes the author can be the worst
person to proofread his/her own words. You might want to get a second set of
eyes to look it over before you give your OK.









Step 7: Is your PDF Proof OK?

After you've looked through the entire book and
cover, you've got to determine if the proof is OK or not. Go back to your Order
page on our website, select the "sign-off" link near the top, and either "Accept"
or "Reject" the proof. If you accept the proof, go to step 8. If you
reject it and 48HrBooks made the mistake(s), let us know in an email what
we need to correct. As long as it's our mistake, we'll fix it for free. If you
reject it and YOU made the mistake(s), go back to Step 2, where you'll
edit your book to correct the errors, convert to PDF again, and send us revised PDF files.

 









Step 8: Did you ask for a Printed
Proof?

If you asked for a Printed Proof, we'll print and
bind a single book, and send it UPS Next Day Air. You'll receive it the next day
by 10:30 am (business days only, no Saturday or Sunday delivery). If you did NOT
ask for a printed proof, skip to Step 11, where we will immediately start
printing your full run of books.

 

 

 









Step 9: We SEND you a Printed
Proof?

We try to ship all Printed Proofs the same day
that you OK your PDF Proof. If it's after noon EST, or you have special elements
to your book, it may take an extra day.

 

 

 









Step 10: Is your Printed Proof OK?

After you've looked through your printed book,
you've got to determine if the proof is OK or not. Go back to your Order page on
our website, select the "sign-off" link near the top, and either "Accept"
or "Reject" the proof. If you accept the proof, go to step 11, where we
print and bind your full order. If you reject it and 48HrBooks made the
mistake(s), let us know in an email what we need to correct. As long as it's our
mistake, we'll fix it for free. If you reject it and YOU made the
mistake(s), go back to Step 2, where you'll edit your book to correct the
errors, and send us revised PDF files.









Step 11: We Print your full order
of books

Here is where the "48HrBooks" clock starts
ticking. Keep in mind, we don't count Saturdays, Sundays or Holidays, and each day's
cut-off is 5:00 pm EST. Any approvals after 5:00 pm EST will be counted as the
following day. 

Example: If you OK your proof Monday at 4:45 pm
EST, your books will ship Wednesday. But if you wait 20 minutes longer and don't
OK your proof until 5:05 pm EST on Monday, the approval will be counted as
Tuesday, so your books won't ship until Thursday. 






Proof OK'ed

before 5:00 pm

EST on ...


Standard

Production,

Books Ship ...


Rush

Production,

Books Ship ...


SuperRush

Production,

Books Ship ...













































 

It's very important to keep these things in mind.
Using the table above and the map below, you should be able to calculate exactly
what day you'll receive your books. If you're not sure, just call us. We can
help. And if you need to expedite either the printing and binding of your book, or use
urgent delivery (Next Day Air, 2nd Day Air, etc.), call us or email us
IMMEDIATELY and request a change. We'll let you know if it can be done. Also,
don't forget that Spiral Coil binding and Hard cover (Case Bound books) takes
1 week to produce.



Our standard shipping method is UPS Ground from
Akron, Ohio.

This map shows travel times from Akron, Ohio to
anywhere in the U.S.A.

For example: 2 days to New York, 3 days to
Florida, 4 days to California. (Please call for international shipments.)

 

 









Step 12: Celebrate when UPS


delivers your books right to your
door

The day your books are delivered represents the
culmination of weeks, months, even years of hard work on your part. So go ahead
and celebrate. You've earned it! We've heard stories of people doing a dance,
jumping up and down in excitement, we've even had a couple authors hugging their
UPS guy!

When you get a little free time, we'd appreciate
it if you could drop us a note (email is fine) and tell us how you like your
books. We always love hearing from our clients.

 

Thanks,

Your friends at 48HrBooks


 
 



For a visual tour of how to place an order,



Or just follow these instructions:


STEP 1 ... Entering your order
Find your cost by using our simple 'Cost Calculator'
on our homepage. If you like the price, and I'm sure you will, hit the
'Get Started' button on the left, and fill out a spec sheet. If you
have questions about certain parts of the spec sheet, just take your
mouse and hover over the '?' for a quick explanation. To check your order any time, simply log into your account with your email address and a password.

      Note: 'Pages' asks for number of PAGES, not SHEETS. If you have 60 SHEETS printed 2-sided, that's 120 PAGES, so make sure you enter '120'.

      Note: 'Number of Color Pages' is for INSIDE pages, don't count the cover as a color page.

      Note: Only check 'Cover Design' if you want 48HrBooks to design a cover for you for $100.


STEP 2 ... Uploading your files

Your order information will be displayed. Hit the 'Add Files' button,
then hit the 'Browse' button, find the file you want to send us, give
it a simple description (like 'inside pages' or 'back cover art'). Hit
the '+' button if you want to add more files. Hit 'Upload' when you're
finished. Depending on the size of your files, the upload process may
take some time. There should be a status bar at the bottom of your web
browser that indicates approximately how much is done.


STEP 3 ... Approving your Proof

We will send you an email notification when you have a PDF softproof to
look at, with a link to our website. Log in and you'll see your
order(s). Download the file(s) marked with a YELLOW box. These are your
proofs. Look them over carefully. When you're ready, either give an OK
or REJECT the proofs. If you reject it, we make the necessary
corrections and send you a new proof.


STEP 4 ... We print your books
We'll print and ship your books within 2 business days after your approval.


Any Extra Charges?
Only if you choose any of the following options:

    Cover Design (either $100 or $500)

    ISBN and barcode ($125)

    Printed Proof ($40, and we pay for overnight shipping)

    Re-formatting your files ($75 minimum)

    Convert files to PDF ($50)

    Extra Computer Time ($75 per hour)

    Sending revised files($50 each new set of files)

    Cancelled orders($100 + any other options chosen)



Cover Design (either $100 or $500): If you have a cover already,
there's no charge. To use our "Create-a-Cover" feature, add $100 (a
real steal!). For the author with very specific needs, we offer a fully
customized cover created by an experienced graphic designer for $500.
All of these charges are one-time charges. There's no additional charge
on re-orders, if you use the same cover design.

ISBN and barcode ($125): We can provide you with your own ISBN
and barcode for $125 and YOU will be the publisher. This takes about a
week, though, so you'll need to figure that in to your deadline.

Printed Proof ($40): We send a PDF proof for you to look at for
FREE, but if you want a PRINTED PROOF sent to you via UPS Next Day Air
(for $40), say 'Yes" to Printed Proof. You'll still get the PDF proof,
but after you OK that, we'll print, bind and ship a printed proof to
you. You just pay $40 for the proof, and we'll pay for the overnight
shipping.

Re-formatting your files ($75 minimum): If your files are set up
for 8.5 x 11, but you want your book to be a different size and have no
idea how to re-format it, we can re-format your files for you. Of
course, you could call or email us and we can send you simple
instructions for re-formatting.

Converting files to PDF ($50): You can convert your files to PDF by downloading a
FREE PDF Converter here and select "Run" when prompted., or send us your Word files and we'll convert them for you.

Sending us revised files ($50): Please proofread your files
carefully before submitting them. We do a lot of work on your files
before sending you the PDF proof or the printed proof. If you need to
submit new files, there is a $50 charge to cover the work we've already
done on your original files.

Cancelled orders ($100 + any other options chosen): As soon as
you place your order, it's put into our production schedule. We put a
lot of work into your files and reserve press time for printing your
book. If you cancel your order, we'll be happy to return any deposits
or credit card authorizations, minus $100 and any other options chosen
that we have performed.

Special orders (cream paper, plastic coil binding, hard cover books, special tabs): There are a few specialized items that are not included in our price calculator. Please call or email us for exact pricing.





These are PERFECT BOUND BOOKS
(paperback books), with inside pages printed in black ink on 60# bright
white offset, full-color covers printed on a heavy 10 pt. C1S, then UV Coated
with a high-gloss protective coating. They look incredible! If your
book has full-color inside pages, include that in the calculator below.
If your book is an odd size, choose the next larger size, and indicate
the actual finished size under "Comments" when you order. We offer
three pricing levels: Standard ships in 2 business days, Rush ships in 1 business day, and Super Rush ships same day. (Note: Rush and Super Rush are available on a limited basis. Please call to confirm availability.)
E-Mail us:  info@48HrBooks.com
Or call us at 1-800-231-0521



FAST FAQ


- How do I create a PDF file?
- My PDF is low-resolution. How do I fix that?
- What are your payment terms?
- What size do I make the cover?
- Do you offer ISBN numbers and barcodes?
- Do you offer other types of binding?
- Can you print photos? Is there an extra charge?








Download our Templates

for Microsoft Word, Word Perfect, Open Office, Pages

or just about any other word processor!




4.25 x 7 book template


5.5 x 8.5 book template


6 x 9 book template


8.5 x 11 book template