Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get started to find out what it will cost to print my book?

Send us the manuscript and tell us how many copies you would like to have.  We will format it to the right size for printing, which will give us the number of pages.  We will respond within 48 hours with an exact quote of your total investment, including cover design, shipping etc. 

Do I get billed for the books when they are shipped?

Because of the very reasonable rates we charge, we cannot carry an account for later payment.  Payment in full must accompany your order, whether you order online or by snail mail.

Will my books have the barcode printed on the cover or placed on the cover with a stick-on label as I have seen on other books?

Your barcode, if you choose to have it on your books, will be printed on the cover.

I want my picture on the back cover.  Can you do that?

We can place your photo or any clip art you send us on the back cover. (Just don't use your graduation photo taken twenty-five years ago.  And, the photo should be sized at about 3 by 3 inches. If it is smaller than that, it will lose definition when we enlarge it.

If I design my own cover, what do the dimensions etc need to be?

The only part of your cover you need to design is the front cover.  This needs to be 6 1/2" wide by 9 1/2" high or slightly larger.  Not smaller!  The rest of the cover, including your photo and copy on the back cover, we will design.  The overall dimensions have to be pretty exacting to allow for trimming the book after it is assembled.  The front cover you send should be as sharp and clear as possible.  What you send will be what you get as far as the quality.  Grainy photos or artwork will print as grainy photos or artwork.  The old rule; what you see is what you get applies.

What else do I need to furnish you if you or I either one are designing the cover?

Besides the photo for the back cover, you should send a very short (40 to 50 words) Bio. to go under the photo.  An example: Mary Parsons, after teaching high school math for thirty two years, decided she would live her lifelong dream of becoming an author.  She lives in beautiful Vermont with her husband of two years and their five children.  (just a bit of humor)  If you do not put a photo on the back cover, the very best thing is an excerpt from your book or a short synopsis of the story.  This should be chosen very, very carefully.  After seeing the front of your book, this is what the prospective buyer sees, so it is your only chance to hook them.  Here is an example from one of my books:

Maybell wondered how far into the field they had carried her.  If she could get to the fence, perhaps she could cut the duct tape on the barbed wire.  At least, now, she had some sort of plan and began rolling one turn at a time, then resting a minute.  Fighting off nausea and fear, she finally rolled into the wire and began rubbing the tape on her wrists against a barb.  Tears streamed from her eyes, as she felt the blood running down her arms.  But, she finally freed her hands and lay for a moment trying to get the horrible things they did to her out of her mind.

You see, this short blurb on the back of the book would pique the reader's interest.  That's what you have to do.

If you create the cover for my book do I get to see it before my book goes into production?

Yes.  We will send a copy of the front cover via E-mail, but you need to respond with any changes you'd like within 24 hours.  We will make the changes you suggest and print your books.

Can my book contain pictures on the inside?

Yes.  The first two black and white pictures of no more than a half page are free, but because of the cost of ink and time to print, additional black and white pictures will cost $0.50 (fifty cents) each.  Color pictures are a flat rate of $0.75 (seventy-five cents) each.  Quite popular today is the making of family history books to give family members as gifts for Christmas etc.  We do print family genealogy books that are filled with photos.  These, you can send the entire manuscript and we will respond with a price for printing.  We print these books in a size of 8 by 10 inches.  About the size of a comic book.

My single spaced manuscript is 250 pages.  How many pages will it be in an actual book?

It can vary, but generally, the number of pages in the printed book will be close to comparable with a single spaced manuscript.  Often, it will be a few pages more.

Is there some particular type font I should use in my manuscript?

You certainly want your book to be easy to read.  You can format your manuscript in Arial or New Times Roman.  Arial is the most widely accepted font for use in books, because it is easy on the eyes.  If you send your book in any other format, we will convert it to Arial.  A note about fonts on your cover if you create your own front cover;  Use a solid, bold font which has no fine lines along the sides etc.  These tend to come out fuzzy when printing.

Is there anything else I need to do to my manuscript before sending it?

Not really.  We will change it to the needed format for printing.  And, by the way, this is not done by most book publishers.  They want your manuscript press ready, which can be difficult to follow all their instructions.  We try to make it as easy on you as possible, knowing everyone is not an expert on getting a story ready for instant printing.

I would really like to see a galley of my book before printing.  Is there any way I can do this?

Although we are sure you will be happy with your book, we will mail a galley for your approval before printing but, because of the low rates we charge for books and the cost of printing and mailing the extra copy, we must charge $25.00 for this service.  If you are sure you want  a galley when ordering your books, this charge must be included in the initial payment.  Be sure you have done everything you can to correct the spelling and grammar and have your story exactly the way you want.  WE DO NOT EDIT YOUR WORK

What if I want to order less than the minimum number of books on my initial order?  Is the minimum set is stone?

We established the minimum order to spread the cost of setup over enough books to make them less costly for you.  If you want less than the minimum, you will need to send us your manuscript and cover materials, if any, and we will respond with a price per book.  We try to work with you in any way we can to produce a nice book as economically as possible.  As an example; if you wanted to order ten books, your cost would likely be perhaps $13. to $13.50 per book, depending on the number of pages etc.

Do you publish children's picture books?

We can and, in fact, we will publish these without a minimum, because we know you might have a picture book you want in print for your own child or children.  In small numbers, these are expensive to print, but make great gifts, with your name as the author.  Send us the number of pages, the number of photos or illustrations and the number of books you would like to order.  We will respond with a quote per book.

Do you print anything other than books?

Everything we publish or print has to do with books.  We can print flyers and about any other type promotional material for your book, including calling cards.  One of the things we can do is print greeting cards with your book cover on the front with your message inside to alert your friends and family that you have published your book and it is available for sale.  We will only do this printing for people for whom we have published books.

If you have any questions that are not answered here, please feel free to E-mail writebill@acclaimpublishers.com