Our printing is done by LSI (Lightning Source, Inc.). They produce top quality books with exceptionally good looking covers. They have a super reputation. Modest costs. Top notch quality control. Excellent support. And fast production.

And they handle shipping of the finished book, which is essential for retail sales from our websites. There's a charge, of course, but it all assures speedy delivery to our customers. Lightning Source, Inc. is owned by Ingram, the largest wholesale book distributor in the U.S.

If you'd like to see a copy of a book produced by Lightning Source, Those Who Betray is available for $16 including delivery to your door via UPS. Click here. Note this offer is available only to authors and artists working with us.

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POD, as Print On Demand is usually referred to, is an automated printing process that imprints pages of a book from electronic copies in files on a computer. The setup charges cover converting a copy of your book to the electronic format required to produce a book. The printing process is much as is used with a laser printer and in copy shops. It's a toner process which makes it cost effective to print only one book at a time, just as you might request a copy of your manuscript in a copy shop. The cost per book is largely that of paper, toner, and the use of the printing system. Setup fees are paid only once. The cost per book is paid upon each order. The cost per book is greater than with a print run of 4000 copies through a printer running an offset press. But there is a grand advantage in that the total run does not need to be paid for up front. And there is no need to warehouse inventory, an expensive proposition. Until you need over 1000 copies you know can be sold, POD remains the most cost-effective way to print a book. Books produced are called "trade paperbacks." They differ from mass market paperbacks, which most call paperbacks, available on newsstands and in book stores. The quality of the book is much better, including the printing, paper, and binding. The topic of POD is broad. While it is a relatively new process, there is nothing revolutionary about it as some claim. It is simply one of many ways of putting words on paper in a sensible manner. If you would like to know more about how this all came about, in particular about the pitfalls, here is an excellent article. "Print On Demand" Following the article you'll find further links to more articles. The annotations are excellent.

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For many authors, the most difficult point to grasp in using POD is the rigid requirements. There are few options. Once your book is run, you'll need to start all over, even if you want only one change. Which means setup fees must be paid again.

This rigidity may mean you'll want to do further editing and polishing before submission. You won't receive edited galleys upon which changes can be made, as you would from an offline house. You pay your money and a book is printed. Period.

There are two reasons for this. First, think of POD printing as a copy shop specializing in manuscripts. The process is totally automated to keep costs down. There is no method for handling off-norm procedures.

They print from images of the pages of your book, images much like .GIF and .JPG files you see on the Web. There is no easy way to open these images and correct the spelling of a word. It's easier to recreate them from a corrected .PDF file.

So it's best to get it right the first time. Else you get to do it over again. And pay again.

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When working with book covers, the topic is always images. And the POD process is not going to render the startling prints produced routinely by The National Geographic. Think instead of the graphics you see on web pages (but without the fuzz). However even in this, there is a difference. Images on web pages are generally .GIF or .JPG files displayed. Each pixel in the image is an RGB color. (Combinations of Red, Green, and Blue.) Images for POD book covers are done in CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black) and output is a .TIF file. There are unavoidable differences between these two color schemes. For example, while blue is perhaps the strongest color on a web page, it may not render well in CMYK. Gradients, such as a sunset sky ranging from dark red to pale yellow, may tend to streak. Good artists know these things. And will advise you if color choices are inadequate. The Smart Move: Take the artist's advice. Pretend you're color blind, if you must. But do it. Changing colors to suit what you believe is best may add significantly to cost. What's worse, the result may not print well. top     More About Colors

Authors > Printing

On This Page About Lightning Source Notes About Print On Demand Rules Are Rigid Colors and Book Covers How To Work with an Artist Using Another Artist That "Vanity Press" Label Have a Question?

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Provide any and all input possible up front. Then shush. Unless the proof copy contains obvious errors, accept it and go. Here's why.

You're an author. Your forte is painting pictures with words that fascinate readers. You are not a graphic artist. So regardless of your abilities to evaluate art, don't intrude.

When you wrote your book, you undoubtedly addressed a specific audience. That is, you wrote so this audience would appreciate your story and the way in which it was written.

A good artist has the same objective in creating your book cover. That is, he or she will seek to please your potential customer. You'll be way ahead of the game if you let the artist have a free hand.

If you intrude, as in requesting size or color changes, the artist almost always tries to accommodate your input. But in doing so, the overall concept in the design may be weakened, or even destroyed.

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We work with Charles King, for in our opinion, he's the best available. However, you are free to work with anyone. But there's a problem in this.

We are not artists. We can not judge the quality of any presentation. Or whether or not the demands of our printer have been met. So we pay an outside consultant to assure all is ready for printing. If there's a goof, you'll have to do it all over and pay additional fees, perhaps even to your artist.

Click here for the cover requirements at Lightning Source. Then click on Book Designers at the top of the page. Grab a copy of the page template for a book trimmed to 6x9". While many options are available, we can accept a cover only as a single .TIF file.

The back cover of the book should begin with a statement as to the type of book this is, such as: Male/Adventure. To the right of this statement, include the price provided in an easy-to-read size.

The bar code at the bottom left of the back cover must include the ISBN and the price provided.

For best image results, use the cmyk files. The small logo for the spine may work for you as a .GIF. But it may be best to resize fp_Back_Cover_cmyk.tif as appropriate.

Be sure to include

Published by
Foremost Press

to the right of the logo beside the bar code. Or beneath it. This choice likely depends upon the graphic layout of the page.

The invitation sticker should be cocked at an angle above the bar code so it looks like something pasted onto the back of the book. Slant it slightly upward or downward to make it seem more a sticker. And again let your choice be a function of the graphic layout of the page.

For a copy of the files you need, download:

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If you publish your book on the Web, you've "earned" this label. No matter how great your work. No matter how great the publisher.

As a reminder, this label popped up years back, long before the Web even existed, when small presses began asking for fees from authors, or took on a title without paying an advance. All who talked of such operations needed a label to distinguish between such houses and the majors. "Vanity Press" was invented to make this distinction. And this label is applied to all web-based publishers.

Even if you receive a reasonable advance, and the publisher pays all costs, it simply doesn't matter. You are "guilty" of the grand sin of turning to a "Vanity Press" when your work is released by a web-based publisher.

We urge authors to exhaust all possible offline options before turning to the Web. Not because of this label. But because even grand success on the Web is unlikely to lead to the fame and bucks possible when your work is produced by a major offline publisher.

But if you have taken the shot offline, and still believe in your book, then by all means turn to the Web and accept the label. And, of course, we hope you'll turn to us.

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We'll by happy to answer any question about promoting and selling your book. However we do not talk about your work. You see, opinions differ. Sure, we have ours. Just as you have yours. But our opinions don't matter more than those of a stranger on the street. But sure, we'll be glad to answer any question about promoting and selling your work. However, we don't go further, for this takes us outside our area of expertise. Send your question email to mary@foremostpress.com Or click here to use our Contact Form Or call Mary at 1.262.377.3180 We'll be glad to help in any way we can.

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