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Ever wondered how to publish a book?
well all the rules have just changed.
If you want to know how to publish a book, there are lots of different options depending on the type of book you have. So firstly, what do we mean by 'publish'? If you make a few copies hand them out to family and friends, then that is publishing. If you send a copy of your file to a major publisher who has a global network then you could have a world-wide distribution.
So why have the rules changed?
Conventional printing involves a principle called 'economies of scale'. In other words the more you print the cheaper the cost per unit. Secondly, printing used to involve substantial set-up costs, namely the creation of printing plates. Each colour needing a separate plate. (but combinations of a few plates can create many more colours). These considerations almost dictate the number of prints that had to be made to cover your costs. Another consideration is the cost of distribution. i.e. how to get your book to the customer. It used to be the only option to find a publisher willing to take on your work, who would carry all these costs of printing, advertising and distribution on the chance that the sales would be successful. If not, many 'hard copy' books would have been printed unnecessarily resulting in financial loss! This is no longer how to publish a book!
So what are the new rules?
Because of new digital printing, marketing and distribution, it's now possible to cost-effectively print just one hard back copy. Also, it's possible to advertise to a global market and print on demand. Companies like Amazon are enjoying an amazing success due to these principles. Another point is that anyone can now self-publish. Companies like Lulu will accept digital files uploaded to the internet and you can have just one print or many made. You can also have an ISBN number allocated and offer your work for sale on a 'print on demand' basis.
more info on about print on demand
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