Everyone who writes professionally or as a hobby dreams of the day when they will see their writing printed in the pages of a book. The hardest part of this journey is actually writing the book, because nowadays publishing no longer requires an agreement with a publishing house or a large amount of financial resources.
What should an author who wants to publish their work as a book know?
1. The work should be submitted in electronic format
In order to make the work of converting a manuscript into a print format for a book quick and easy, it is preferable that the author's work be submitted in typed and electronic format (Microsoft Word is the most popular).
However, if it is not possible to submit the work in electronic format (it is handwritten), we also offer manuscript transcription from handwriting to computer.
2. Decide whether the book will have hardcovers or paperbacks
A paperback book will be lighter in weight, while a hardcover book will be more durable. Hardcover books have sewn pages and are easier to read, while paperback books traditionally have glued pages. Hardcovers are slightly more expensive – around 1–3 EUR more per copy, depending on the format and print run. A compromise between a glued paperback book and a hardcover book can be a paperback book with sewn pages (the latter will be more durable) or a hardcover book with PUR-glued pages, which are particularly sturdy and cheaper than sewn pages.
3. The format of the book
The experts at the publishing house “Sava grāmata” recommend choosing one of the standard formats in order to save on cut-offs and technical production processes.
The standard formats are:
A6 (105 x 148 mm)
A5 (148 x 210 mm)
B5 (170 x 240 mm)
A4 (210 x 297 mm)
The publishing house will be happy to help you with recommendations on the most suitable format for your book, taking into account the specifics of your work.
4. It should be specified whether the book will be text-only or will also contain images
Books with colour images (photographs, drawings, etc.) are considerably more expensive than black and white printing. If there are not very many images and you can therefore only include a few coloured pages in the book, this will certainly be cheaper than printing the whole book in colour.
5. Decide how large the print run of the book will be
There are small print runs of 20 to 50 books, and larger print runs of 300 to 500 books. If you expect your book to be read only by friends and family, you may only need 50 copies. However, if you also want to distribute your book in shops, you should plan for a print run of at least 100 copies.
6. Additional cover finishing
To make your book unique and unforgettable, “Sava grāmata” offers several types of cover design and finishing:
cover with gold or silver foil;
application of UV gloss varnish on individual cover elements;
white and or black colour printing on special fabric-type materials;
soft touch laminate coating.
In addition, all these special cover finishes are also available for small print runs.
To ensure that your readers receive a brand new book and that it is not damaged in transit, we offer vacuum sealing. This way, readers will receive their book unopened, undamaged and it will be a joy to start reading!
The publishing house will also help you design the layout of your book's pages and the cover design in preparation for printing. Your book will be given a unique ISBN code (barcode), which will also allow your book to be found in the catalogue of the National Library of Latvia.
In keeping with the times, we also offer our authors electronic versions of their books (e-books), as well as audio books.
The professional team of our publishing house will be pleased and honoured to work with you and provide the highest level of service!
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