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Step Four - Book Production (The RFQ Process)© Donna Murphy
Book production is one of my favorite steps in the whole self-publishing process. This is the step where you finally get to see all that hard work come together. It's also the part where printers wanting to bid for your book contact you, regularly. So far, you haven't had to solicit too many outside resources to get your book prepared. If you have been following the steps along diligently, hopefully you have:
2. Finished your manuscript; 3. Gotten your manuscript edited and typeset; 4. Gathered all appropriate forms to register your book; and 5. Determined a profitable price for you book. Before you send your book out to get "produced," you have to identify which printer/manufacturer you will use. What a great learning process this is. The normal procedure is to send a Request For Quotation (RFQ) to a list of printers. A good place to start looking for printers is the Literary Market Place. Look first under the heading of Trade Services and then under Book Manufacturing. There you will find an abundant listing of printers, bookbinders, and book manufacturers. The all-inclusive option is only available from the book manufacturer. They have the capabilities to print, bind, package, and ship your book. The reason I say this is my favorite step in the self-publishing process is because the response you get from printers and manufacturers is an ego-booster. Book manufacturers make their living from those of us who want to get our materials published. That makes them very interested in you. But that doesn't give you permission to accept the first offer that comes back. Use this process as a research tool. You will get to see what the extremes can be from printer to printer for the exact same book. How to submit an RFQ The traditional way to submit an RFQ is to generate a form letter listing all the specific information that you require. This form letter is then mailed directly to the printer. The manufacturer often sets the alternate methods for requesting quotes. Some companies accept RFQs by facsimile. Other companies provide you with a pre-made postcard or form to fill out to send directly to them. Many companies now have their RFQ forms on-line so that you can get a quote on-line by e-mail within 24-48 hours of submission. Visit Bookmasters and Bookcrafters to see examples of on-line RFQs. Go To Page: 1 2
The copyright of the article Step Four - Book Production (The RFQ Process) in Self-Publishing is owned by Donna Murphy. Permission to republish Step Four - Book Production (The RFQ Process) in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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