If You Are Considering Self-Publishing
Here’s One Publishing Option

from

North Star Press of St. Cloud, Inc.
P.O. Box 451
St. Cloud, Minnesota 56302
320-558-9062 · E-mail: info@northstarpress.com
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Not all books will find a place in publishing houses, large or small. Not all should. Some manuscripts are not ready, of course, but that is not the only reason rejection slips collect for authors. Some extremely fine manuscripts never see print because the scope is so limited that a national market does not exist for it, not even a strong regional one. This makes the manuscript risky to publish. And in today’s publishing world, many times it is necessary for an author to develop a “history” or “track record,” which includes producing their own book first before larger presses or even an agent would be interested in the author’s future books.

Sometimes, however, the work is well-written, has a well-defined if somewhat smallish market, and the author has a good handle on promotion. These books could (and probably should) be produced by the author in self-published ventures. Often the problem the author faces as a self-publisher is that, while he or she has written a good book and knows how to sell that book, the process of actually producing the book seems confusing, terribly expensive, and potentially fraught with risks. Publishers and printers have their own language and needs that a potential self-publisher must learn at light speed or get help to negotiate properly. The transformation of a manuscript into a book is not as simple as changing the size of the pages. Self-publishers find themselves at a loss trying to face all the questions and decisions themselves. North Star can help.

North Star Press offers self-publishers an option that carries with it less risk than trying to produce a book without knowing how. It is called Guided Self-publishing, and it may be a good choice for some. While the author is still directly responsible for all costs related to the production of the book and promotion, the books themselves will be professional in every sense of the word, and the cost will be less than the author could achieve without our connections. North Star Press is a veteran small press of forty-plus years and more than six hundred fifty books to our credit. We know how to produce books and, to continue publishing, we know how to produce top quality books at a reasonable cost. We offer self-publishers the opportunity to take advantage of our expertise in book production with their own books. The advantage to self-publishers is that they have an experienced publisher handling pre-press work and dealing with printers, many of whom do not like to deal with novices. The same good printing prices we need to survive as a small press are passed on to self-publishers under our wing.

Guided Self-publishing also allows novice publishers the opportunity to learn how to publish books. We keep the process open, answer all questions frankly, guide self-publishers and novice publishers in the production of an economical but professionally produced book and advise when decisions are needed. Self-publishers can be as involved in the process of producing their books as they choose. Some want North Star to handle everything, find them artists to illustrate their books, make all decisions based on what they want as a final product without much involvement from them. No problem. We can even work with them to get their books into bookstores, on Amazon.com, and promote their books. Others want input in all choices but want guidance on how those choices affect the final appearance of their book and its cost, making the process a learning experience to use to produce books on their own at a later time. This is fine too.

The kinds of books often better done as self-publishing ventures

~1. Family histories, especially those that deal extensively with family members, giving dates, marriages, and family events.
~2. Personal memoirs that, like family histories, delve into genealogical detail of interest to a very small group of relatives and friends.
~3. Church, town, county histories where the audience is likely a single parish, members of a town, or residents in a single county.
~4. Non-fiction books (how-tos, issues, essays) where the author’s ideas or opinions are championed mostly by the author himself (herself) and when the author is active (or willing to become so) giving talks, seminars, book signings, or purposefully self-promoting the book.
~5. Poetry and verse and some collections of short fiction—often best sold at readings, craft sales, or fairs. In other words, these books have a very low sales rate without significant author involvement.

North Star Press can help with these kinds of projects. We offer the novice publisher a way to get books published without having to understand all the intricacies of the publishing business. With over forty years in publishing, we have the expertise, the contacts, and know-how to produce books professionally and economically. We have facilities for complete in-house pre-press production of books and a close working relationship with a number of fine printers, some of which actually send clients to us who approach them for printing but whom they determine are too novice to present books to them in the proper form for printing.

To certain books, we can offer a North Star ISBN. For those who have their own, we can make the necessary bar codes for their number and price.

In order to offer a safe, reasonable environment for those with little knowledge of publishing, North Star works up all bids without any cost. This free bidding process gives authors time to examine the total costs of the job, perhaps modify their books to fit their budgets and needs, and even walk away from the project if they feel they must with no expense to them. We also often give authors a sample of what their book might look like, again free of charge. When the bid is accepted, we offer a contract so that the job is clearly understood and delineated. We want no confusion on what we are going to do or how much it is going to cost. Even if we must set a sample of the text in order to judge the length of a book and make a number of long-distance calls to printers and binders, there is no charge until the bid is found acceptable and a contract to produce the book is signed.

Some of the Services We Offer

  • 1. Editing. We do everything from extensive rewriting to a simple check for typos, punctuation, and grammar. Book style is very specific and quite different from journalistic style. We follow the Chicago Manual of Style, the standard for the book industry, and can bring a work to that standard quickly and efficiently. Keep in mind a very true and important maxim: One cannot edit one’s own book. Doing so is not a wise savings.
  • 2. Obtaining bids for printing, color work, binding, art work—everything required. This is to give our self-publishers as fair and complete idea of cost.
  • 3. Designing both the text and chapter pages as well as the book cover and/or jacket.
  • 4. Providing color separations and black-and-white halftones as needed. We have worked with photos, transparencies, slides, and art work in almost every possible setting. Most scans are done in-house. Touch-ups are definitely possible. Pictures comply with printer specifications.
  • 5. Typesetting. Manuscripts that are not on disc or come by way of email can be professionally typeset.
  • 6. Formatting the pages, on screen, putting into place all text, pictures, captions, running heads, page numbers, and graphics to the author’s specification.
  • 7. Proofing. Although authors see their work in progress and can proof it as many times as it takes to feel comfortable with the project, our eyes are trained to catch errors in a way that comes only after years of doing. Proofs can be generated over the Internet as PDFs or, if the author is not particularly computer savvy, we are happy to offer printed out page proofs.
  • 8. Printing. Although not done in-house, we oversee the entire project, keeping in communication with the printer and making sure everything progresses well. 
  • 9. Binding. Again, not done in-house, but we have access to every binding option and can insure that authors get what they want.
  • 10. Marketing tips. We have been selling books for over forty years; we’ve learned a few things along the way. We offer a packet with flyer construction, a review list, tips on pre-pub copies, the names of local distributors, sample cover letters, access to shipping supplies, and tips on how to get book signings, phone interviews, and possibly cable talk show spots. We can also assist our authors in getting their books into the Barnes and Noble system and Amazon.com as well as help set up signings if that is required. We can send out review copies and even take care of fulfillment, if authors wish.
  • 11. Storage. It is possible that some books may be stored by the author in our warehouse for a small monthly fee, however, space is limited.
  • 12. For all our authors, we give advice on many issues and are happy to advise when decisions must be made. That is not to say authors have to take our advice, but realizing that we have a great deal of experience is useful.

Any or all of our services can be used. Some need only minimal help (a final check before the discs are sent to a printer); others need a great deal of help in preparation. Some even need writing assistance. We give what is needed, and charge only for what is done. Some people need only bids and access, through us, to printers who do not deal with novices. We are happy to assist in whatever way we can.

If you have a manuscript that either has been rejected by publishers or you think you can market best yourself, perhaps you should talk with us. If you are sure you want to explore the possibilities of self-publishing and the idea of guided self-publishing seems attractive, answers to the following set of questions will get us started in assisting you:

  • 1. How many pages is the manuscript? Single or double-spaced? Word count? Can we have a sample (at least ten pages is recommended but the whole book gives a more accurate bid price)?
  • 2. Are pictures to be included? Photos, slides, or transparencies? Pencil drawings? Ink? Black and white or color? How many?
  • 3. What size book are you considering? 5½ x 8½, 6 × 9, 7 x10, and 8½ x 11 are standard measurements, but almost any size can be done on request.
  • 4. Hard cover or paperback? Special binding needs (a paperback that stays open—particularly useful in cookbooks? If hard cover, do you want a jacket?
  • 5. How many books do you think you need or want? We get a range of prices.
  • 6. Do you need help with writing your book? Editing?
  • 7. Do you need an artist to complete the cover or text illustrations?
  • 8. Is the manuscript available on disc? PC or Mac? What program? Can you send it by E-mail?
  • 9. Does the book have special needs? Large type for older eyes? Heavier paper for young readers?
  • 10. When is the book needed? Is a special event coming up? Time of year (i.e. Christmas sales)?
  • 11. Contact information: phone or email. Either is acceptable, but we prefer to send out proofs in PDF form over the Internet. If you prefer to have a paper copy, let us know.

With these questions answered and a sample of the text (a disc or E-mail of a chapter or the whole work), we can work up a bid for the book. Again, there is absolutely no cost in preparing a bid. You can always say no at the end of the bidding process.**

Other Considerations

The bid we provide is meant to reflect the total cost of the book, but an absolutely exact price is difficult. The price we offer is good with these exceptions:

First: The bid from the printer is actually only good for one month. Paper costs fluctuate. If the bid is given much in advance of the actual printing of the book (more than three months), some changes in that cost are to be expected, and the project will have to be rebid close to the time of printing to account for these variations. This seldom amounts to a significant production increase, and we do keep you well informed, but price variations do occur regarding the printing.

Second: Once we’ve given a bid, changes to the parameters of the book can change costs. For example: if you add a chapter, extra photos, or decide later on hard cover instead of paper binding, costs will change. Again, when we see variations from what we understood of the project, we will ask questions and then keep you well informed of the impact changes have on costs.

Third: All changes made while the book remains with North Star Press are included in our bid price, whether one or five proofs is required. However, once the printer has received the book and has produced negatives, although there is still one more opportunity to make final changes (on the silverprint or blueline), each page changed, regardless of how small or extensive those changes may be, will cost thirty dollars ($35). The printer must generate a new negative for each page changed, and that is expensive. This is a completely controllable expense, however, as we give authors ample opportunity to make corrections in-house before the book goes to the printer.

Fourth: When we order a specific number of books for the printer to print, the printer prints more than we ask because he knows that traveling through over an acre of machinery can mess up sheets; his folders can munch pages, and binders crunch some books. In order to give the author the number ordered, therefore, the printer prints more than what is ordered. All successfully completed books (up to 5% over) are shipped, and the author is responsible for those “overs” or, rarely, “unders.” The cost for these books, however, is only for the materials (paper and binding) used and is very reasonable. We at North Star hope for large numbers of overs because these less expensive books reduce the cost per book of the whole printing. Of course, if lots of stuff goes wrong, there can be an “underrun,” and, unfortunately, the author is only credited the paper and binding cost for those books. Fortunately, underruns are rare. The trick is that the exact number of overs or unders can’t be known until the whole print run is completed, so the cost for these extra books or credit is accounted for in the final bill.

Payment

Once we prepare a bid and know the costs involved in the book and the author has accepted those costs, we issue a contract. With the signing of the contract, we expect one-half payment of the bid. The second half is owing at the time the book goes to the printer. Any added costs (changes at silverprint, overs or unders, paper cost changes, and changes in the job itself), are owing when books arrive and before the books are removed from our building or shipped from the printer.

Storage

In some instances, books can be stored in our warehouse. We have a large building and, though space is always at a premium, it can be made available if someone has no other space available to store their books. We can even assist authors in fulfillment, as well, if that is desirable. Storage costs $20 per skid per month. Fulfillment issues and costs are best arranged separately.

Further Assistance

Sometimes authors don’t know how to begin the marketing of their books but wish to do this part of the job themselves. North Star can help.

  • 1.We can share our review list, which includes newspapers and library review places.
  • 2. We can share sample flyers to help authors make their own
  • 3. We can make introductions to distributors and the buyers for Barnes and Noble and Borders Booksellers; 
  • 4. We can advise how to go about setting up signings at bookstores;
  • 5. We can detail how to get books listed on Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble’s on-line store;
  • 6. We can even help authors find the necessary shipping packages to ship their books.
  • 7. We can answer a plethora of questions and are happy to do so.

Final Words

It is not necessary for every new author and self-publisher to “reinvent the wheel,” so to speak. We are offering our extensive knowledge to those who wishes to avail themselves of our experience, and the cost for our assistance plus the printing of the book is often less than the printing costs alone that many authors have found.

We offer a safe environment in which to learn and get your book published. We are always open to questions and up front with costs and opinions and options. We pride ourselves in this and in being truthful and honest with our clients.

Although what we offer is far from the only choice in getting books published or printed, there are some cautions that should be noted.

1. Many printers now offer “publishing” options. Keep in mind that a printer is not a publisher, and even those who offer ISBNs might not have publishing experience. Get samples. Look for errors in the books and on covers. Look for a pleasing design. If you like what you see, great; if not it might not be wise to trust your book into that printer’s hands.

2. Some options for authors to self-publish their books, even when the sample books seem to be well made, have serious drawbacks. Book buyers and distributors are very savvy people, people who can spot a self-published book a mile away. Unfortunately, this is often instantly equated with rejection to handle or stock such books in stores. While at times their “flagging” of self-published books is unfair, often it’s not. Many printers who think they can suddenly become publishers forgo some of the niceties of good book production, say: editing, professional design, proofing. Failing to produce books with good pre-press sets up a situation that buyers and distributors reject books based solely on the name of a publisher/printer who routinely produces badly edited books. This puts the author in the horrible position of having books but no place to sell them. Please, be careful. As expensive a book production is, it doesn’t pay to save pennies and lose the ability to get books in stores. Again, our prices, even with the extensive pre-press included, are often cheaper than places that offer pre-press as a high-priced “option.” To us, pre-press is the basis of good book-making, the foundation.

North Star has been producing quality books for forty years. We have a good reputation in Minnesota. Our list of Minnesota Book Award wins and nominations, Midwest Book Awards wins and nominations, and Northeastern Minnesota Book Award wins and nominations attest to that. We have been reviewed in the New York Times, Publisher’s Weekly, and regularly get local reviews. For this reason, we have a wonderful relationship with book buyers and distributors, connections printing houses and Internet publishers fail to make well, if at all. Books are expensive; give yourself your best options for sales: a good product priced right. We can help.

To us, every book deserves and gets our very best effort. We don’t know how to do any less.