X-presso Books: What do costs include?

Interior Design Fee:
If there’s one thing we’re certain about in the world of self publishing: If you want people to buy your self-published book, it better not look self published! There’s a vast difference between what you can do in a word processing program and what book designers do with professional page layout programs. At X-Presso, we have the experience, skills, and equipment to give you the professional look your book needs to succeed.

Cover Design Fee:
Even if the old adage tells you not to, people do indeed judge a book by its cover—and a successful cover design may entice a reader to pick up your book in the first place. That’s why at X-Presso Books we consider professional cover design absolutely essential to your book’s success. Few people, however, can afford a professional cover design, which can cost well over $1,000, even more if it requires custom images or photographs (professional photographs alone can cost over $250). We’ll take images you already have or create a completely original look and build a cover that will help your book jump off the shelves.

Administrative Fee Includes:

ISBN
International Standard Book Number: Each book is required to have an ISBN; in fact, you can’t place a book in a bookstore without one. Each publisher is assigned an ISBN prefix that indicates that particular publishing house. ISBNs are acquired through RR Bowker Co. at a cost of $250 for ten numbers. X-Presso Books provides you with one of our ISBNs so you don’t have to pay for an entire set.

Barcode
If you want your book in most bookstores—including Barnes & Noble and other chains—the back cover must have a bar code with the ISBN imbedded in it. Bar Codes range in from $25 to $75 depending on the vendor. X-Presso Books will generate a barcode for your book so you don’t have to pay an outside vendor.

Print Brokering
Finding a good book printer is essential to producing a successful book, but finding the best printer at the best price is a time-consuming process, and one must consider paper weight and brightness, binding style, shipping arrangements, and other details to get an accurate estimate. X-Presso Books saves you the time and trouble by finding you the best printer at the best price.

Proofs
Printing requires “proofs”—digital or hard copy print outs that currently cost $50 for covers and $50 for interior pages for digital books (proofs are usually included in the finished price for offset printing). Bound proofs of digital books showing you the exact finish product can be ordered for $30 for paperbacks and $35 for hardcover, overnight shipping included.

Distribution & Marketing/Publicity Advice
Our staff has been working in the publishing industry since 1988, and have picked up a few ideas along the way. When you publish a book through X-Presso, we sit down with you and explain how distrbution works and provide you with o=contact information for regional and national distributors. We also off marketing and publicity advice, from writing press releases to booking yourself on radio and TV programs to setting up bookstore signings.

Meetings
As the adage goes, time is money—and few things eat up more time than meetings. Putting a book together right involves taking the time to meet with authors to make sure we are making just the book you want. X-Presso Books saves you money by including a blanket cost for meetings in its administrative fees.

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