•  What is print on demand book publishing?
•  Which should I choose, offset printing or POD?
•  Is Aventine Press a services provider or a publisher?
•  Should I invest in a custom cover design or use an Aventine Press template design?
•  Can I set the price for my book?
•  What is the page range for your POD services?
•  How much will it cost to purchase copies of my own book?
•  How soon can I expect my book to be completed?
•  How do you calculate my royalties and when are they sent out?
•  Why don't you have an onsite bookstore?

What is print on demand book publishing?     back to top

Print on demand (POD) is simply a method of book production used as an alternative to, and increasingly, in conjunction with the more traditional offset printing method. Print on demand books are stored electronically and individually printed as they are ordered. Because print on demand books can be produced quickly and inexpensively, with little discernable difference in appearance from that of the offset printed book, it’s use has gained wide acceptance among publishers and self publishing authors.

Which should I choose, offset printing or POD?     back to top

Both methods have their uses and determining which way to go should realistically depend more on your individual needs than anything else. Offset printing your book in large quantities has a definite “economy of scale” advantage that typically results in a much lower “per book” cost. The larger your print run, the larger your aggregate benefits. Those benefits usually come at a higher “up front” cost though, because you'll need to place an initial order for 500+ books to justify the initial set-up costs, and of course, you’ll need storage facilities for all those books and the means to fulfill book orders. But once you’ve established suitable demand for your book and can justify the investment, there’s no doubt that this is the road to greater profits.

For many authors it makes a great deal of sense to initially publish their book “on demand”. By first publishing it this way, your up front costs are minimal and you can inexpensively “test market” your book to a large audience and then easily make modifications to your book or cover based on those results. Your efforts don't go to waste and once you’ve established a track record with your book and have essentially "optimized" it, with only a few modifications you can then initiate a large offset print run, confident in the results.

Is Aventine Press a services provider or a publisher?     back to top

Actually, that depends on your requirements. While our principal business is publishing, we also provide quality “pre-press” services to self publishing authors who wish to use their own ISBN, writer co-operatives and even other publishers.

Should I invest in a custom cover design or use an Aventine Press template design?     back to top

If you can work it into your budget, there’s no question but that it's money well spent to have a professional design your cover for you. While our templates will provide you with an acceptable appearance for your book, it's difficult to make a unique statement or capture the "feel" of your book with a general purpose template.

Can I set the price for my book?     back to top

Aventine Press generally prices books we publish based on finished page count, however, we will consider cover pricing requests to accommodate special situations whenever possible. Our pricing reflects printing costs, the authors royalty and takes the booksellers trade discount into consideration.

Note: Some companies short discounts to booksellers to artificially "inflate" author royalties. We strongly discourage this practice. Our list prices reflect the customary 55% trade discount.

What is the page range for your POD services ?     back to top

Aventine Press can process books with a total page count of 108 or more (roughly 30,000 words or more).

How much will it cost to purchase copies of my own book?     back to top

Authors may purchase copies of their own title, in any quantity directly from Aventine Press, at the current printing cost plus 10%, plus the actual shipping and handling charges. Note: Printing prices are subject to change as market conditions and costs warrant.

How soon can I expect my book to be completed?     back to top

Our layout, design and formatting process is fastest among book publishing companies. In most cases, you're book could be published in 3 months.

How do you calculate my royalties and when are they sent out?     back to top

Your paperback and hardcover royalties are 80% of the payments we actually receive from sales of printed copies of your book. These payments we receive are equal to the cover price less trade (wholesale) discount, less the single-copy printing cost (this is the profit margin of the transaction). Royalties are distributed by mail quarterly. No royalty will be paid on author purchases.

Example: A reader purchases a copy of your 160 page book at Amazon.com - The cover price of your book is $12.95; subtract Amazon's 55% trade discount ($7.12) then subtract the printing cost ($3.30), the remainder ($2.53) is the profit margin, 80% of which ($2.02) is the royalty paid to you.

To arrive at your books single-copy printing cost, simply multiply $0.015 by the number of pages in your book, and then add the color cover printing & binding charge ($0.90 for paperback or $7.55 for hard cover).

Why don't you have an onsite bookstore?     back to top

Wouldn't you really prefer your readers to order your book through Amazon.com or booksellers to purchase your title through a distributor like Ingram? Why advertise your book as self published?