Technical Requirements for Publishing Your Own Book with Print on Demand

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When publishing your own book via print on demand, depending on your needs, it is up to you to properly format your book. It's something you need to take very seriously, because if your formatting is not done correctly, the book may not make it through the process queue, and even if it is, it will not look right. If your intention is to use the book to boost your credibility, you want the book to look professional because it reflects on your own professionalism. If your main intention is to make money selling as many copies as you can, you want the book to be seen in a positive light. So spend some time on formatting.

In most cases, you will be submitting a PDF file to the printing company. Before you can actually create a PDF, you need a source file...in other words, a book! So is it as easy as just typing out your document in Word or some other program, and then clicking a button to convert the file? No way. What you see on screen is what the PDF will look like, and the PDF defined what your book will look like. So, if all you've done is type out your book in standard 8.5 X 11 inch size, with no specific formatting, then your final document is going to end up looking more like a high school report than a book. If you are satisfied with an amateur look (or just lazy), then I guess that is okay. I strongly recommend you put some serious time into the formatting part of your book project.

Most business books are not just comprised of text from start to finish. They have sections, chapters, blank pages, images - all items that make the book flow better. Follow that recipe yourself. Make it smooth and easy to read. And please, PLEASE, do not use really big type just to make it longer. That is a trick used by marketers to peddle over-priced crap to the public. If you don't have enough material to at least fill out a hundred pages without resorting to huge fonts, then add some more content. Aim higher. Aim for a product that your readers will be proud to stick on their bookshelves.

In terms of physical dimensions, you should probably go with something smaller than the default documents size on your screen. 6 inches wide by 9 inches tall is a size that will probably work well. That is about the size of a traditional paperback. Once you change the book dimensions, all of your page numbers will change. So if you have a table of contents or an index, you will need to make sure that those sections of the book are updated so that the page numbers are correct.

The first time you try to output your file into PDF format, you may find that there are some settings that need to be set to get your PDF to be the same dimensions as your source document. Make sure your settings are correct. Make sure you inspect your PDF file carefully for problems with formatting.

Finally, there is the matter of your artwork. The print on demand company will supply you with a template on which to create your artwork. This part has to come last because the size of your artwork file will depend on the physical dimensions of your book and how many pages it has. So you won't be able to create your final artwork until you have finalized your book's PDF file. Use a high resolution for your art and strictly follow the guidelines and template provided by your printer.

Not all print on demand companies will do things the same way. So there may be some companies that have a process that differs from this one. The main thing is just to make sure you follow the rules established by your printer. That will insure that you end up with a final product you can be proud of.