The screen shots up until this point have provided the full-screen of the Publishing Center. Now let’s “zoom in” a bit, since the surrounding portions of the webpage are always the same. This will allow you to see the details a little better regarding the customization choices you have at Outskirts Press.
Step One involves choosing your book format(s) and once you’ve done that, selecting your trim size. For the Fandemonium Volume 2 book that I’m publishing and writing about for this walk-thru, we will choose our format(s) from the first screen we see:
I must complete this step before I can do anything else, so there’s no time like the present.
Here is some general advice:
The paperback format is included with the cost of every package, so I would recommend you always publish a paperback format, even if you also plan to publish a hardback. The production price on paperbacks is much lower, which means your per-unit pricing will be less and your retail pricing will be less. As a result, your profit margin is likely to be better. Over 95% of our authors choose to publish a paperback format, in addition to whatever additional formats they choose.
Therefore, if you also desire a hardback, I recommend you select the “Paperback and hardback formats.” Picking both formats is an excellent way to get a great value, since you are essentially publishing two different books for the price of one. Each format gets its own ISBN, its own pricing, and its own listing in our bookstore, etc.
There are valid reasons to add a hardback format to your custom package, but making money probably isn’t one of them. POD hardback books are expensive to produce, which means your retail price will be high. So plan on the paperback being the “work horse” and the hardback being the “pretty” thing you give away as gifts, leave on your coffee table, and store safely for heritage. The exception to this is with full-color children’s books, which are often laminated hardbacks, in which case, you may wish to forego the paperback entirely (although for the pricing considerations I’ve already mentioned, I wouldn’t recommend it; you should probably get both).
President of Outskirts Press 