F.A.Q's

1. What weight and type of paper is best?
2. How much margin is recommended?
3. One side copying tends to curl the paper . . . what should I do?
4. Is coated paper good for end paper for my hardcover book?
5. On Perfect Bound books, can I make the cover the same size as the text?
6. How much turn in should I allow for the printed covers on hardcover books?
7. What are the most common book sizes?
8. What type of binding does your company offer?
9. How do I obtain my ISBN number and Bar Code?
10. Do I keep the rights and have complete control of my book?
11. Once I give you the manuscript or my files, how long will it take to print and bind my book?
12. Do I have to promote my own book?
13. How does First Choice differ from traditional publishers?
14. What is self-publishing?
15. What is a Short Run?
16. Do I prepare my own manuscript for printing?
17. Can you offer book cover design?
18. How do I copyright my book?
19. What is the best option for my book — hard or soft cover?
20. Who will market my book once it is produced?
21. How do I submit my finished manuscript for printing?
22. Will you call me when you receive my submission?
23. Will I receive a proof of my work?
24. How long does the publishing process take?
25. Do I need to re-submit my manuscript to reorder?
26. How much does it cost to produce each book?
27. Am I free to contact other publishers?
28. How do I check the status of my order?
29. Who pays for shipping?
30. How is my spine width calculated?

1) What weight and type of paper is best? The standard is 24/60 lb white book paper. Our house paper is 60 lb bright white with good opacity and softness. Great for high quality colour and gray scale images. We  also carry 50,70 and 80 lb offset and 80 and 100 lb coated for high quality books.

2) How much margin is recommended? A 3/4" gutter margin and 5/8" top, bottom and face (right side) is recommended. Mirror image for second side page layout.

3) One side copying tends to curl the paper . . . what should I do? Get a better quality and weight of paper and use a copier that could give you a better result. More heat produces curl. Our digital printers produce very little curl, regardless of paper weight.

4) Is coated paper good for end paper for my hardcover book? No. We recommend 100 lb. offset paper with good glue hold out characteristics. Dull coated 100 lb also works.

5) On Perfect Bound books, can I make the cover the same size as the text? No. Covers that bleed  must be bigger by 1/4" all around. Check below for spine width calculations.

6) How much turn in should I allow for the printed covers on hardcover books? Allow a minimum 3/4" turn in (bleeds) on all four sides.

7) What are the most common book sizes? The three most popular sizes are: 8.5"x11", 5.5"x8.5" and 6"x9 ".

8) What type of binding does your company offer? We offer several binding options including, Perfect Binding, Hardcover Binding, Spiral, Wire, Taped and Stitched Binding.

9) How do I obtain my ISBN number and Bar Code? First Choice Books will provide these for you when we receive your order. A fee will be charged for clients in the USA. You can also obtain a free ISBN number in Canada from Library and Archives Canada.

10) Do I keep the rights and have complete control of my book? Yes, you do. As a self publisher you own all the rights  and can even set your own price with all profits coming to you.

11) Once I give you the manuscript or my files, how long will it take to print and bind my book? Since we do it all here, we will send you a proof copy within 2 weeks and after approval, the book will be ready within 1-2 weeks, depending on the quantity and type of binding.

12) Do I have to promote my own book? Yes, but we will gladly help by providing you with ideas on book promotion and marketing You will also be listed on our website for  booksellers, libraries, virtual bookstore buyers and publishing houses to view.

13) How does First Choice differ from traditional publishers? We are not a traditional book publisher, but rather, provide authors with the tools and experience needed to self-publish their book successfully. We provide quality printing, binding, editing, illustration, cover design and text layout. Your book will not be rejected for publication.

14) What is self-publishing? Self-publishing is the term used to describe producing and marketing a book on your own.

15) What is a Short Run? A Short Run is a small number of published books. Our minimum is 25 copies. By ordering 200 or more, the price per copy goes down and your profit goes up.

16) Do I prepare my own manuscript for printing? No, but you save costs by doing it yourself.  Once your manuscript is written and edited, the next step is to prepare the page layout in order to conform to the required size.

17) Can you offer book cover design? Yes. We have professional designers at affordable rates.

18) How do I copyright my book? Through Library and Archives Canada. See our Links page to find  websites to assist you with this information.

19) What is the best option for my book,  soft or hardcover? Most people choose the soft cover option for their initial order. Hard cover may be desireable for children's school books, photo books and other categories. A 20 page children's book, for example, may be suited to a saddle stitch format (less expensive), while a  family history book may be best suited to a more permanent hard cover binding.

20) Who will market my book once it is produced? You do, but as the publisher you have many options on how and where you do this. We can also help to make this process easier by implementing an extremely low minimum order for all books. This allows our customers to test market their books to determine their sales potential without the expense of printing large quantities. In addition, we also provide quick re-ordering (within 2 weeks) to ensure you never run out of a supply of books. Bookmarks, posters and announcement cards will also help sell your book, along with a free listing on our bookstore for world wide exposure.

21) How do I submit my finished manuscript for printing? You can send your files by mail or electronically (Internet). To ensure you have the right formatting and file descriptions, we suggest you email us ahead of time if you have any questions.

22) Will you call me when you receive my submission? Absolutely. We will notify you by email or telephone.

23) Will I receive a proof of my work? Yes, we provide proofs of your book and cover image for your approval before printing.

24) How long does the publishing process take? It's somewhat difficult to predict exactly as every job has its own unique set of variables, but generally, the process takes approximately 2 to 4 weeks.

25) Do I need to re-submit my manuscript to reorder? No, once your book has been produced, we keep the saved files  at our facility.

26) How much does it cost to produce each book? The price of producing a book depends on the physical size of the finished book as well as the number of pages. Please request a quote.

27) Am I free to contact other publishers? Absolutely. Since you retain all the rights to your book, you are free to do what you wish.

28) How do I check the status of my order? Simply contact us anytime via e-mail or telephone to check on the progress of your order.

29) Who pays for shipping? As the publisher of the books, you pay for all shipping costs.

30) How is my spine width calculated? On a standard 60 lb paper: 0.0045 X number of sheets (not pages)