Self Publishing a Book: 20 Companies That Will Get Your Book Printed

Introduction by Vladimir Prelovac: As a book author I know the value of a good publisher and everything that comes with it: editor, templates, advice, sales network.. However when you learn the process it can be advantageous to try and publish a book on your own.  With self publishing you will have full control of the process, from design to sales. The article deals with current choices you as a potential author have.

In the modern times of electronic text, printed books are an asset for an author. With the digital world taking over, people have largely become depended on the electronic books. When working with a traditional book publisher, the book author give up a large degree of editorial control, and many times you have little to no input into the design and layout of your book, its distribution, and its marketing approach. Self-publishing the writer and author of a new book to publish print and distribute at a very low cost.

Here in this article, we provide you a comprehensive list of the best options for getting your books published.

1. CafePress

CafePress provides a way for people to sell their creations in “shops.” It is a marketplace with over 150 million products (i.e. clothing, gifts, books, etc.). They also provide you with the ability of self publishing your books. Like the others, CafePress also has private and public options. While you are able to upload your book in PDF format, it has to be less than 100 MB. There are different templates you can use based on the type of book you are trying to publish, and you can tailor it the way you see fit.

Pricing: Prices start at $0.045 per page and a $4 binding fee.

2. Blurb

Blurb allows anyone to create any kind of book, from nonfiction to photo, recipe, and more. You can use one of their templates and layouts or import your own design. Once you’ve created your book, you can choose between making the book open to the public or keeping it private. If you choose to make your book public, it can be sold on the Blurb website. Additionally, you can opt to offer readers a preview of the first 15 pages of your book to help them decide if they want to make a purchase.

Pricing: Softcovers start at $12.95 and hardcovers at $22.95

3. Xlibris

Xlibris was founded in 1997 and is one of the first self publishing services in the industry. You start the process by having a consultation with one of their consultants about your needs and the correct package to fit those needs. They create the full design of the book and send it to you for feedback and approval. After that, the book is yours and you are able to sell it wherever and to whomever you want.

Pricing: Prices start at $299

4. WeBook

WeBook combines the joys of self publishing with social media. You are able to write a book alone or collaborate with other writers. The site provides an online text editor for you to write, and you are able to add images from image-hosting sites. You are able to collaborate with different writers, and be part of various groups. Writers rate and review submitted books, and the ones with the highest ratings are published by WeBook. Additionally, you can share your royalties with selected reviewers who have provided you with helpful feedback.

Pricing: $0

5. CreateSpace

CreateSpace was acquired by Amazon in 2005, and similar to Lulu, it provides book publishing and digital media development. Because CreateSpace is a subsidiary of Amazon, it’s easier and quicker to sell your book through Amazon. Like the other sites, you are able to choose between making your book open to the public or private. The only format accepted during the submission process is PDF, which is for both text and images.

Pricing: Standard B&W starts at $3.66 per book; Standard Color starts at $6.55. You can also upgrade to their Pro Plan, which is $39.00 per book. The Pro Plan allows you to keep more from each sale, and pay less when ordering copies.

6. Lulu

Lulu allows you to create a variety of books, but also lets you develop digital media. These range from music and ringtones to videos and e-books. With Lulu, you can also scan and digitize your old books, albums, and photos. You are given the option of leaving the book in private view or releasing it to the public.

Pricing: Softcovers start at $7.60 and hardcovers at $17.48

7. FastPencil

FastPencil is book publishing without the pain. The traditional book publishing process can take many months of effort and more money than most writers anticipate. It’s no wonder authors get discouraged. At any point in the writing process you can connect with like-minded people, share knowledge, chat, gather feedback from reviewers and editors, and collaborate with other authors, all without leaving FastPencil.

Price: Free to $199

8. Instant Publisher

InstantPublisher is a nationally recognized self-publishing company that has helped turn thousands of Authors’ dreams into reality over the past
9-years with quick affordable service and knowledgeable customer support representatives. With many different printing options to choose from and easy-to-follow, step-
by-step instructions, there is no doubt why they are quickly becoming the #1 Book Publishing Service of today

Price: On Demand

9. UniBook

Getting your book self published with UniBook is easy. All you need to do is take a few minutes to upload your files and choose your publishing options – that’s it. Your book is instantly available for purchase worldwide in the UniBook online bookstore.

Price: B/W Paperback and Hardcover for $12.27 and $14.55 respectively. Color Paperback and Hardcover for $41.36 to $43.64 respectively.

10. Morris Publishing

First-time authors may find it difficult to be accepted by a traditional publishing house because of the unpredictable sales of a newcomer’s book. You can test your book’s sales potential by self-publishing a small quantity with a short-run book printer like Morris Publishing. They provide a full line of services to produce an attractive, professional book, and our many years of experience show the best salesperson for a book is the author.

Price: Starting at a base price of $5.33 for a 200 page book.

11. FastPrint

Fast Print has been offering self-publishing solutions to authors for over 10 years. As high quality short-run book manufacturers, the quality of our books and competitive prices will exceed your expectations.

Price: On Demand

12. TabbyHouse

Tabby House was founded in 1990 by Jim and Linda Salisbury to publish Linda’s second book, Read My Lips: No New Pets!

The production brought an honorable mention in the National Association of Independent Publishers new-book contest that year, and requests for help from other self-publishers.

Price: On Demand

13. Trafford Publishing

Trafford Publishing offers a set of commercial solutions to print, self-publish and sell your book. Publishers can sell books either in print copies or digital format. No info is released on the format to subscribe your manuscript, tough guidelines are available inside the FAQ section of the website.

Pricing: First pricing plan starts at $799 and offers the following options: paperback format, custom cover design, author support, ISBN assignment, custom interior layout, Amazon distribution, and more.

14. Lightning Source

Lightning Source offers a print and distribution model that takes care of all the hassle of publishing. You can have your books printed, distributed, sold and shipped using just one service. Ebook selling is also allowed. While Lightning Source can also drop-ship directly to customers, the company is partnered with all major book publishing distributors, including Amazon. Books can be submitted either in PDF or printed format.

Pricing: $12/year per book

15.  CreateBooks

CreateBooks is a book publishing service that assists you when self-publishing your work. CreateBooks has a particular focus on the physical crafting of your book. Books must be uploaded in MS Word format. The service also takes care of providing you with a valid ISBN and bar code, if you want to distribute your book inside bookstores (see pricing options for more details on the cost of these options).

Pricing: $249 for 50 copies of books up to 200 B/W pages and perfect binding

16. Spire Publishing

Spire Publishing allows you to print and sell a manuscript of your book completely on your own. The service is available only for US and UK markets. Books must be submitted in PDF, DOC or RTF format. Ebook selling is not permitted. The first pricing plan you can purchase is the Print Ready Publishing plan, which allows you to get five paperback copies of your book

Pricing: $299 for custom cover image, pre-made design templates ISBN assignment, and more

17. Infinity Publishing

Self-publish company Infinity Publishing takes care of all the book publishing process following a print-on-demand-philosophy. Ebook publishing is not allowed. No information is provided on the file format to subscribe your manuscript. First pricing plan starts at $499 and covers all aspects of self-publishing your book: custom cover, distribution to third-party bookstores like Amazon, custom barcode, ISBN assignment, and more

Pricing: $499 for custom cover, Amazon distribution, custom barcode, ISBN assignment, and more

18. Self Publishing

SelfPublishing allows publishers and authors to print their works either in print or digital format. SelfPublishing does not take care of distributing or selling your work to book retailers. No information is provided on the file format to subscribe your manuscript. Book customization options include: binding type, custom cover design, custom book layout, and more.

Pricing: $249 for binding type, custom cover design, custom book layout, and more.

19. AuthorHouse

AuthorHouse is a self-publishing company that helps publishers and authors print and sell their works outside the traditional book publishing channels. Manuscript must be submitted in MS Word or Adobe InDesign 2, CS, or CS2 file formats. Ebook publishing is available.

Pricing: The first pricing level costs $549 and has the following features: custom cover, custom, interior layout design, ISBN assignment, Amazon distribution, and more.

20. BookSurge

BookSurge is a company that allows publishers and authors to self-publish a book and also take care of the sell process. Since BookSurge is a subsidiary of the Amazon group, you can distribute the book through Amazon bookstore and also convert your works into Kindle format (or into a traditional PDF ebook).

Pricing: $499 for limited customization options and ready-made book templates

Here’s a comprehensive table that will help you compare all the services easily:

Service	Manuscript Submission Format	Ebook Output Option	Free Amazon Distribution	Premium Price And Features	Writer’s Feedback
CafePress	PDF	NO	NO	$6/1 month to create a shop + variable price to buy items you want to sell	NO
Blurb	PDF	YES	NO	Free	YES
Xlibris	MS Word, PDF	NO	NO	$299 for custom cover, internal book design, ISBN assignment, Amazon distribution, and more	NO
WeBook	N/A	NO	YES	Free	YES
CreateSpace	PDF	YES	YES	$39 per book for higher royalties and lower ordering price	YES
Lulu	PDF	YES	NO	$369 for custom cover, advanced formatting, ISBN assignment, binding type, Amazon distribution, and more.	YES
FastPencil	PDF	YES	NO	Free to $199	YES
Instant Publisher	PDF, DOC	YES	NO	On Demand	NO
UniBook	PDF, DOC	NO	NO	$79 for 5 book copies and Amazon distribution	NO
Morris Publishing	PDF	YES	NO	Starting at a base price of $5.33 for a 200 page book	YES
FastPrint	PDF, DOC	YES	NO	On Demand	NO
TabbyHouse	PDF	YES	NO	On Demand	NO
Trafford Publishing	N/A	YES	NO	$799 for paperback format, custom cover, custom internal layout, author support, ISBN, Amazon distribution, and more	NO
Lightning Source	PDF	YES	NO	$12/year per book	NO
CreateBooks	MS Word	NO	YES	$249 for 50 copies of books up to 200 B/W pages and perfect binding	NO
Spire Publishing	PDF, DOC, RTF	NO	NO	$299 for custom cover image, pre-made design templates ISBN assignment, and more	NO
Infinity Publishing	N/A	NO	NO	$499 for custom cover, Amazon distribution, custom barcode, ISBN assignment, and more	NO
SelfPublishing	N/A	NO	NO	$249 for binding type, custom cover design, custom book layout, and more.	NO
AuthorHouse	MS Word, Adobe InDesign 2, Adobe CS, Adobe CS2	YES	NO	$598 for custom cover, custom internal / external fonts, interior layout design, ISBN assignment, Amazon distribution, and more	NO
BookSurge	PDF, DOC, RTF, TXT	YES	YES	$499 for limited customization options and ready-made book templates	NO