Self publishing

With the advent of digital printing, it has become economically feasible for people to produce their own 'self published' books with print runs ranging anywhere from a few to a few thousand. These can include family histories, personal memoirs, novels, non-fiction books... and many more. They can range anywhere from 40 page black and white stapled booklets to hundreds of pages of colour with perfect binding.

The authors of these manuscripts are often left floundering when they've finished the writing and then want to get it printed, but with no way of turning a Microsoft Word document into a professionally designed, printed and bound publication.

Here are a few examples of small-run self-published publications.

	William Little - Some Writings One of two books on one of Ballarat’s civic leaders, William Little (1839-1916). Includes two poems, a history of Ballarat (written in 1887) and his 1890 Mayoral Annual Report. Small press publications, these were produced by William Little’s great grandson.
	History of the Baden Powell Scout Lodge The Baden Powell Scout Lodge History - 75th anniversary edition.

Present us with your manuscript and we can help with:

Editing
If you have your writing finished, but are not sure whether it is structured correctly, what glossary contents to include, or you can't work out how to cut the word count down by 10,000 words, we can edit your manuscript. We will not re-write it or change the tone of your writing voice. Any changes will be approved by you and editorial changes will only be suggestions for bringing out the best in your manuscript.

Proof-reading
A quality publication will seem unprofessional if it is riddled with spelling and grammatical errors. Even if only 10 people are going to read it, why spoil the effect? A spellchecker doesn't check that the right word is used, or pick up punctuation issues or consistency amongst heading styles. It is always difficult to proof-read material you have written yourself, even if your language skills are exceptional, so let us do it for you!

Design and typesetting
We will work with you to decide how best to present your manuscript. Our professional services include: determining the best size for your publication; the use of colour; the content of the cover; page layout; choosing the correct style and size of font; placement of photos and diagrams; and then assembling the publication and dispatching a print-ready file to the printers.

Printing
How many should be printed? What's the best we can do within your budget? Should it be printed on 100gsm or 80gsm? Should the cover have a machine varnish or celloglazing? Gloss or matt? Should it be saddle stitched, thermal bound or perfect bound? How much extra is colour printing? How much extra is a hard cover?

If any of these questions leave you cold, we can ask you the right questions and recommend the right answer for your specific publication. You will not need to have any contact with the printers, we will deal with all of those issues and present you with the finished product.

We will even present you with a proof printed on the chosen paper stock and trimmed to size so that you can see what final product will look like before going ahead with your print run.

Other issues
We can also assist with issues such as applying for an ISBN number, federal and state library registration requirements, and provide contacts with distributors and publishers.

Examples of self publishing

Here are some types of self published books which are commonly printed:

Family history
Increasingly popular are books on a specific family's history, complete with family trees, old photos (which we can restore for you) and personal stories.

Personal memoir
A personal memoir is a beautiful way to share your life with you family and friends.

Wedding anniversary/birthday gift
A professionally produced book is a great way to celebrate an anniversary, birthday or other special occasion. Gather together stories, photos, biographies and detail of a person or couple and present them with a long-lasting gift to be treasured by them as well as passed down to future generations.

The next great novel/non-fiction
Bypass rejection letters from publishers who only want to deal with 'known' authors or who edit your work beyond recognition then eat up all your profits. We will present you with a quality finished product which is ready for you to sell.

An additional benefit is that you only need to print what you need - start with a small print run and print more when you need them. You may even find that after a small print-run with a professional product and successful sales, a publisher will pick you up.