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 give the cover the size as the text?
6) How much turn in should I allow for the printed covers on hardcover books?
7) What is the most common sizes for books?
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 also 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 we are different from other 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, Hardcover?
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 publishers?
28) How do I check the status of my order?
29) Who pays for shipping?

1) What weight and type of paper is best?
TEXT PREP - A good quality paper, 24 lb. or 70 lb., with grain running along parallel to the spine.

2) How much margin is recommended?
A 3/4" gutter margin and 5/8" top, bottom and face is recommended.

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).

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

5) On Perfect Bound Books, can I give the cover the size as the text?
No. Covers must be bigger by 1/4" top and 1/4" bottom of untrimmed text.

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

7) What is the most common sizes for books?
There two sizes, 8.5"x11" and 5.5"x8.5"., (less expensive than 6"x9".)

8) What type of binding does your company offer?
We offer several binding options, such as 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.

10) Do I keep the rights and also have complete control of my book?
Yes, you do. As a self publisher you own all the rights to our book 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 to 3 weeks and after approval, the book will be ready within 2-4 weeks, depending on quantity and type of binding.

12) Do I have to promote my own book?
Yes, but we will gladly help you by providing you with ideas to promote and market your work.
You will also be listed on our website for the booksellers and publishing houses to view.

13) How we are different from other traditional publishers?
We are not a book publisher, but rather, we provide writers with the tools and experience you need to publish your book successfully. We provide quality printing, binding, and can even assist with cover design, and advice on the details of preparing a professional manuscript as well as to selling your book.

14) What is self-publishing?
Self-publishing is the term used to describe producing and marketing a book done completely by yourself.

15) What is a “Short Run”?
A “Short run” is a small number of books published. We offer minimum orders of copies so you can budget your time and finances more directly.

16) Do I prepare my own manuscript for printing?
Yes, but if you need guidelines, or if you prefer us to handle this task we are available to assist. Once your manuscript is written and edited, the next step is to adjust the layout of the pages to get it to look the way it should after it is printed.

17) Can you offer book cover design?
Yes. We have designers to provide professional cover design at a small additional cost to our customers.

18) How do I copyright my book?
Please see our links section to find other websites to assist you with this information.

19) What is the best option for my book, Hardcover?
Most people choose the hard cover option for their initial order, but there are some advantages to producing different types of books such as paperback, saddle stitch (paperback with two staples at the spine), or coil bound formats. An example, a 20 page children's book may be more suited to the saddle stitch format while a novel or family history book would probably 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 now allows our customers the opportunity to test market their book to determine it’s sales potential without the risk and expense of producing large quantities. In addition to this, we also provide quick re-ordering (within 2 weeks) to ensure you never run out of a supply of books By placing your book for sale on some of the larger online bookstores, your book will receive worldwide exposure and distribution. In addition to this, many local booksellers welcome the opportunity of selling self-published books on consignment.

21) How do I submit my finished manuscript for printing?  
You can courier your disk to us, or you can send us the file 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 probably 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.

24) How long does the publishing process take?
This is somewhat difficult to predict as every job has it’s own unique set of variables, but generally, the process takes approximately 3-5 weeks.

25) Do I need to re-submit my manuscript to reorder?
No, once your book has been produced, we keep the critical information stored at our facility as a digital file so all it takes is a phone call to have your book reprinted.

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 see our pricing pages for details.

27) Am I free to contact 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.