I have some questions about publishing a book, if you guys with experience have some time. I'm ghostwriting my grandmother's autobiography. I think that's the correct way to put it. 13 years ago, I sat with her and recorded her oral history on 8 hours of video tape. I'm transcribing and editing that into her autobiography. She grew up picking cotton as a sharecropper, was part of the "greatest generation", married my grandfather who flew in the Berlin Airlift, had her first kid in 1946, etc. It's a great glimpse into what life was like for someone growing up then and how it contrasts so greatly with life today.

I want to self-publish, soft cover. I want to start by ordering an initial run of 100 copies or so, then have them made to order if possible. I want to register for the ISBN number and send a copy to the library of congress. I'm also going to send copies to all the libraries around Texas and Louisiana where she lived. I'm going to list it on Amazon, but I am thinking of just listing it under the physical edition to start and possibly consider eBook versions later.

Are there any publishers/book printers you recommend for self-publishing? Are local companies best for this now? Are there any gotchas I should know going in so as not to make a mistake at the beginning of the process and later discover it at the end? Any other information you think would help would be great. Thanks a bunch.

“I want to self-publish, soft cover.”

Good for you. It’s sure to change your life.

“I want to start by ordering an initial run of 100 copies or so, then have them made to order if possible.”

It sounds like you are talking about Print On Demand. No normal book printer is going to look at a run of only 100 copies.

Info on Print On Demand printing costs:
http://writersweekly.com/pod_price_compa....

“I’m also going to send copies to all the libraries around Texas and Louisiana where she lived.”

If you want the book on the library shelves, then that book usually has to be purchased by the library. If they get a book donated from you, under normal circumstances it goes straight to their “book sale” box.

“I’m going to list it on Amazon,”

Good but that should come free with your POD purchase.

“but I am thinking of just listing it under the physical edition to start and possibly consider eBook versions later. “

If your book is at all worthwhile, it will become an e-book before you know it.

“Are there any publishers/book printers you recommend for self-publishing?”

You get a “publisher” if you are asking someone else to do all this work. Then they give you a tiny portion of the profits for taking a risk on your work.

You get a “book printer” if you are in charge of the process, acting as your own publisher.

There are about 100 book printers in the USA/Canada. They specialize in this kind of printing and have very large facilities. Most of them are just fine, but they usually don’t do anything more than send it to a POD company unless you want more than 1000 copies.

“Are local companies best for this now?”

No. You will probably spend way more money that way.

“Are there any gotchas I should know going in so as not to make a mistake at the beginning of the process and later discover it at the end?”

You seem to know just enough to be dangerous. I earnestly suggest you learn a lot more before making any decisions or spending any money.

Dan Poynter is one of the best for self-publishing information:
http://www.amazon.com/Dan-Poynters-Self-....

This one is also good - mostly the same information:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Complete-Guide....

Either of the above books is a good choice.

When you consider marketing I would suggest this book:
http://www.amazon.com/1001-Ways-Market-Y....

I’ve been in the publishing world, and am not associated with any of the above sites or people.

I have no expertise in this area, but I believe one source might be

http://www.lulu.com/

Camden,
Thanks a ton, that's very much appreciated. As you can tell, I don't know anything more than what common sense would provide. I'll check out everything that you listed. I'm not sure if it will change my life, but it will be another good learning experience. :-)

Awesome, thanks Swing.

Here is a blog post with some nice pics evaluating a Lulu POD book purchase.

http://wordsofeverytype.com/tag/quality-....

It sounds like you have a worthy project.

Regarding Lulu.... That's true enough, as far as it goes. I would add that one company may have several POD sites. So let's say you live in Texas. You get your spanking new book, and the POD machine used to produce it was done in Oklahoma. You like what you see, and all seems well. Then customer A in California orders a book. Your book's POD printing for that customer is done in California, let's say. Different POD machine, different results. And the quality is possibly completely different than what you saw for your own copy. The cover color may be a little off, the spine not glued as well, or whatever. Or it may be better. You never know. So you can't judge the results of POD unless you know the results from all POD locations for a company, and even then it can change depending on various factors. Quality seems to be slowly improving over the years as the technology improves.

This is what a trade softcover book spine should look like. It's what is called Perfect Binding. Note that when you look at the cover, there is a slight crease near the spine; this really holds the pages together well. I don't know if you can get this kind of quality with POD... my information is a bit rusty in terms of modern technology. Photo is from:

http://www.photobookgirl.com/blog/blurb-....

Thanks, Camden. Right now I'll print enough copies for myself and family members with a service like Lulu. I'm not expecting this to approach being incredibly popular; it's just a story of a hardworking American woman who embodies everything good about our country. I'll take that and see if any libraries, universities or schools are interested and possibly go to the next level like you suggested at the top. Thanks again.