in case of emergency press
Self publishing in four steps
1. Format your work to our (simple) standards

One of the joys of self-publishing is that no one can tell you what to write or how to present it. It's your book. We do have some simple restrictions, however, which we need you to observe if you want to make use of our low cost printing and binding.

File format and size

You should submit your work in a single file in Word, PDF, or Open Document format. The file extensions allowed are .doc, .docx, .pdf, or .odt. The prices quoted on this site presume that your paperback is around 100 pages (that's 50 sheets) or your chapbook is around 50 pages (that's 25 sheets). Contact us for a quote if your work is larger.
The file size should be less than 10MB
Paper size
Your book should be formatted to a standard A4 paper size. Although the published book will use an A5 page (or trimmed A5 page), make sure you format the margins and layout so that it looks as you want it on A4, but use a larger font than you normally use. We recommend that body text should be 14 points and any headings or other text sized accordingly. This will look large on an A4 page, but once reduced to A5, anything smaller will become difficult to read. Remember that one A4 page of your manuscript will be one side of a page of your book.
Our standard chapbooks and paperbacks must be formatted to print in portrait. Contact us if you need to print a book in landscape or in different sizes.
Book covers
The first page of your document will be the front cover and the second page will be the back cover. No text is printed on the inside of either the front or back cover.
Perfect bound paperbacks can have full colour covers, but we reserve the right to modify the design of the cover if it consumes too much ink (which can affect the quality of the cover).
Chapbooks can have a plain, art paper dust jacket, or a kraft paper (brown paper) dust jacket. They can only be printed in a single colour. Because the kraft paper is not as refined as white printer paper, you should avoid small fonts or illustrations with fine detail if you choose a kraft paper cover.
Book text
The third page of your document file will be the first page of your book. The fourth page will be printed on the verso of that page. Remember, you are responsible for formatting blank pages, tables of content, headers, footers, page numbers, etc.
Fonts
A quick word about fonts. If you are using standard, public domain fonts you can submit your manuscript in Word (.doc or .docx) or PDF format. If you are using special fonts you legally own, you will have to submit your print-ready manuscript in PDF format with the fonts embedded. We can also work with you to substitute one of the thousands of fonts we own.
Need an example?
If you'd like to download an example file (in PDF format) to see how we need the file formatted, click here. Note that margins allow for a little extra room on the spine side of each page.
2. Submit your work and pay setup fees

When you submit your work, you will be required to pay a small setup fee. The setup costs are $50 if you want a perfect bound paperback; $20 if you want a chapbook. Postage costs within Australia are included, but international postage is additional.
The setup fee includes the cost of a single, proof copy. A proof copy is essential. Trust us on this. You want a proof copy before you start trying to sell it to others.
Come to think of it, it's essential because we won't publish your book any other way. You have to buy a proof copy and you have to be happy with it (or have made changes to your file and are satisfied that the final version is formatted correctly) before we will print more than one copy.
You do not need to keep buying proof copies if you make changes to your file. Most changes people make are relatively small and only involve adding blank pages or correcting typos. Once you have a final version, you can re-order copies without the need to buy proof copies.

3. Review the proof copy and submit changes

When you receive your proof copy, you should review it very carefully. If you need to make changes in your file, you can do so and submit the changed file to us. If you don't need to make any changes, you can proceed to the final step.
Second proof copy
If you have made changes and you want to order a second proof copy (or third or fourth), you can do so for $15- for a paperback; $10- for a chapbook; plus postage.
4. Order and pay for the number of copies
When we have your book on file, you can order copies at any time at an even lower cost. If your book is around 100 pages, an indicative price would be $15.00- per perfect bound paperback; $7.50- per chapbook.
Postage and handling is free within Australia when you order ten or more books.
Ready to start?
Use our contact form to let us know you're interested, and we'll be in touch!