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Maybe just go to the local printer

I received a phone call recently  asking if Red Bike Publishing could help her get her group's book printed. After a few minutes I understood that the potential customer wanted to print a specialty book for her small history club. She wanted the books, but did not want to make it available online. I quickly realized that the printing and distribution resource my company currently uses would not be a good match for her needs. This was a clue for me to check on other options. In this scenario, bar codes, ISBNs, PCNs and other numbers associated with cataloging and publishing were not needed. She wanted a do it yourself book printed whenever she needed it.

Maybe your book project is not necessarily made to attract the masses more than just a short term need to train your small groups. Some specific uses include:

      Very few copies for micro use-Members of exclusive clubs and organizations may only require a few copies and are not for the use by or knowledge of non-members. This could include business groups, those working with trade secrets or proprietary information.

      A family tree or honorarium book-Make a book to honor someone for an accomplishment. Sometimes family members make a "this is your life" book, scrap book, family history or retirement gift. No one other than the close family is interested or needs to know the intimate details.

      Instruction or code of ethics book-Create a means for presenting professional development to a small group. Businesses, organizations, nonprofits and other entities provide training and instruction on how to perform. Instead of being run through the office copy machine, these products can be raised to the next level with a print quality book. This can include study groups, Sunday classes, tour groups and much more.
     
      Customized covers and forewords-Provide your books to several organizations customized for each entity's needs. Groups may request specialized covers. Printing with Lightningsource and Createspace limits the customization opportunities as each ISBN will only accept one cover and that cover is supplied to the world. It wouldn't help to sell a book on the internet that is "Customized for Bob". You need another option. If you contract with an independent publisher, they will print on demand and with whatever cover you choose and as many variations as you need. This works well for instances of supplying books to companies with specific messages directed to their employees and the organization's logo captured on the cover.


Finding a private printer is not too hard to do. You can have a professional quality book printed and bound for less than $15.00 per book depending on the supplier. Just format your book and deliver the book via disk, data stick or email to the printer of your choice in the format they work with. Local and national business stores, printing companies and graphics designers can perform these services. Due to the small amount of books needed, these will be more expensive options. However, the ease of tailoring for specific purposes may be well worth the money. For example, some websites I researched will print a 6x9 trade book for about $12 if you order 20 copies. 

Some other services include poetry and picture books, converting blogs into books, scrapbooks and other specialty items. Maybe you don't want to provide books to the world, but your books are important nonetheless. That's where specialty printing can help. Use your favorite search engine to find custom book printers. There are so many to choose from that fit your budget and provide exactly what you need.

More publishing ideas can be found in this blog and our book, Get Rich in a Niche





Jeffrey W. Bennett, ISP is the owner of Red Bike Publishing. Jeff is an accomplished writer of non-fiction books, novels and periodicals. He also owns Red bike Publishing. Published books include: "Get Rich in a Niche-Insider's Guide to Self Publishing in a Specialized Industry" and "Commitment-A Novel". Jeff is an expert in security and has written many security books including: "Insider's Guide to Security Clearances" and "DoD Security Clearances and Contracts Guidebook". See Red Bike Publishing for print copies of: Army Leadership The Ranger Handbook The Army Physical Readiness Manual Drill and Ceremonies The ITAR The NISPOM
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