Can I still get my books printed before the holidays?

by Ron Pramschufer ~ November 19th, 2003. Filed under: Book Printing, Publishing Basics.

Can I still get my books printed before the holidays?

I guess that depends on what holiday you are referring to. Columbus Day? A definite no. Thanksgiving? You’re getting real close. Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza? SURE, depending on the type of book you are printing.

Those close to me know that I have a problem telling people “NO”. Generally when I get a “No” response on just about anything where I desire a positive response, I assume that the person did not understand my question. I tend to drive production people and printers nuts around this time of the year. Why am I telling you this? To let you know that you have come to the right place, RJ Communications ( www.BooksJustBooks.com ) if you want to get your books printed, no matter what the occasion.

Many of you have been working on your book for months, if not years. Most of you had no idea when you began writing your book, when, if ever, it would ever be finished. Generally, time was not an issue. Your main goal was to create a great book that, hopefully, people would want to buy.

Magically, as the leaves start to fall, that “laid back” attitude starts to change. As if a light switch is suddenly flipped, everyone starts thinking what a great gift their book will make and how they absolutely MUST have their book for the December holidays. Maybe it’s the thought of not having to go out shopping the day after Thanksgiving. Maybe it’s some article you might have read addressing the reality that only people who are guaranteed to love your book (or at least tell you so) are your friends and family. Whatever the case, this desire unfortunately often turns into an obsession and far too many books are printed before they are complete. On January 1 st , far too many authors are looking at a closet or garage full of books which are full of errors because they were rushed to press too soon. Don’t make this mistake. Your family will understand. I want all my customers to reprint but only after their book sells out, not because they printed a book full of errors.

At this point, unless your manuscript is completely edited and layout and design well under way, you should not be thinking about a December delivery. If your heart is really set on using your book as a present, you might want to think about making up a card as a backup to give people with a picture the book cover on it and a note saying, “good for one copy or…”. You’d be surprised how quickly your blood pressure will return to normal. If your book makes it, great, if not, your world won’t end.

With our back up plan in place, let’s look at deadlines where you have a reasonable chance of making a December 24 th delivery (back up by one week for December 19 th delivery). Good luck. I look forward to working with all of you..

If you have any questions, feel free to drop me a line at ron@rjcom.com . I’ll do my best to help make the upcoming holiday season as pleasant as possible, for everyone.

December Printing Delivery Deadlines for

www.BooksJustBooks.com

Based on a complete pre-flighted PDF file of text and application file of cover and a one day turnaround of book proof and one carton via Air Delivery

Full Color Hardcover Children’s Picture Book – Sorry, we’re already passed the deadline for this year.

Hardcover Trade Book (over 500 copies) – November 7th

Hardcover Trade Book (under 500 copies) – November 11th

Paperback Trade Book (over 500 copies) – December 1st

Paperback Trade Book (over 500 copies) with 10% pricing Up charge – December 8th

Paperback Trade Book (under 500 copies) – December 5 th

Need a cover designed or complete book layout? Try www.BudgetBookDesign.com . – Only $250 for original cover design. Complete text layout from $250.

If you have a question pertaining to the publishing production process, please feel free to contact me at ron@rjcom.com.