Got a question
about self publishing
with Bloodstone?

We have all the answers
If you have a question about self publishing with Bloodstone Books, we probably already have the answer. So look through the questions below and, if you still have query, send an e-mail to editorial@bloodstonebooks.com with your question in the subject line. We'll try our best to provide an answer within 24 hours.

What is on-demand publishing?
Is self publishing with Bloodstone Books the same as vanity publishing?
Why should I choose Bloodstone Books?
Will I retain copyright over my work?
What royalties will I earn?
What is on-demand printing?
Is on-demand printing the same quality as traditional printing?
Is there a minimum or maximum number of pages?
What is an ISBN number and why do I need one?
Where will people be able to buy my book from?
Can I sell copies direct to readers myself?
Do you publish every manuscript you receive?
Do you commission work from authors?

What is on-demand publishing?
On-demand publishing is where you take the decision to publish your own work as an on-demand title. Rather than thousands of copies being printed and distributed to booksellers, each copy sold is printed on-demand and delivered direct to the bookstore or reader. With on-demand printing technology now virtually indistinguishable from more traditional printing methods, and fewer new authors being published than ever before, it is becoming a more and more popular route to publication.

Crucially for all of our published authors and poets, they know that when they choose Bloodstone Books, their book will be available from online outlets like Amazon and to order from bookshops — and that they will earn a healthy royalty on every copy sold.
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Is self publishing with Bloodstone Books the same as vanity publishing?
No. Vanity publishers publish books and make a profit from printing hundreds, sometimes thousands, of copies that they deliver direct to the author. Bloodstone publishes books to the highest of standards and makes them available direct from online booksellers and to order from High Street bookstores as on-demand titles.
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Why should I choose Bloodstone Books?
Simple. We offer a range of self publishing options, with a flat and fair fee to cover services like thorough proofreading, expert typesetting, an eye-catching cover design, and managing the self publishing process right through to making books available on Amazon and to order from High Street bookshops. We use on-demand printing so that instead of you paying for the printing of hundreds of copies, you receive a royalty on each copy sold — and can typically make a 50% profit on direct sales.

We also offer extra services like copy editing, but these are at your choice and you will know the cost beforehand. And we give authors all rights to and ownership of the artwork.

Importantly, we are publishers first and foremost and we're proud of the name, Bloodstone Books. So every book we publish is published to the highest of standards.
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Will I retain copyright over my work?
Absolutely. All copyright to all books published by Bloodstone Books remains with the author or poet. You will be shown as the copyright owner on the title page of the book and you have the right to cancel your publishing contract with Bloodstone Books at any time.
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What royalties will I earn?
Royalties are payable on every publishing package we offer apart from the Bronze package. The precise amount depends on the number of pages in your book, whether it is a paperback or hardback, and whether it is a direct sale or a sale through an outlet like Amazon.

A 250 page paperback, for example, will cost around £3.70 per copy to print. If you sell it at £7.99 (the average cost for a paperback), your royalty will be £4.29 on direct sales.

For sales through booksellers, outlets like Amazon and High Street bookstores expect a discount on the cover price, typically of 40%. For the same book, your royalty would therefore be £4.29 LESS the discount of 40%, £3.20, which equals £1.09. This compares favourably with traditional publishing, where authors receive royalties of around 10% on the cover price.
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What is on-demand printing?
On-demand printing uses the latest technology to literally produce a book on-demand. It is typically used for small print-runs of several hundred copies but is just as suitable for a single copy. For smaller print jobs, it is replacing the more common litho printing on large printing presses thanks to its flexibility.
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Is on-demand printing the same quality as traditional printing?
Yes. That's why many major publishers and virtually every small publisher now use it for smaller print runs or where demand cannot be predicted beforehand. While the printing process is slightly different, the artwork creation and binding processes are the same. We would challenge you to tell the difference between a book printed as an on-demand title and one printed on a more traditional litho press.
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Is there a minimum or maximum number of pages?
The minimum number of printed pages for any book we publish is 48. The maximum number of printed pages is around 700, although anything over 300 pages or 100,000 words may incur an extra cost because of the additional work involved in proofreading and typesetting.
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What is an ISBN number and why do I need one?
International Standard Books Numbers (ISBNs) are used by booksellers, libraries and book databases for listing and ordering titles. No book can be sold through bookshops and online outlets like Amazon without one and they are only made available to publishers.
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Where will people be able to buy my book from?
When your book is published through Bloodstone Books, it will appear on the pages of Amazon and other online booksellers. Bricks and mortar bookshops will also be able to order it upon request. Local bookshops will usually be more than willing to stock it because of the local connection — and because they can order copies direct from their normal book wholesaler.
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Can I sell copies direct to readers myself?
Absolutely. You can order as many copies as you like for direct sales at cost price. From experience, we have found this is particularly useful for writers in book groups, for poets who attend public readings, and for academics attending seminars who can then sell their work direct.
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Do you publish every manuscript you receive?
We try to. We are an on-demand publisher and we would like to publish every manuscript that is sent to us. Sometimes, however, we don't. If the book is inflammatory or libelous, for example, we will politely decline it. Similarly, if the standard of writing is so poor that it cannot even be rescued with copy editing, we will recommend the author goes elsewhere.
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Do you commission work from authors?
Not directly. Around half of our book list is comprised of out-of-print books that are either unavailable or that we think we can add value to by publishing in a different way. The other half of the book list is authors and poets who are seeking a publishing route that offers a quality publishing solution at a fair and honest price. We do, however, occasionally seek out authors or writers' and poets' groups whose work we particularly admire with an offer of publication.
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