printed photo books or coffee table books?

[socrdude]

can anyone recommend a company who does this and general pricing of one that may be at the per page (front/back) cost.

thanks

 

[NewBert]

can anyone recommend a company who does this and general pricing of one that may be at the per page (front/back) cost.

thanks

I use Blurb.

 

[gnagel]

I use Blurb.

Me too

Glenn

 

[NateS]

Blurb here too. I'm actually working on one right now.

 

[Butlerkid]

There have been a few good threads on books in the past...try doing a search. I remember the threads but didn't subscribe to them.

I also use Blurb....but there are others also.

 

[Carole]

I had one done as a birthday gift for a friend. Mpix did it. It wasn't cheap, but the quality was excellent.

Carole

 

[rddayton]

Blurb is very good, but I really like Shutterfly as well. If you check on-line there are always coupons out there too. My wife has switched to doing all of her "scrapbooking" for our family through Shutterfly. She makes a book each year that incorporates everything about our family for the past year. Each year, it ends up being over 100 pages. Beautiful quality, nice hard cover bound book, a lot of customization options and layout options. She waits until she has a 50% off coupon and then stacks it with a free shipping coupon, and it becomes quite affordable. Think this year's book was $91 shipped to our house. Check them out. I've used a bunch of different options for clients, but like Shutterfly enough that we use it at home.

If you want something higher end, you can't go wrong with Richmond Pro Labs. Everything I have ever ordered through them has been A-1 top shelf quality.

 

[dsp921]

Mypublisher.com
I used blurb once. Once. The quality was garbage and the customer support was pathetic. Never again.

 

[Carole]

Does anyone know of a place that will give you better pricing if you order 25 or 50 copies? I'm putting together a book and thinking about selling it locally. But at $25 to get it made I'd have to charge twice that, and I know it won't sell around here for that price. I need to get one that I could sell for $20-25.

Carole

 

[NewBert]

Does anyone know of a place that will give you better pricing if you order 25 or 50 copies? I'm putting together a book and thinking about selling it locally. But at $25 to get it made I'd have to charge twice that, and I know it won't sell around here for that price. I need to get one that I could sell for $20-25.

Carole

Carole,

I know that Blurb bases their pricing on a) book size, b) hardcover vs. softcover, c) number of pages, d) quality of paper, and e) size of the order (lower cost per book, the more that you order). In addition, you can usually find discount coupons online. (Perhaps Google "Blurb Discount"?).

The price per book will depend upon the options you choose, of course.

Hope this helps.

 

[Carole]

Thanks, Bert. I've heard good and bad things about Blurb. Some people love them, others hate what they got when they ordered.

I had one book as a gift for a friend through Mpix and it was gorgeous. But it also cost me $50, which was fine for a gift, but not for selling retail

Carole

 

[NewBert]

Thanks, Bert. I've heard good and bad things about Blurb. Some people love them, others hate what they got when they ordered.

I had one book as a gift for a friend through Mpix and it was gorgeous. But it also cost me $50, which was fine for a gift, but not for selling retail

Carole

I've done an annual book of photos (for Christmas gifts) for the past 3 or 4 years, and have always used Blurb (so I can't compare them to others - but I've heard good things about Shutterfly).

That said, I always bite the bullet and first order only one copy to see how it comes out. There's always something that I missed in editing, or something just doesn't look as good as I expected. So, I make my corrections and then place my final order for multiple copies. (That way, I have a one-of-a-kind version of the book, which should really enhance it's value some day. ). :biggrin:

 

[Carole]

I've done an annual book of photos (for Christmas gifts) for the past 3 or 4 years, and have always used Blurb (so I can't compare them to others - but I've heard good things about Shutterfly).

That said, I always bite the bullet and first order only one copy to see how it comes out. There's always something that I missed in editing, or something just doesn't look as good as I expected. So, I make my corrections and then place my final order for multiple copies. (That way, I have a one-of-a-kind version of the book, which should really enhance it's value some day. ). :biggrin:

Thanks, Bert!

Yes, I figured I'd get one made first to see if I liked it. And then if I did, I'd order a larger quantity. I do have a $20 credit for Shutterfly that I got when I bought PSE11, so I may give them a try and see what their quality looks like just for the heck of it. Then I think I'll also one from Blurb and compare the two.

You could always print up one of those nice, gold address labels saying "LIMITED EDITION" and sell the one of a kinds

Carole

 

[gnagel]

I've done an annual book of photos (for Christmas gifts) for the past 3 or 4 years, and have always used Blurb (so I can't compare them to others - but I've heard good things about Shutterfly).

That said, I always bite the bullet and first order only one copy to see how it comes out. There's always something that I missed in editing, or something just doesn't look as good as I expected. So, I make my corrections and then place my final order for multiple copies. (That way, I have a one-of-a-kind version of the book, which should really enhance it's value some day. ). :biggrin:

I've used Blurb for my annual books for the last five years. I also order one to begin with and always find an error. I make the correction and then order the rest of the copies. The quality has always been excellent. One time, I didn't like the edges of some pages, so Blurb sent me a replacement book free of charge.

Blurb isn't cheap. I usually end up paying $65 per book. There's no way I can sell these books for profit at a base cost of $65 a piece.

But, you aren't going to find retail quality printing for $25 a book. A decent print will cost as much.

Glenn

 

[Carole]

But, you aren't going to find retail quality printing for $25 a book. A decent print will cost as much.

Glenn

Then where do people get books printed that they sell on Amazon for $25? I have a ton of orca, whale, and bird books and I've never paid more than $25 for any of them.

Carole

 

[gnagel]

Then where do people get books printed that they sell on Amazon for $25? I have a ton of orca, whale, and bird books and I've never paid more than $25 for any of them.

Carole

Most economies of scale with publishing come with massive orders...not just thirty or forty books. If you are considering publishing thousands of copies the cost will begin to drop dramatically.

When I order from Blurb, I usually order five copies! :smile:

And, my books are 160 pages and include a lot of photographs! If the cost was $25, that would be 15 cents per page. Each page is an 8x10. It's just not possible to create quality 8x10 prints and then bind them for 15 cents.

I suppose if the books were smaller...and the binding wasn't as elaborate...and the production was in the thousands, it would be possible to order books at the lower price.

Here's a sample of my most recent book from Blurb:
http://www.blurb.com/b/3655380-a-look-through-my-lens-2012

Note that the costs shown are at cost with no profit. I only produce these for friends and family, so I price the books without profit. Blurb does allow the seller to set his/her own pricing.

Glenn

 

[Walter Rowe]

Carole .. it is even worse than you think. The $25 price you paid to Amazon included at least 100% profit. Amazon probably paid $12 or less per book so I've been told by some who have worked with large scale publishers to produce books like you see in major book stores. When a photographer works with a publisher on a $25 coffee table book, the photographer sees very little profit. The publisher puts up all the money for mass printing and reaps most of the benefits as a result. Again, this is second hand info from others who have published books. I have not done that myself.

I have used Blurb and was happy with the quality for personal use. Joseph Rossbach uses Blurb to self-publish books. He sells them through the Blurb website.

 

[Butlerkid]

Guess I'm not keeping up!

I just got an email from Shutterfly.....My Publisher is now a part of Shutterfly!

 

[Carole]

Guess I'm not keeping up!

I just got an email from Shutterfly.....My Publisher is now a part of Shutterfly!

Hmmm, I have a $20 credit for Shutterfly. Perhaps I'll give them a try and see what their quality is like.

Carole

 

[Carole]

Most economies of scale with publishing come with massive orders...not just thirty or forty books. If you are considering publishing thousands of copies the cost will begin to drop dramatically.

When I order from Blurb, I usually order five copies! :smile:

And, my books are 160 pages and include a lot of photographs! If the cost was $25, that would be 15 cents per page. Each page is an 8x10. It's just not possible to create quality 8x10 prints and then bind them for 15 cents.

I suppose if the books were smaller...and the binding wasn't as elaborate...and the production was in the thousands, it would be possible to order books at the lower price.

Here's a sample of my most recent book from Blurb:
http://www.blurb.com/b/3655380-a-look-through-my-lens-2012

Note that the costs shown are at cost with no profit. I only produce these for friends and family, so I price the books without profit. Blurb does allow the seller to set his/her own pricing.

Glenn

Thanks, Glenn. Your book is gorgeous!!

I was thinking about doing a few books and selling them at craft fairs, but I know people won't spend $50+ for a book at a craft fair. So I have to go back to the drawing board.

I think I would like to do a book for myself like the one you did, Glenn. I like the idea of doing one every year.

Carole