Online publishing for poetry chapbook

December 17, 2009 11:12 AM

Looking to self-publish a small poetry chapbook. Anybody got recommendations for online sites that will do this for me? I am looking to have hard copies I can sell at readings, rather than have people order from the Web.
posted by Astro Zombie to Computers & Internet (7 answers total)

You can probably get a better price from a local printer if you don't mind doing your own layout.

If you just want to send a text file and get a box of nice-looking chapbooks back, Wordrunner does a good job.
posted by Sidhedevil at 11:27 AM on December 17, 2009

If you really don't want to go to a local printer, Amazon is now offering a print-on-demand service called CreateSpace. I know that you're not looking for POD necessarily, but I think there's an option that allows you to upload and print solely for your own use. If not, you could upload your PDF, buy the copies you want, and then pull the product so others can't order.

There's also Blurb and Lulu.
posted by runningwithscissors at 11:33 AM on December 17, 2009

Your profile says you're in Minneapolis. Try contacting the Minnesota Center for Book Arts. I'd be surprised if they can't refer you to local printers that work with writers and artists.
posted by kiripin at 11:52 AM on December 17, 2009

Magcloud, too...and last I checked, if you order a certain amount, it's 25% off the whole order -- so if you're ordering them to have around at events, those savings add up!
posted by bitter-girl.com at 11:52 AM on December 17, 2009

I know of someone doing this with a small blurb paperback - quite a narrow shape. They were buying their stock for £3 a copy and selling them for £6. Photo on the cover, text inside. Nothing fancy, but very nice.
posted by SebastianKnight at 12:05 PM on December 17, 2009

I do my books through Lulu, love them to death. Highly recommend.
posted by willmize at 12:27 PM on December 17, 2009

I published on createspace - free setup, pay for what's ordered, and if you want on amazon, it's free there too. Set it and forget it - and watch the deposits come in :)
posted by chrisinseoul at 12:42 AM on December 18, 2009