“Can you publish my book, and get me copies by Christmas, which is NEXT WEEK?”

“Can you publish my book, and get me copies by Christmas, which is NEXT WEEK?”

The short and sweet answer to this questions is, “NOPE!”

I can’t tell you how many authors literally wait until a week or two before Christmas to decide that they’re NOW ready to get their book published. And, boy oh boy, do they get MAD when I tell them they are plum out of luck if they think we can do everything required to get a book on the market AND get copies to them in just a week or two….especially this time of year.

Publishing a book requires:

  • Professional cover design (and the author approving that design)
  • Interior formatting and conversion (and the author approving those files)
  • Uploading files to the printer
  • File processing by the printer
  • Print galley (proof) printing, and shipping that to the author for approval
  • Approval by the author, and then “release” of the book by the publisher through the printer’s and distributor’s systems.

While we DO have a two-week publishing package (for a higher fee, of course), processing an order for books after print galley approval, printing and shipping those books, and the author then receiving those books is NOT going to happen by Christmas.

Add to this the fact that every printer has a backlog in the weeks leading up to Christmas. A print on demand book order that would normally ship in one to three days can take two or more weeks this time of year.

If you want your book published by Christmas, and if you want to have a LOT less stress, and have time to review your files, do a final edit, and even get endorsements, to say nothing of doing actual marketing to sell copies to readers before Christmas, please contact us no later than OCTOBER. Better yet, contact us now to get your book published next month. Why wait until Christmas? The longer your book is for sale, the more copies you’ll sell!

Oh, and if you do contact me this week, and complain that I can’t get 25 copies to you before you leave for Grandma’s house next week, please find another publisher. Our website clearly states we don’t work with jerks. That includes procrastinators who spew profanity at me because I can’t perform a Christmas miracle.

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