Help & FAQs
Terminology help & frequently asked questions
1. GENERAL
How do I order a Service?
Choose which service/package you require. Once you have done this, please fill in the
declaration of the Perfect Publishers Contract which can be downloaded here, sign it
and send this to our registered address. You also need to fill in the Perfect Publishers
Order Form which can be downloaded here, and send this to our registered address or email
this to us at orders@perfectpublishers.co.uk.
Can you guarantee that there will be no hidden charges?
Yes! Once we have accepted your book for publication, PP will not knowingly add-on any
extra fees. All our services are transparent and clear. Any additional costs which are
extra services that some authors require are listed.
Does the Author retain rights to the book after publication?
After publication, the author retains all rights to the cover/content. The file remains
the property of the author and is returnable to the author at no charge.
How competitive is your contract and royalty payments?
Our contract is the fairest and simplest in the print on demand book industry and our
royalty payment system is one of the fairest and most generous in the entire industry.
What is the cost of ordering further books?
Subsequent copies of your book (after your initial 25 copies) can be purchased, after print from us
at print cost + 20% for administration/service costs per order and any shipping costs. This way
we can offer you ALL the royalty payments, the BEST offer in the publishing industry.
Do you take royalties from the Author?
No. We take NO royalty payments from you.
Do you deposit my book to the Copyrights Licensing Agency and the Legal Deposit Libraries in the UK?
Yes we do. It is the law and it is a requirement for a publishing company within one month
of publication.
Why do you submit a copy of my book to the Amazon Search Inside the Book Programme?
This is a novel new way to merchandise your book on Amazon.com. When potential customers
are searching for a book on Amazon.com, they can find the actual words from inside your
book and not just the usual author, title, and keywords. With this revolutionary search
feature, customers can discover your book that may never have appeared in previous search
results! This will undoubtedly help you sell more copies of your book.
Do you publish any material?
We do not publish soft or hard pornography, or any book that would be deemed racist,
bigoted, or which advocates extreme views.
How long will my book take to publish?
We guarantee, with the full support of the author, to produce a book from start to finish
in 8 weeks of proper submission for paperbacks and 10 weeks for hardbacks.
What is the quality of your illustrations?
We load our books at our printers with all interior illustrations and photographs at
600 DPI.
Will my book have ISBNs?
Yes, your book will be assigned the International Standard Book Numbers required by book
sales channels to track and order your books. In addition, PP will place a machine-readable
barcode on your book's cover.
If I want a Paperback and Hardback cover for my book will it have the same ISBN number?
NO. Even though the book content is the same, paperback and hardbacks will have to be
issued different ISBN numbers.
What will my layout be like?
Your layout will depend on the service you choose and the options available within that
service.
Who designs my cover?
A Perfect Publisher cover specialist will design your cover. The amount of control you
have over your cover will depend on the service you choose.
How much will my book sell for?
Trade paperback (retail): price varies with page count.
Hardback (retail): price varies with page count.
How many pages can my book have?
The books we produce normally have to be between 76 and 740 pages. However, we have
recently been able to offer a new service where books as small as 76 pages can be produced,
but they are subject to stricter constraints. Please contact us about this.
What happens if I want a book less than 76 pages?
Completed books of 76 pages or less have special requirements regarding the design of cover
art. Since a low-page-count book is so "thin", it cannot be designed with spine art or
text. No straight edge artwork or text should be placed within a half-inch of the top,
bottom, or side of the front or back cover. For more details, contact us.
Is there a minimum book price?
The minimum cover price must be £7.99
Do you print in colour?
Yes, we now offer colour publishing as a new service. Please contact us for further details.
What happens if I want alterations to a published book?
This is subject to a reformatting and reloading fee, plus any costs associated with
revision work undertaken by us on your behalf. We do not recommend alterations to a
published book unless they are absolutely necessary. The basic reformatting and
reloading fees are: EU resident fee: £130.00 including VAT. For alterations to a
cover, the fees are £100 including VAT
How will readers find my book?
Your book will be on Amazon.com, Waterstones, Blackwells and many more. PP books are
listed in the database of Ingram, the largest U.S. book distributor, so they can be
ordered at most bookstores in the U.S.
2. COPYRIGHT
What do we mean by "rights"?
As the author, you own all rights to your book. If you enter into a contract with a
book publisher you are usually required to grant some of those rights to
the publisher -- usually the right "to print, publish and sell the work in book form
on your behalf". Subsidiary or secondary rights are often shared by the author and
publisher. Subsidiary rights comprise every other form of publication -- electronic,
Braille, translations, audio, film and TV, etc. This grant of rights may lapse
after a book is considered out of print, or at the end of some fixed term.
How do I copyright my work?
Copyright is automatically yours, and applies as soon as something is recorded in writing (or in other form, e.g. on a computer disk, etc). You can establish proof of when your work was created by putting a copy in a sealed, dated envelope, and depositing it with a bank or solicitor - or even by posting it to yourself and storing it unopened in a safe place
Once I've published my book with Perfect Publishers, who owns the rights?
The rights to your book will be yours forever.
Can I still publish my book somewhere else?
Yes. The Perfect Publishers Agreement is non-exclusive. While producing your book with Perfect Publishers you can continue to publish or print your book elsewhere, with as many publishers, agents, and other firms as you like. As we already provide one year hosting on our printers database the author can withdraw his/her book from the system by writing to us.
Can Copyrights be inherited?
Yes. The person who inherits the work will become the new copyright owner.
What constitutes a copyright work?
Any literary, dramatic, design, musical or artistic work. So long as the work exhibits a degree of skill, labour or judgment.
How long will copyright last?
This will depend on the work and nationality, but typically the copyright of a work will normally run for either, 70 years from the death of the author, or if published 70 years from the date of first publication.
Does format or quality of the work matter?
Copyright exist in works regardless of format, i.e. negatives or photographs, computer files or paper documents, and regardless of the quality of the work.
What happens when a copyright expires?
The work will fall into the public domain, making it available to anyone wishing to use, copy or reproduce the work. This is how so many companies can publish works by William Shakespeare, classical composers etc.
3. AUTHORS RIGHTS
Once I've published my book with PP, who owns the rights?
You do. Forever. The rights to your book will always be yours.
What do you mean by "rights"?
As the author, you own all rights to your book. If you enter into a contract with a book publisher you are usually required to grant some of those rights to the publisher -- usually the right "to print, publish and sell the work in book form". Subsidiary or secondary rights are often shared by the author and publisher. Subsidiary rights comprise every other form of publication -- electronic, Braille, translations, audio, film and TV, etc. This grant of rights may lapse after a book is considered out of print, or at the end of some fixed term.
Can I still publish my book elsewhere?
Yes. The PP Agreement is non-exclusive. While producing your book with PP you can continue to publish or print your book elsewhere, with as many publishers, agents, and other firms as you like.
What would happen if an agent or editor saw my book and wanted to publish it?
Your publishing agreement with PP is non-exclusive. You are free to enter into any other agreements at any time. However, other publishers may ask you to sever your agreement with PP and grant them exclusive rights.
Are there any fees to discontinue my PP editions?
There are no fees to discontinue the PP edition of your book.
Can I come back to PP when my book goes out of print?
You can certainly come back to PP when your book goes out of print. You must ensure that the rights have reverted to you before re-publishing your book.
What are my royalty payments?
See Royalties FAQ
4. VOLUME DISCOUNTS
Who is eligible to receive volume discounts?
Volume discounts are available to authors only. Direct customers, wholesalers, and resellers are eligible to receive a different set of discounts.
How are the author volume discounts calculated?
Volume discounts are calculated based on the number of books purchased as a part of one single order.
5. SHIPPING
How do you ship?
Our orders are shipped directly from our printers Lightning Source.
Will you ship to a post office box?
No. We do not deliver to post office boxes.
What are the shipping costs for books?
We are not able to quote precise delivery prices without knowing the number of copies required, the weight of the book, and its destination, for any given consignment. However, we do guarantee that delivery charges will be passed on to the author at the same cost as charged to us.
Will my book be available to purchase in bookshops?
Bookstores will not normally store self published books unless the author asks for their
book to be stored in their shops.
If the author gives his/her ISBN to a book store, will they receive our details when they look up the ISBN to be able to order the books from us?
Although authors books will be available to buy form most bookshops, their books will not
be stored in shops, unless the author can ask certain stores to stock them. It can be
misleading to believe that you can go in a shop and buy it from the shelf. Many publishers do not explain this.