There are only two additional fees, one is dependent on the market you envision for your book, and the other is a Proof-copy Fee (required for books with color interiors).

If you want your book available to bookstores, or through Amazon and Barnes & Noble Online, then there is a $35.00 charge for the ISBN, and then a once-a-year Ingram Distribution Catalog fee of $12.00, the first year of which is included in the $35.00. You can opt out of the catalog at each annual fee renewal  (but we need a minimum of 30-days warning).

Proof-copies allow you to check the actual complete book, cover and interior, before committing to publishing. Proof copies cost $40 each and are sent out Next Day Federal Express, or Next Day UPS, whichever is better for shipping to your location. The shipping charge is included in the Proof-copy Fee. If your book interior is in color, then you must get a Proof-copy to check the colors and their registration.

If your comic is Black-and-White, you don't want a Proof Copy, and you only want to sell through your web site, you can be up and running with your book for just $25.00 -- plus the cost for the number of books you want!

NEVER save artwork you intend to revise in JPG format. Every time you load and re-save a JPG formatted file, the artwork is re-calculated and information and detail is lost, and distortions to the artwork are produced. After about the fourth time you begin to see “halos” appear around objects and letters begins to blur.

Remember that every sheet of paper in a book has two sides, so ALL books have an even number of pages. Don't confuse “number of pages” with “number of sheets of paper.” If you draw 46 pages for your book then you have 46-pages of artwork for your book (which will use 23 sheets of paper — one drawing for each side of the sheet of paper, and thus two pages). If you intend that the back-side of each drawing should be a blank page, then you have 92-pages of artwork for your book (which uses 46 sheets of paper).

Add to the number of pages your artwork uses the additional pages you included for your book title page, copyright, dedication, introduction, et cetera. So, for the two examples above, you have a 48-page book and a 94-page book, assuming you only included a book title page and a copyright page. Covers are not counted.

You could, of course, take the minimal approach used by traditional American comic books and start the book immediately with your comic art and put the book title information and copyright information at the base of that first page.

If your book is less than 48 pages we can do it as a staple-bound book For staple-bound books pages must be in sets of four;. i.e., 12, 16, ... , 40, 44, or 48, including the title page, copyright/disclaimer page, and any introductory text pages.

Most traditional comic books that you buy in stores (Archie, Batman, etc.) are in the format of 6.625" x 10.25". Unfortunately, we are unable to produce that size-format as a Print on Demand book. The closest match we have is the 7"x10" book.

If your book is less than 48 pages we can do it as a staple-bound book For staple-bound books pages must be in sets of four;. i.e., 12, 16, ... , 40, 44, or 48, including the title page, copyright/disclaimer page, and any introductory text pages.

Most traditional comic books that you buy in stores (Archie, Batman, etc.) are in the format of 6.625" x 10.25". Unfortunately, we are unable to produce that size-format as a Print on Demand book. The closest match we have is the 7"x10" book.

Once you have your webcomic in a standardized format (every comic is exactly the same size, except double-page spreads or 3-or-4 panel strip comics that can be doubled up (see the College Catastrophe example), you must save them in a print-friendly format. If your comic is in color each comic must be saved at a resolution of 300 dpi in TIFF, PNG, or PDF file formats. Make sure that the color space of your comic is set correctly! For color comics this is CMYK; for Black-and-White comics with tones, this is grayscale.

If your comic is line-art (that is, you can save the file as a black-or-white only bit-mapped file and not lose any details) then the comic can also be saved at 600 dpi as a bit-mapped file in TIFF, PNG, or PDF file formats.

Scan your color images at 300 dpi, convert all colors to CMYK, and save all color images as CMYK. Save all PDF files with output resolution set to 300dpi, embed all fonts used (subset should be set to 100%), center the image, and do not include crop, trim, or printer registration marks, otherwise save them in TIFF or PNG formats.

Grayscale and line-art must be scanned at 600 dpi, images and converted to grayscale or bit-mapped formats. Save as PDF files with output resolution set to 600dpi, embed all fonts used (subset should be set to 100%), center the image, and do not include crop, trim, or printer registration marks. You can also save them in TIFF or PNG formats.

For Color text-blocks, scan all color images at 300 dpi, as CMYK images, then save all PDF files with output resolution set to 300dpi, embed all fonts used (subset should be set to 100%), center the image, and do not include crop, trim, or printer registration marks. Alternatively, you can save the images as PNG files.

Then build each page exactly as it should appear in the book. For a full-page comic create the page in a program like GIMP, Photoshop, Painter, or other program capable of saving a PDF file. Place the formatted copy of your comic inside that page. For a comic-strip, you build the page as explained above, and then place however many of your comics will fit on that page (see the examples of College Catastrophe or Under the Lemon Tree).

Once the page is complete, with any page numbers or other information you want included on the page, save the page in PDF file format.

If you want us to build the pages for you, you can either simply sequentially number the files and let us place them on the pages, or you can number them sequentially in groups (MYBOOK_001A.TIFF, MYBOOK_001B.PNG, MYBOOK_001C.TIFF, MYBOOK_002A.PNG, MYBOOK_002B.PNG, and so forth) in the order you want them placed on the pages.

You must use the file name convention “book title_file number” on each file (MYBOOK_001.PDF, MYBOOK_002.PDF, MYBOOK_003.PDF, etc.) in the ZIPed file. Remember that the file number will begin with the first page of the book, typically the title page. Page numbers generally start with the actual comics and therefore may be numbered differently from the file numbers. Cover files should be named MYBOOK_COVER_FRONT, MYBOOK_COVER_BACK, and MYBOOK_COVER_SPINE (if you have a spine plate).

For Black-and-White text-blocks, set the color-space to grayscale or bitmapped. Save all PDF files with output resolution set to 600dpi, embed all fonts used (subset should be set to 100%), center the image, and do not include crop, trim, or printer registration marks. You must use the file name convention detailed above. If you want us to build the PDF pages for you, then send the artwork as either TIFF or PNG files.

For Color text-blocks, scan all color images at 300 dpi, as CMYK images, then save all PDF files with output resolution set to 300dpi, embed all fonts used (subset should be set to 100%), center the image, and do not include crop, trim, or printer registration marks. If you want us to build the PDF pages for you, then send the artwork as PNG files. 

If you have the expertise, you can send us the completed PDF text-block (that is, the title page, the copyright/disclaimer page, dedication, blank pages, and any introductory pages you might want, and all the pages with comics in place, properly paginated with page numbers and headers/footers) as a single file inside the ZIP container file instead. We will run the PDF file through our Pre-Press program to ensure that it is ready for publication and that the file matches the PDF/X-1a:2001 specification (all the required fonts are included, color profiles are set, the scanned images are 300dpi for color and Black-and-White, bitmapped images are 600dpi, and so forth--remember, you can scan something at 300 dpi, but if you enlarge it even slightly in your art program, it is no longer at 300dpi.).

Another method is to separate the text-block into sections, following the same naming convention (YOURBOOK_001.PDF, YOURBOOK_002.PDF, YOURBOOK_003.PDF, etc.), send the title page, copyright/disclaimer page, dedication page, blank pages, introductory material (if any), as separate files, and then the rest of the book as a single file (or several files). We will assemble the complete text-block, run the PDF file through our Pre-Press program, and email it to you, or make it otherwise available on our website for you to download. Once it is approved we will move to the next step.

If you want us to build the pages for you, you can either simply sequentially number the files and let us place them on the pages, or you can number them sequentially in groups (MYBOOK_001A.TIFF, MYBOOK_001B.PNG, MYBOOK_001C.TIFF, MYBOOK_002A.PNG, MYBOOK_002B.PNG, and so forth) in the order you want them placed on the pages. Do not forget to include the text and artwork you want on the title page, copyright page, introductory pages, and so forth.

If you use any fonts in your comic, you must embed the complete font in the file. If you are sending the book as separate files, you must embed the complete font in each file for each font used on that page. We do not maintain font libraries for customers.

For books with only Black-and-White interiors, the color book-covers 7"x10" and below are printed on 90-lb white cover stock. The 8.5"x11" color book-covers are printed on 80-lb white cover stock.

For Color interior books, small color book-covers are printed on 90-lb white cover stock, while the large 7"x10" and 8.5"x11" color book-covers are printed on 80-lb white cover stock.

Three things make a good cover: 1) The upper third must be empty of characters or anything important to the illustration; 2) the cover should prominently feature your characters; 3) there should be action happening--and headed to the right of the cover (or your characters should be looking or pointing to the right).

The book title/subtitle/author will take up the top third of the page. Do not place letters over a character’s face! An overall darkness or lightness to the top third is also desirable--making it easier to select a matching color for the Title so it stands out. There should be no dark text against a dark background, or vice versa. Outlining the individual letters with a contrasting color helps make them stand out against a busy background, but why do that when you can avoid it in the first place? When choosing colors for the lettering, pick a color from the picture and use it as the main color. Using a color not present in the illustration makes the cover look “off.” Browse the books at the library and see how professional cover artists manage the artwork.

It is your characters the reader wants to see, not some landscape, no matter how beautifully drawn. Reader’s eyes are drawn to people (or animals), not so much to landscapes or things. There is a reason why car magazines have beautiful models draping themselves over those cars on the covers--you see the person first, the car second. And once you see the car, you might buy the magazine. Covers without people on them simply don’t sell as well (notice, also, that the model on those car magazine covers is staring directly out at you, to engage you to look at her--we tend to notice when people look at us).

People like action; having something exciting on the cover conveys the impression that something exciting is going to happen inside the book. Most books open on the right; by directing the viewer’s eyes to the right you are giving them a subtle hint to pick up the book and open it. You make them want the book.

Even if you plan on selling the books only on your website, make the cover look enticing as a thumbnail. A dark, ugly cover or a static bland cover will hurt your sales, regardless of the quality inside.

Your cover illustration should be made at 1.5-times the actual cover size. Thus a 7"x10" book should be drawn on a page 10.5"x15". When shrunk down to 7"x10" and put in the cover PDF, the details will look finer and imperfections will mostly disappear. Some professional book/magazine cover artists even make their drawings at double the target cover size. This also helps if you decide to make promotional posters larger than your book! Use your judgment.

Flying Chipmunk Comics Press offers wrap-around covers; that is the cover image is the front, spine, and back all-in-one. We will send you a template in PDF or EPS format of the entire cover, just fill it in exactly the way you want it to appear, following the guidelines included. To do this we need the book format you plan to use, and the number of pages in the book (not sheets, pages). The page count lets us calculate the thickness of the spine. Dust Jackets are available on some hardcover books and use a larger template.

If there are no corrections, then send FCCP your approval email.

The Paypal Invoice is just for you to use if you decide to follow through on the book purchase. If you change your mind, delete the Invoice. If the Paypal Invoice is not returned within 30 days, it is deleted from the FCCP account as canceled.

When your payment is received, your order will be placed in the production cycle. Most orders are shipped within a week, and depending on where you live the shipping could take a like amount of time to arrive. We ship via UPS, and must deliver to a street address, not a P.O. Box.

Flying Chipmunk Comics Press will supply you with an ISBN for $35.00 if you want one for your book. We strongly suggest you get an ISBN as customers can walk into any bookstore and order it. Ingram, a major book distributor, also charges $12.00 annually for a book to be listed in their “ready-to-order” catalog.

If you intend to market your book through Amazon and other bookstores, then you must select a price that will allow a 30-60% discount. Amazon will only list a book if there is at least a 30% discount off retail available. Bookstores can order your book for customers at that level of discount, but their profit is just 5%, the other 25% goes to the distributor (Baker & Taylor, Ingram, Book Masters, etc.).

If you want bookstores to carry your book, then you must offer a 60% discount from retail price, this is large enough that the distributors will pass on more of a discount to the bookstores and if a customer orders a copy, the bookstore will likely order several and use the extra as stock. Or, if your book should get a good review either online or in print then the bookstore owner may order a few copies just to see if they will sell.

So, a book that costs $3.00 must be at least $9.99 if you intend to offer a 60% discount, which gives you a $.99 profit per book. For a 30% discount, pricing the book at $5.69 would give a $.98 profit. Selling the book yourself would, of course, give you a $6.99 and $2.69 profit, respectively. While the profit per book is lower with the discounts to Amazon and bookstores, the advantage is in higher sales, or sales you might never have made.

A book pricing calculator is at Comic/Manga Book Pricing for Self-Publishing Authors to help you with your decision.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at editor (at) FlyingChipmunkComicsPress (dot) com.