Cheapest way to self-bind a large book
I'm finishing up a 350 page book that I will self publish. I plan on printing my book at a local printing store but they charge $6 to bind each book. I'm paying my tuition with the profit of this book and would like keep my expenses to a minimum. What is cheapest way to bind a large book?
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When I self-published a book some years ago I had the copy shop apply comb bindings for me. At the time this cost about $1/book, but it appears that Stapes and Office Depot now charge closer to $3 for this.
If your print run is small, or if you are truly willing to trade time for expense, you can buy a binding machine and the plastic combs and do it yourself. This binding machine is about $120 at Amazon and binds up to 300 sheets; a 10-pack of combs costs $6. You might be able to improve on these prices, particularly by looking for a second-hand binding machine.
Books with comb bindings, like spiral-bound books, can be opened flat and even folded over (though not quite as cleanly as spiral-bound books). Occasionally some of the plastic "teeth" will try to pop out of the casing, but in my experience this is only after heavy use. A plastic binding may not look as professional as a glued-in binding or even a metal spiral binding, but it's more affordable.
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Why don't you use a self publish site? There are many sites that are print on demand, which means that when someone buys your book, the company prints it and ships it. Which means that you don't have a bunch of books just sitting ther,e plus it looks more professional then handmade books. Most of them also come with/have epub options so that you can have electronic versions which can reach a wider audiance. The nice thing is, is that the print on demand books are usually paid for by the purchase price (the printing press takes a percentage of the sale but you decide how much the book costs in total), and just epub is potentially free.
Smashwords (epubs) and lulu (Print on demand) are two off the top of my head. I think that amazon also does it.
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