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For your convenience, we have divided our frequently asked questions into 9 basic sections:

 

How does foreignchristianbooks.com work?

  • If foreignchristianbooks.com is a distributor, why do you not buy physical product?
  • Do I need to sign a distribution agreement with foreignchristianbooks.com
  • What books (type and content) does foreignchristianbooks.com distribute?
  • Does foreignchristianbooks.com do the printing or is it “jobbed-out”?
  • What are the payment terms for foreignchristianbooks.com?
  • What is your return policy?
  • How does the publisher get paid?
  • How are the retail prices set?
  • How much royalty does foreignchristianbooks.com keep?
  • Will foreignchristianbooks.com own my book rights?
  • What is the average turnaround time for shipping?
  • How long do shipments take?
  • How do I get my “out-of-print books” back in distribution?
  • How do I scan my out of print books?
  • How do I make a pdf?
  • What is font embedding?
  • How do I upload a book?
  • What if my PDF file does not work?
  • How can I get help with formatting my file(s) for printing?

 

What are the printing options?

  • What kind of bindings does foreignchristianbooks.com offer?
  • What are the trim sizes foreignchristianbooks.com offers?
  • What paper is used by foreignchristianbooks.com?
  • Do you print photos and grayscale illustrations?
  • When will foreignchristianbooks.com start offering books with color interiors?
  • Does foreignchristianbooks.com offer hard covers?
  • What is “bleed” and how does foreignchristianbooks.com deal with bleed?
  • Does foreignchristianbooks.com laminate or UV coat covers?
  • Does foreignchristianbooks.com offer matte finish on your covers?

 

What if I want to order copies of my own books?

  • I want to order multiple copies of my own book to be shipped in North America. How do I do it?
  • How do I stop a print order?

 

Experts page – companies that can help you prepare, edit, and market your book in the US.

  • Editing
  • Copy Editing
  • Typesetting
  • Illustrations
  • Cover Design
  • Formatting current files for uploading into the foreignchristianbooks.com database
  • Creating digital files from physical books
  • Marketing
  • Public Relations

 

Shipping options in North America

  • What about e-books?
  • Isn't everything moving to e-books?
  • Is foreignchristianbooks.com moving towards e-books?

 

What do I need to know about ISBNs?

  • Do I need an ISBN number?
  • What is the purpose of an ISBN?
  • Who can assign ISBNs to a publisher?
  • What do I do when I receive the ISBN and where is it printed?
  • How do I get an ISBN?

 

Who is Snowfall Press?

  • How does Snowfall Press differ from a publisher?
  • How does Snowfall Press help me be successful?
  • Is Snowfall Press a publisher?
  • If I am an author, can I use Snowfall Press?
  • Will Snowfall Press market and sell my books?
  • Does Snowfall Press help me sell my books?
  • What is the perfect print run for Snowfall Press?
  • How much royalty does Snowfall keep?
  • Will Snowfall Press own my book rights?
  • Is Snowfall Press a printer?
  • What is book-of-one printing?
  • Benefits of Book-of-One technology
  • Short Run Printing

 

If you do not find what you are looking for, please send your question to: info@foreignchristianbooks.com  .

 

How does foreignchristianbooks.com work?

If foreignchristianbooks.com is a distributor, why do you not buy physical product?

There are three main reasons: freight costs, warehousing costs and speed of delivery. Freight is the number one factor that prohibits many books from being distributed, because of the cost of moving a book being published and printed in Europe or Asia to North America. foreignchristianbooks.com eliminates the overseas shipping fees. The second reason is warehousing and distribution costs. Carrying inventory is very expensive and makes a traditional distributor have to be very careful what titles, and how many of each title to stock. This leads to many titles being out of stock. foreignchristianbooks.com allows our publishing partners to stock every title in their catalogs without ever taking them out-of-print. Speed of delivery is very important, but virtual warehousing allows every title to be ‘in-stock’ all the time.

 

Do I need to sign a distribution agreement with foreignchristianbooks.com?

Yes. foreignchristianbooks.com is a distributor for hire, and has a non-exclusive distribution agreement that is signed by both parties. Publishing clients are required to agree to our terms and conditions in order to open an account, but there are minimal contractual obligations with foreignchristianbooks.com for this account.  You are free to distribute as little or as many titles as you would like and are free to sell your books with other retail options. Please contact David Sheets for more information.

 

What books (type and content) does foreignchristianbooks.com distribute?

  • foreignchristianbooks.com will not distribute content which promotes racism or violence.
  • foreignchristianbooks.com will not distribute pornography.
  • foreignchristianbooks.com will not distribute anything which is illegal in the country in which the document is to be printed, or in the country where it is to be delivered.
  • foreignchristianbooks.com reserves the right to decline to print any book at its sole discretion. foreignchristianbooks.com desires to work with all messages delivered from a Christian worldview. However, Publishers are free to explore any subject they wish. These may include: entertainment, business, culture, politics, cooking, family, fiction, memoir, etc.

 

Does foreignchristianbooks.com do the printing or is it “jobbed-out”?

foreignchristianbooks.com is strategically partnered with Snowfall Press, which does all of its own printing on its state-of-the art print equipment in a growing network of print facilities (nodes) worldwide. The current print nodes are located in Phoenix AZ and Elizabethton TN.

 

What are the payment terms for foreignchristianbooks.com?

All payments for consumer orders on our website are made by credit card or PayPal.

 

What is your return policy?

Unless the book has flawed printing, we do not take returns or replace books on consumer orders. Returns on orders from retailers are to be determined.

 

How does the publisher get paid?

foreignchristianbooks.com will pay our publishing partners in full within thirty (30) days of shipment through the storefront a percentage of the net sale for each book sold. (in US dollars)

 

How are the retail prices set?

The U.S. suggested retail price will be set automatically based on page count, market viability, and print run cost.

 

How much royalty does foreignchristianbooks.com keep?

None. foreignchristianbooks.com distributes a very competitive percentage of each sale, by contract, for printing and distributing books on behalf of publishing partners.

 

Will foreignchristianbooks.com own my book rights?

No. All book rights remain with the publishing partner. foreignchristianbooks.com is a service provider, a distributor for hire.

 

What is the average turnaround time for orders?

Usually within 3 business days of the order being placed, the order will ship.  Many times, foreignchristianbooks.com is able to complete orders the same day they are placed, though customers should allow for up to 3 business days.

 

How long do shipments take?

foreignchristianbooks.com offers customers shipping options through UPS and the US Postal Service.  We anticipate offering shipping through Federal Express in the near future.  Consumers can choose the shipping option they prefer given the price and time to ship.  We encourage customers to educate themselves on how long it will take, using different shipping carriers and option, for their books to ship from our printing facilities in Phoenix, Arizona and Elizabethton, Tennessee.

 

How do I get my “out-of-print books” back in distribution?

If the rights have not reverted back to the author, simply scan (digitize) the body and the cover and submit the book as a PDF per the normal uploading procedures. foreignchristianbooks.com can direct publishing partners to a service provider who will scan and digitize books for digital printing. See our experts community below for more information.

 

How do I scan my out-of-print books?

There are a number of services that will take a physical book and scan it to prepare digital files for digital printing. The best services will actually take the scan and re-typeset the book as well as create e-book files at the same time. See our experts community below for more information.

 

How do I make a pdf?

Click here for a full discussion on this subject.

 

What is font embedding?

Embedding is a way to ensure that all the fonts and graphics you have used in designing your book will be printed.

 

How do I upload a book?

For full instructions, click here.

 

How can I get help with formatting my file(s) for printing?

foreignchristianbooks.com has worked closely with a number of experts who can help our publishing partners with a single issue, or can be a long term resource for printing your book and bringing it to market.

In order to better serve our publishing partners, we are providing a list of foreignchristianbooks.com experts, whose mission is to help guide you through the book printing process at foreignchristianbooks.com and our strategic printing partner, Snowfall Press.  These experts are not employees of foreignchristianbooks.com or Snowfall Press, but designers, editors, and graphic artists with experience preparing books for digital printing.

These Experts can help foreignchristianbooks.com customers in the following areas:

File preparation - Preparing and uploading both cover and interior files into Snowfall Press accounts

Scanning/Out of Print file Construction/Conversion - Scanning physical books to printable PDFs

E-book Conversion/Distribution

Editing - For self-published authors looking for a freelance editor.

Cover Design

Typesetting

E-Commerce with Snowfall

Marketing Services

Publicity

Social Media

Sales Representation

Copyright

 

What are the printing options?

What kind of bindings does foreignchristianbooks.com offer?

Currently, foreignchristianbooks.com offers perfect binding (paperback). 

 

What are the trim sizes foreignchristianbooks.com offers?

foreignchristianbooks.com offers any trim size from a minimum of 4”X6” to A4 (slightly larger than 8.5”X11”)

 

What paper is used by foreignchristianbooks.com?

Currently, foreignchristianbooks.com offers white paper with two thicknesses.  The standard offering is 60# (also called 24 lb. or 90 GSM).  The thin paper offering is 40# white; and finally, we offer a 50# cream option.

 

Do you print photos and grayscale illustrations?

Yes, we do print excellent B&W photos and grayscale illustrations within the text of a book.

 

When will foreignchristianbooks.com start offering books with color interiors?

We would love to offer this service in the near future. Please check with us for more information.

 

Does foreignchristianbooks.com offer hard covers?

Not currently, but we plan to add this option sometime in the near future.

 

What is “bleed” and how does foreignchristianbooks.com deal with bleed?

Bleed is a printing term referring to printing that goes beyond the edge of the sheet after trimming.  Bleed ensures that the color on the cover goes all the way to the edge and no “white appears at the edge.” In foreignchristianbooks.com’s case, the recommended bleed is 1/4th of an inch on each side. 

In designing a cover for foreignchristianbooks.com, the bleed should be designed into the cover size.  For a book that is 6 inches wide, the cover will be 12.25 inches + the spine width (6” for the front; 6” for the back; plus 1/8th inch for front and back bleeds plus the spine width).

 

Does foreignchristianbooks.com laminate covers?

We laminate covers with a lay-flat, gloss cover laminate.

 

Does foreignchristianbooks.com offer matte finish on your covers?

No, but we plan to offer matte finish on covers in the near future.

 

 

What if I want to order copies of my own books?

I want to order multiple copies of my own book to be shipped in North America. How do I do it?

Any publisher with files loaded in a Snowfall Press account, can order copies of your books may be purchased directly from Snowfall Press at the standard printing rates. Actual shipping prices will apply.

 

How do I stop a print order?

Because of the rapid turn-around of the Snowfall Press print process, your book is often printed very soon after you click print and therefore impossible to stop. For that reason, we urge you to process your order very carefully, and if you are a publishing partner ordering a newly uploaded book, we urge you to print a proof of your book first before printing larger quantities. If you have made a mistake please send us a message marked “Urgent” to: info@snowfallpress.com

 

 

What are the current shipping options?

foreignchristianbooks.com currently offers the following shipping options to serve the consumers who shop with us.

Typically, the following shipping options are offered for orders:

USPS Priority Mail

USPS Priority Flat-Rate

UPS Next Day (and Next Day AM)

UPS Second Day

UPS 3-Day Air

UPS Ground

We anticipate FedEx shipping options will be added shortly. 

 

What about e-books?

Isn't everything moving to e-books?

No. Popular books have already begun the migration to offer e-book editions alongside traditional print editions. There are very few books that are in an e-book only edition. Many other books have not been viable in the e-book format for a number of reasons including graphics, pictures and color. With the introduction of the recent iPad, we anticipate there will be more of these books moving into digital editions.

 

Is foreignchristianbooks.com moving towards e-books?

Yes, we are.  Snowfall Press anticipates offering its publishing partners the ability to create e-books over the next 12 months. 

While e-books threaten to eat into the market share for printed books, foreignchristianbooks.com believes there are several factors that not only mitigate this risk for our publishing partners and for foreignchristianbooks.com, but also carry significant opportunities for both parties. 

Long run (offset) printing works best when large quantities of books are printed, driving down the unit cost.  As e-books grow, the number of units of physical books sold per title will shrink.  This makes the economics of traditional print runs less viable, and makes print-on-demand more attractive for publishers for their printed copies.  foreignchristianbooks.com also believes there will be opportunities to partner with e-book vendors and publishers to offer a print solution to e-book readers who may wish to print a physical copy of certain titles.

 

 

What do I need to know about ISBNs?

Do I need an ISBN number?

Publishers need an ISBN number if you are planning on selling your book at retail. This includes Amazon.com and other online retailers, including foreignchristianbooks.com.

 

What is the purpose of an ISBN?

The purpose of the ISBN is to establish and identify one title or edition of a title from one specific publisher and is unique to that edition, allowing for more efficient marketing of products by booksellers, libraries, universities, wholesalers and distributors.

 

Who can assign ISBNs to a publisher?

There are over 160 ISBN Agencies worldwide, and each ISBN Agency is appointed as the exclusive agent responsible for assigning ISBNs to publishers residing in their country or geographic territory. The United States ISBN Agency is the only source authorized to assign ISBNs to publishers supplying an address in the United States, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico and its database establishes the publisher of record associated with each prefix.

ISBN numbers can be purchased from Bowker.

Bowker also will create a barcode for you. The pricing structure for bar codes is as follows:

1 - 5 :  $25 per bar code
6 - 10 :  $23 per bar code
11 - 20 :  $21 per bar code

 

What do I do when I receive the ISBN and where is it printed?

An ISBN should be assigned to each title or product, including any back list or forthcoming titles. Each format or binding must have a separate ISBN (i.e. hardcover, paperbound, VHS video, laserdisc, e-book format, etc). A new ISBN is required for a revised edition. Once assigned, an ISBN can never be reused. An ISBN is printed on the lower portion of the back cover of a book above the bar code and on the copyright page

 

 

Who is Snowfall Press?

How does Snowfall Press differ from a publisher?

First of all, Snowfall Press is not a publisher. Snowfall Press is a service provider. Like the Home Depot motto, “You can do it, we can help,” our motto could be ‘You want to print your book, we can help.” Snowfall Press is a strategic tool in your publishing toolkit.

 

How does Snowfall Press help me be successful?

Snowfall Press provides the tools to allow publishers and experienced authors to bring their books to market quickly and sell their books more profitably than before. Snowfall Press is the database and printing engine behind foreignchristianbooks.com.

 

Is Snowfall Press a publisher?

No. Snowfall Press is a DIY (do-it-yourself) digital printer enabling authors and publishers to carry less risk and realize more profit to the bottom line of their business. With the Snowfall model you are either an existing publisher trying to optimize your business and wanting a print-on-demand solution, or you are an author now venturing into the world of micro-publishing…and as such, now starting to take on the responsibility for printing your own books.

 

If I am an author, can I use Snowfall Press?

Yes! Whether this is your first book, or you are a veteran author, Snowfall would love to work with you to maximize your margin opportunity for each book that you sell.

 

Will Snowfall Press market and sell my books?

No. Snowfall Press does not market your books. We have a list of trusted experts who can help you market your books, including foreignchristianbooks.com. (Please click here for more information.

The marketing process can be a rewarding experience and no one can market their book better than the author. Using an expert to help guide you in this process can be an important asset.

 

Does Snowfall Press help me sell my books?

Snowfall Press provides a service to print your books and partners with other service providers like foreignchristianbooks.com help you get your product to market. Please see our list of experts above for more information.

 

What is the perfect print run for Snowfall Press?

Snowfall Press specializes in print runs of as few as one copy, but can print as many units as is required.

 

How much royalty does Snowfall keep?

None. Our goal is to bring back more gross profit margin to authors and publishers.

 

Will Snowfall Press own my book rights?

No. All book rights remain yours. Snowfall Press is a service provider, a printer. Book rights will always stay with you.

 

Is Snowfall Press a printer?

Yes. Snowfall Press is a printer first, and a great resource for the publishing community second. Snowfall Press is not a publisher.

 

What is book-of-one printing?

At its core, book-of-one means if you want just one book printed we print just one book and send it wherever you want it sent. We make a little profit and we believe, based on our prices, our publishing partners should be able to make a profit too.

In a broader way it means we print exactly what our publishing partners need. If you need five books then print five books. If you need 500 books, print 500.

 

Benefits of Book-of-One technology

  • No need to carry inventory

If you can simply print what you need and have it shipped to your customer in a very short time, why would you want to pay for excess inventory sitting on shelf – wasting space and money?

  • Marketing copies

If you are going to a trade show and need one or two copies of an upcoming book that is not printed yet, use Snowfall to print a couple of showroom copies – it sure is better than wrapping the up-coming book’s dust cover around a piece of foam core.

  • Marketing research

Ever wonder if you have chosen the best design for your cover? Why not test market several cover options. With book-of-one technology you can easily print several covers and see which one pulls best. And the best part - you can do this very inexpensively!

  • Book Proofs

A book proof now is an actual book. It’s the real deal – no proof sheets. Snowfall Press encourages everyone to print one proof of their book to ensure that the book is laid out exactly as you want. Do this before you start printing large quantities. Book proofs are cheap and quick

 

Short Run Printing

While printing books one at a time is important, many times you need more…but you are still not ready for offset printing.  What you need is short run printing and Snowfall Press is uniquely capable of printing book runs of 50 to hundreds with the same speed and quality of the micro runs. In fact, if you need larger quantities and know in advance where they are going, we can split up the printing between our facilities in order to keep shipping cost at a minimum.

 

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