Rennie Parker (@rennieparker.bsky.social)

Rennie Parker's Bookstop I did it! The second printing for Daughters of the Last Campaign went ahead, and I finally have a boxload of copies which are a) looking good, and b) available to be sold at events. Now, I don’t think people are open enough about the economics of self-publishing, with the end result that many first timers buy expensive packages which perhaps they didn’t need; they might go through a publishing facilitator, for example, which adds to the cost, or they could over-estimate the number of copies they can sell. So, here’s some upfront transparency for you. My typesetter choice was already known through the regional small press network, and they had a straightforward menu of various formats which came at a fixed price. I chose one of these, and the total cost was under £300 for my word limit. Next, I needed a printer where I could collect in person, so it couldn’t be too far away. I’d had one suggested by my college print unit, so I checked them out. They had an online estimator and a set of basic printing options, with mine coming in at £199 for 50 copies. Spread over three months, I could budget for this job over the income from three wage packets. Both companies were easy to communicate with, were as fussy as me over detail, and everything was delivered on time. https://www.rennieparker.wordpress.com