Lightning source book printing services for publishers. Booth 6 and lightning source llc, a part of ingram content group, announced a multimillion dollar deal that will transform the distribution and sales model for. Control the cost of printing with print on demand from lightning source. Lsi is the principle provider of printondemand distribution, and the one i personally work with, and often recommend to my clients who are intending to become competitive selfpublishers. The first method is our 24hour service level approach which shows in stock at amazon. One alternative is lightning sourceingram who distributes print books to bookstores. Join our many satisfied book publishing customers throughout the country and print your book now with lightning press. Lightning source was founded in 1997 and is the largest printer of books in the world, having printed over 100 million books for nearly 25,000 publishers including many on this website. A few others i learned of were too expensive lightning press, infinity publishing, best book printing, offered only paperback createspace, or seemed cumbersome lightning source required a new. Jul 25, 2012 i use lightning source for my printing and distribution. Book printing via print ondemand is a very inexpensive option thanks to technology in printing books. Lightning press has blended modern digital technology with traditional forms of book printing in order to find a lowfootprint method of producing printed books.
Printondemand solutions to deliver the books your customers want with speed and efficiency. Is anyone making money with lightning source print. Previously, ive always heard that ls has slightly better print quality, but i havent recommended it because its a pain to work with and the assumed benefits arent really worth it. Sep 01, 2008 how to self publish a book with lightning source discussion with bestselling author jackie degroot, as interviewed by stacey cochran.
Lightning source has an e book supply system that can serve up protected pdf copies of books from their library through a vendors site, if a publisher chooses to participate. The books printed through lightning source are printed using a variety of digital printing equipment. Title setup instructions and information for print books lightning. I stopped paying them for distribution services because i figured if amazon buys copies of the book from ingram books and ingram books then orders the same from lightning source, it means that given that ingram books has a fixed fee of 55% discount, lsi have to sell five. The reason i chose them, among others, was because they had the widest reach of any company i had come across. The lightning source support team will add this for you. Lightning source is the leading printondemand company in the world, offering the unique combination of quality oneoff book manufacturing and access to the most comprehensive distribution. Available to major online retailers, including amazon, kobo, nook, and ibooks. Another book that was planned to be 388 pages will grow to 396 pages. Jul 07, 2014 lightning source was founded in 1997 and is the largest printer of books in the world, having printed over 100 million books for nearly 25,000 publishers including many on this website. Book printing services custom book printing by lightning. In pursuit of plan b lightning source, createspace, amazon.
Lightning source book printing services for publishers ingram. In this method, lightning source prints the book and ships on behalf of amazon. Easy pdf file guidelines for book printing by lightning press. Affordable conversion service from print to epub ereader compatibility. I asked illustrator jessica warrick to help me out testing print quality between lightning source and createspace for her new book, 50 happy things. Lightning source quickly established itself as the global leader for printondemand book printing and fulfilment services with massive operations in their. This is a soughtafter recognition of excellence in color printing, given to those who have successfully proven capable of providing the highest quality color reproduction for book printing, from the most modern digital printing technology, techniques and process controls available in the graphic. My paperback book, love demystified was published by booklocker and placed on the amazon website during the second week of december lightning sourcels was the printer. If you set up your account under your personal name, you can create a publishing name. In june, lightning source announced the availability of the espresso book machine ebm distribution channel to all publishers that work with the company. Ingram content groups lightning source division provides printondemand service to in one of two ways.
Digital printing has given rise to the printondemand distribution model thats become so popular with selfpublishers. This is a soughtafter recognition of excellence in color printing, given to those who have successfully proven capable of providing the highest quality color reproduction for book printing, from the most modern digital printing technology, techniques and process controls available in. This is mainly due to the fact they are owned by ingram, the worlds largest book wholesale distributor in. The company is a business unit of ingram content group. Lightning source, lulu, or createspace skilled workman posted on february 28, 2015 by david bergsland february 28, 2015 this has been an. Quick specifications for print books onebookshelf publisher. Apr 18, 2018 my paperback book, love demystified was published by booklocker and placed on the amazon website during the second week of december lightning source ls was the printer. Ingramspark pricing what does it cost to selfpublish a book. A matte finish, typically used by major publishers for their literary titles, is sometimes perceived as weightier or more serious.
Ingram told the weekly book newsletter that the operation, which will offer print on demand facilities, launched with. With the oce colorstream 3500 system, lightning source is extending their capabilities and delivering more options to book publishers through highspeed, fullcolor inkjet printing. Then their printing charge depends on whether the books are for your publishing business or as part of an order from wholesalers, retailers, and distributors to sell to their customers. My experiences printing a small batch of books medium. Access to a global network of wholesalers and booksellers. Printing costs through lightning source by ron kurtus. Premium color printing highest color quality with more vivid color, printed on 70 lb 104 gsm white paper paper color and weights groundwood 38 lb 56 gsm available in blackandwhite printing and select, smallformat trim sizes in the u. Lightning press is a g7 master qualified certified book printer and pass rigorous tests quarterly. Jul 01, 2019 lightning source prints books ondemand, or printing per order, which is useful for smaller quantities.
Lightning source offers the comprehensive market coverage you need, backed by modernized printondemand technology, for a completely managed publishing solution. Title setup instructions and information for print books. This saves you and the booksellers the overseas shipping. If you would like your title to be canceled no longer available for printing or download, please reach out to the lightning source support team. After almost a decade of being in the business, we discovered that to maximize both availability and sales, it is important to print books with both amazon kdp as well as lightning source lsboth have their. Ingramspark is an online selfpublishing company that allows you to print, globally distribute, and manage your print and ebooks. Lightning source gives authors the option of printing a cover with a laminate or matte finish. Weight and spine width calculator cover template generator use this tool to determine how much you will pay to print and ship orders directly to yourself or to your customers. Incredibly scalable, printondemand from lightning is designed to help you not. Lightning source is a printer and distributor of printondemand books.
The ebm channel gives publishers the option of making the books they have stored in the lightning source digital library available for printing, binding, and delivery at the point of sale, on. Booth 6 and lightning source llc, a part of ingram content group, announced a multimillion dollar deal that will transform the distribution and sales model for book publishers. Talking pod with lightning sources david taylor the. Why my book is no longer in print a warning about ingram. Led by a passion to see more books, in all formats, reach more markets across the globe with speed and ease, ingram publisher services offers an extensive selection of tools and services along with access to an industryleading e book platform. Usually the retailer gets 35 to 45% of the price of the book, lighting source takes approximately 30% for the printing and i get the restabout 30 to 35% of the published book price. Use this tool to determine how much you will pay to print and ship orders directly to yourself or to your customers.
Book printing services custom book printing by lightning press. Lightning source expands digital book printing products and. Lightning source adds oce colorstream 3500 inkjet whattheythink. It also provides book distribution services for publishers.
They have printing facilities in various parts of the world, but are headquartered in tennessee usa. This is mainly due to the fact they are owned by ingram, the worlds largest book wholesale distributor in the world. All my books are printed to order by lightning source, so i never see them. The cost of printing your books through lightning source starts with their setup fees. Lightning source charges the seller amazon or the bookstore, etc. Lightning source print on demand books for publishers. Although the scheme originally allowed electronic ls editions to be sold on amazon alongside conventional printondemand editions, amazon withdrew from the scheme. I use lightning source for my printing and distribution. Lightning source is their program that allows medium to large publishers to have books printed and shipped directly to customers. Printondemand is a printing technology that has made it economical to print just one copy of a book at a time. They also have operations in maurepas, france and melbourne, australia. This is because it uses digital printing rather than the traditional methods of letterpress and offset printing, which was too complex to print a oneoff book. Sep, 2016 a few others i learned of were too expensive lightning press, infinity publishing, best book printing, offered only paperback createspace, or seemed cumbersome lightning source required a new. Ingram has announced the official opening of its australian lightning source operation.
Lightning source, lulu, or createspace skilled workman posted on february 28, 2015 by david bergsland february 28, 2015 this has been an interesting question for the past decade. While this is very acceptable for the black text in most books, color printing, including covers, may suffer from slightly more color variation than is found in offset printing or digital printing through one of the top 5 book printers. Lightning source print on demand books for publishers ingram. Sep 09, 2011 ingram content groups lightning source division provides printondemand service to in one of two ways. Originally incorporated in 1996 as lightning print inc. Lightning source lsi is the premier printondemand pod source. We have integrated our servers with lightning source, a premier printondemand company. Incredibly scalable, printondemand from lightning is designed to help you not only cut the cost of printing, but also expand your market reach and optimize profits on every book sold, whether one copy or 1,000. Ingramspark print book options customize your self. If you have a book on the environment and would like to share your insights with the world, give lightning press a call at 9738904422. How to self publish a book with lightning source discussion with bestselling author jackie degroot, as interviewed by stacey cochran. I spent a lot of money on a publicist and a lot of time writing content and appearing on podcasts. Print shops in the 15th century per establishment date and book output in publishing, printers are both companies providing printing services and individuals who directly operate printing presses.
When customers order print titles on site, we transmit the order electronically to lightning sources print facility either in tennessee, usa, or in the united kingdom depending on where the customer is located. If applicable, sales taxes will be applied at the time an order is placed on your account. How to print and distribute your selfpublished book. We are pleased to work with oce in this significant development effort, said royer.
Control inventory costs, eliminate warehousing, and. The publisher should end text files of a book without padding pages, and lightning source will add the additional pages necessary to achieve page counts during the setup and the print process. Also, lightning requires that the last lefthand page be left blank for a bar code and other information. Lightning source is the leading printondemand company in the world, offering the unique combination of quality oneoff book manufacturing and. The basics of book printing onebookshelf publisher service. Revive backlists and capture every sale with print on demand. Lightning source adds an additional lefthand page to the end of your page block for the printers barcode that provides information as to where the book was printed, so if the last page of your books interior is a right hand page, lightning source will add one page to the total page count, and if the last page of your books interior is. The printers will print the books that are sold by bookstores located in those countries. Lightning source prints books ondemand, or printing per order, which is useful for smaller quantities. Keep in mind that this applies to books printed by lightning and books produced by author service companies like lulu and outskirts that use lightning as their printer. Dramatically increase your market exposure through more than 39,000 retailers, libraries, and other points of sale. Print on demand publishing cost, sales and profit for.
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