Print Brokers

Print brokers are a clearinghouse to help decide which printer to use. You can find a printer on your own, but it’s time consuming. If you do it on your own, you have to make a lot of decisions, such as whether it’s a hard back or a case book, what paper and finish and weight to use, whether it’s color or b/w, etc. You need to know about all these options to do it on your own.

The broker pays the printer and takes cut. A sales rep gets a fee too but it’s built into the salary, which ends up being comparable to a print broker. Brokers will find the most low-cost company, but the choices are not as broad as you can find on your own.

PMA has a list of printers to choose from that are not necessarily good – just choices. Dan Poynter, How to Self Publish, has lots of information. Also see John Kramer’s 1001 Ways to Market Your Book.

This is part of a series of articles provided by Nancy Burkhalter and Jack McKee following the February meeting on ways publishers can work together. Click on member suggestions in labels to see these articles and any follow-up.