Story to Novel Conversion Question

Now, I had no idea where to post this so I will try here.

Does anyone know how much it costs to turn a story into an actual novel that you would by from a store. A nice hard cover with the nice pages and all. I just need the price for one. I want to convert some of my writing into a novel.

Thanks!

 

Anyone?

 

It likely depends on the quality of the binding, the number of copies you want, and if you want to pay an artist to do cover art. You might try your local print shop or maybe even Kinkos. Try the yellow pages.

~Lurker

P.S. This probably belongs on the fanfic resource board...maybe you can get one of the mods to move it

 

Hey,

I'll help you out. Theres a great website called Cafe Press.com

They have publishing on demand, wherer you can literally print one, or one million. If you go there it'll walk you through it.

There are tons of Self Publishing websites, but most of them are like 500 copies or more. But if you want to print that many, Its probablly cheaper to go with one of these. Just google, Self Publishing, or On Demand Printing.


-KSH>

 

Well, for licensed franchises (i.e., Star Wars), you can't exactly write something and get it published. You have to get hired by the licensing company, and they pretty much tell you what to write.

With original fiction or nonfiction, though, as I understand it, you can write a manuscript, which you submit to an editor or publishing house, and theoretically they'll buy your work and then publish it.
I'm sure it's more complicated than that, but I don't really know the details.

 

I don't want it published, I just want to have it in novel form. I am writing novels from my website (see sig) and I wanted to make a nice, hardcover version of it to send to 4 other people and for me to keep. No charges or anything, just gifts.

 

Hmm... well, in that case, I really have no idea what you'd do. Cafepress, as mentioned by someone else in this thread, seems like a good bet, though.

 

Self publishing has its drawbacks; apart from costing a Hutt butt and having to promo your self, chiefly, you give the impression that you couldn't sell your idea thru official formats.

 

Basically what you want is a hardcover binding of a manuscript and a few copies?

If you live in any sizeable city, you should have a local printer available who can do that sort of thing.

The more libraries and colleges around, the better the chance you have at getting a reasonable price.

For very small quantities (somewhere around 10 books) at about 200 pages, you're probably looking at a price of around $30 to $50 or so per copy for a hardcover binding.

And it also depends on whether you're getting just the binding done to hardcopy manuscript or if you have to have them do it all - printing on good paper stock and binding.

If you have access to a college/university, go check with one of their Dean's offices and get some businesses their students work with for thesis and dissertations. That's probably your best bet, because the quantities that students need printed are about what it sounds like you need.

 

And it also depends on whether you're getting just the binding done to hardcopy manuscript or if you have to have them do it all - printing on good paper stock and binding.

I have to have them do it all. Is it still the $30 to $50 you mentioned?

 

You may want to look into the legality of putting into print, whether for profit or not, a copyrighted story with copyrighted characters. I am not saying that I know anything, but making a 'Star Wars' story and printing it may violate the copyright of Lucas and/or his corporations, whatever your intentions with them are.

 

I'm pretty sure it falls under fair use. As long as no ones getting paid, Its just like printing out a copy of your fanfic off your printer at home. Anyway, I doubt four books of someones fanfics will get back to lucasfilm anyway. And classiclly Lucas&Co, have been pretty good about letting fans play around in the Universe, without harrasing them about copyrights.

PS. I hope that didn't sound rude, I really wasn't trying to be.