The Best Way to Fix a Broken Spine? Take My Advice.

Community is vital. The idea of creating community is the foundation of The Local Bookshelf. We all need community, but especially when we’re self-publishing 😊

Case in point! I wrote this blog almost two years ago when I first published my book. A printer had been recommended to me (by the company that I hired to help publish my book), and instead of delivering beautiful copies of my books, the company delivered nothing but headaches, heartache, and disappointment. Read below… 

(originally posted in May 2022 on my personal blog)

Friends… this has been a learning experience. 

To say the least. 

On April 10, I posted a photo of me holding my book (!) after it was delivered. It wasn’t a single book that was delivered, it was 500 copies. As soon as the boxes arrived, I poured over them: looking at the images, reading the text, making sure it was perfect. And it looked perfect!

Until I really opened it up. That evening, my three kids and I sat down to read the book together. As I was reading the dedication page, I realized the spine was cracked. It looked like a book that had been signed out of a public library hundreds of times, instead of a brand-new book right from the printers. 

Hmmm, I thought. That’s unfortunate. One of the books is ruined. 

I went downstairs to grab another one. Same thing. Next book? Same thing. I went through 5 boxes, and all 500 books had broken spines!

It was heartbreaking. To wait so long for my books, after struggling with the printers for months to get the images just right… it really stole the joy of the “I’m a published author” moment. 

After weeks of back-and-forth emails with the printing company, it was decided that the books would be reprinted and sent to me as soon as possible… and the 500 subpar books would be sent back to the printers for recycling. 

So as I wait for that delivery, I’d like to give a piece of advice to any future children’s book authors out there: when choosing a printing company, don’t be seduced by the company that offers lower prices (like I was). Choose a company that will send you a complete test print of your book. I went with the ‘cheaper’ option that only offered singular page proofs (instead of the entire book bound together). In the end, I had so many issues with the proofs that I ended up spending way more money on reprints than I would have spent if I had originally gone with the more expensive option. I also would have had one book sent to me with spine issues instead of 500. 

But what is life if not a learning experience, right? 😉 

And the end result is: my book is here and I can’t wait for you to Unwrap Your Dreams!

I eventually found a MUCH better, local printer. How did I find this local printer that produced stunning copies of my book, instead of using the printer that broke my heart numerous times? I ASKED SOMEONE IN THIS COMMUNITY FOR SUGGESTIONS. She recommended a printer 20 minutes from my house. Community to the rescue!!! 

I'm excited to expand The Local Bookshelf membership and build up our knowledge bank. Membership is opening SOON!😀