Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Below you’ll find answers to the questions we get asked most about our book printing services.

1. How do I order a proof?

Proofs can only be ordered by placing a full order. The cost of a proof copy is £7.50 including delivery to a UK mainland address.

2. How do I supply files?

BookWIZARD – Log into your account. Under the actions tab there will be a button with a folder on it. When hovering over it, it says ‘supply files’, click this and follow the wizard to upload both cover and text file (PDF files only). Supply the cover as a spread and the interior pages as individual pages.

Trouble uploading? Try optimising the file and retry. A sharing site may be required for large files.

BookVAULT – Navigate to the ‘Add a Book’ page. Fill in the specifications of the book and click ‘Add This Book’. On the next page, click on the ‘Choose file’ tab next to each section. Upload both cover and text file (PDF files only). Supply the cover as a spread and the interior pages as individual pages. If you are supplying a cover image for wholesale purposes, it will need to be a JPG file.

3. What sizes do my files need to be?

In terms of physical dimensions they should generally be finished size plus 3mm bleed to each edge, however additional artwork may be required for certain types of binding, for example hardback. Please refer to the relevant file preparation guides.

Before upload, optimise your file as much as possible. This guide may help: https://www.pod-w.co.uk/podnew/resources/how-to-optimise-your-files/. Images don’t need to be any higher resolution than 300dpi. Adobe Acrobat has a built in pre-flight feature, which may also help.

If you send your files by email, we can receive up to 36MB of attached files, however your email provider may not be able to send files up to this size. In this case, we recommend you send your files via WeTransfer, which allows for a max of 2GB. We can also accept unlimited file sizes via ftp.

4. What is bleed?

In printing, bleed is artwork that goes beyond the edge of where the book will be trimmed. In other words, the bleed is the area to be trimmed off. We require 3mm bleed to account for movement in the paper and print, this ensures that there are no white strips left at the edge of your book.

5. Do your labels appear on packaging and paperwork?

We appear as the sender on all address labels for returns information only. However, our name and logo will not feature on any BookVault picking notes that accompany orders.

6. My title is not showing live on Amazon or other retailers – why is this happening?

With our distribution, we offer the books to retailers, but it is up to them if they wish to list them for sale on their websites. This decision is usually based on the amount of profit that they can make from each sale.

Titles not showing as live can also occur when there are some discrepancies between what information you have provided to us and what you added when registering the ISBN with Nielsen BookData. If there are some fields that don’t match, it can halt the title from being listed with them.

7. How can I get a quote?

Our online BookWIZARD caters for most types of printing options found here: https://bookwizard.printondemand-worldwide.com/quote-wizard

8. What is BookVAULT?

BookVAULT is a virtual library where publishers can store their titles to print as and when they need them. It can be linked to your distributor and website to take orders automatically and will also receive orders directly from retailers, distributors and wholesalers if you are subscribed to BookGLOBAL and BookSHOP.

9. What is BookGLOBAL?

BookGLOBAL is our wholesale and distribution offering and is linked to our network of print partners, mainly in the USA. If demand permits, we can set up other partners in Canada, Australia and Singapore. This enables us to print and ship from a location local to the delivery address. We can also set up standard global and split print pricing. Your book is then printed and shipped locally, saving time and cost.

10. My title isn’t active in BookVAULT, why is this and how long will it take?

All titles go through an automatic pre-flight check. If the supplied files meet our specifications, then the title will usually be activated within an hour. However, if the files don’t meet our specifications, then they will be diverted through a manual pre-press check, which can take up to 48 hours to correct and activate the title.

If any file does fail the automatic process, it may then be rejected altogether and a new file requested.

The system does not check for author mistakes, missing bleeds, artwork positional errors etc – it is your responsibility before uploading the file to check it against our file preparation guidelines.

11. What is wholesale?

Upgrading your account to BookGLOBAL (wholesale) gives your title exposure to European and US retailers, helping you sell more books. Orders sold via these channels will be printed by us and you will be paid publisher compensation on a monthly basis, 90 days in arrears.

12. Do you do Audiobooks?

We don’t currently offer audiobooks, but keep following us for updates on this in the future. Subscribe to our email newsletter to be among the first to hear our latest news.

13. Do you do ebooks?

Yes, we are able to publish and sell ebooks. Please contact us at authors@podww.com for more information on publishing or reach out to your account manager for ebook wholesale information.

14. What’s the difference between printing and publishing?

Printing is the physical process of producing a document on paper or other medium. The printer gets paid for the work done and is not responsible for getting the printed work in the shops.

Publishing is more involved as it is, essentially, the link between the author/s and the public. It is about getting the book out to the marketplace for sale and making it available to the end customers. It also involves the legal process of entering the books into the legal deposit libraries, but does not necessarily include any marketing for the title. For more information about our BookPUBLISHER service, visit our BookPublisher page or email us at authors@podww.com.

For further information you can request our Services and Sample Book, or call 01733 237867 or email customers@podww.com to speak to one of our account managers.