Uniquely Present Your Presents: Self Publish Print On Demand Poetry Books

Unique, personalized presents are the most precious and meaningful to be had; the personal touch speaks volumes to the recipient, who recognizes the thought and consideration placed in the creation of that treasure. Print on demand self publishing companies make it possible to easily create such treasures, enjoyment for the present, heirlooms for the future.

There are many approaches to putting together one's own poetry work. I met a school teacher who simply had her typed material copied and bound at a local printer, selling her book at various craft fairs. I did a piece, likewise copied, and bound at a printer. Print on demand companies make the running around a thing of the past, and the quality equivalent to that of a store purchased book. It has become a great outlet for the creative spirit who wants to share their poetry uniquely with a friend or loved one.

The first step to creating a personalized, self published poetry book, is assembling your work. In order to print on demand, you must have your poems in electronic format, and Microsoft Word, coupled with new text documents, is by far, the easiest means I have found for getting things ready to print on demand. I keep my poems organized in text documents, using the first line as the name of the file. After the poems are organized, I will usually create my compilation in a Word Document.

As I prepare a print on demand project, I make a new folder with my project title, and add copies of my selected poems to that folder. If my project is to have chapters, I will make sub-folders, continuing to move the poems into those folders. Organization will make your self publishing easier from the beginning.

While organizing, I continue to check for errors or changes. Perhaps a line of the poem doesn't sound quite how I wish. I am my own editor when I self publish; therefore, I have the say, as well as the responsibility, for my product. I want it to be just right for my intended recipient, after all.

At this point, I survey the print on demand companies and their options...at least the first time I do such a project. After the first project is done, you will have formed an opinion of the company and process. You may decide to examine others. Preference will be quite individual. I prefer Lulu, while my brother uses Create Space. Both are very amenable to print on demand projects. Lulu has a poetry book wizard that allows you to paste your text into their decorative options, and is quite simplified. On the other hand, you may want to do something that doesn't quite work with such wizards, in which case, you download the templates for the size of book you desire.

Should you select one of the wizard options, things will be fairly self-explanatory as you are led through the remainder of the process. You've done the hard work in composing and editing your piece. If you opt to upload your files for a non-wizard created book, then download the templates, if available, from the site you will use. Transfer your information into the word document created with the template. Work on formatting your material. Think about things such as the first page, dedication page, and Index. This is where you need to have some visual thinking, as you remember where the first page of the book is in a finished product, as you picture where each element goes. Just use a book. Trust me, without visualizing it, its easy to get things in the wrong places. You want your print on demand poetry book to have a professional look and feel, and so you want to have a good grasp before you self publish. It's no fun to get your gift book ordered and delivered, only to find a big gaffe. Take your time, and make it great.

Give yourself time to order a preliminary copy prior to the giving occasion. Review, and if necessary, make any needed changes, re-doing the file uploads as necessary. After you finish your project, it is possible at Lulu to keep it private, or to make available for sale. The decision is yours. No need to make it available to the world, but you can. You can also make it available as an Ebook. Likewise, Create Space makes it possible to market a book as a kindle edition. Hence, it's good to check out the various companies, particularly if you wish to do more of this kind of giving.

Whether you make one book, or one hundred, self publishing poetry books via print on demand companies puts you in control, as you choose the company, not the other way around. I enjoy producing poetry books for friends and family through self publishing. Print on demand is a great innovation.