Self-Publishing a Special Edition Hardcover with Qin Printing
When I finally decided to self-publish my first book Of Mountains And Seas, I instantly knew I wanted to do a special edition hardcover. I was very excited to plan the creative side and see my story come to life through the work of a professional artist. But would the financial side be feasible?
First, I scoured Instagram for artists until I found one with the talent and style I was looking for. Sweeneypen, a professional artist based in Indonesia, created all the art in my special edition. He was by no means cheap (he was worth every penny), but compared to local artists needing to cover higher costs of living, his prices were very reasonable.
Next to find a printer: I visited a couple local book printers in California, and suffice it to say, I would not be able to afford the cost of their services. Even if I could afford them and sold all the books I printed with them, I wouldn’t be able to break even. I searched many other options online and requested many a quote, but none of them came close to the affordability that Qin Printing offered.
Qin Printing’s prices are extremely transparent. Their website has a calculator you can use to estimate the cost of your project and includes estimates for add-ons such as foil stamping and embossing. I filled out their online form to request a quote that included shipping, and Susan Han got back to me right away. She offered a video chat so I could see she was a real person, show me options they offered, and explain the timeline once they received all final materials from me.
I wasn’t ready to start the project just yet, and Susan never sent me any pushy emails, nor did I get signed up onto any email marketing lists. Susan simply waited patiently for me to initiate contact when I was ready and answered any questions I had along the way, always responding within 1-2 days. She even sent me samples of the early stages of my book (overnighted from China at very reasonable fees) so I could decide what texture and color I wanted and see the quality of the books that would be printed.
After more than 6 months of back-and-forth (on my part since I was learning along the way and waiting for artwork to be completed), we were ready to move forward with printing and then shipping. I believe we estimated about a month for printing and packaging and another month for shipping depending on customs clearance. Customs went a little quicker than expected and the packages arrived a week earlier than expected. As you can see below, the final products are gorgeous!
For anyone that comes across Qin Printing and wonders (like I did) whether they are legit and whether their quality is up to par, I can vouch whole-heartedly ‘Yes!’ to both. https://www.qinprinting.com/
Unlike the standard paperbacks and hardcovers, I’ll be selling these beauties directly on my website, and I’m sure that will be a journey within itself. If you have any specific questions, feel free to contact me on my Contact page.
More to come as I navigate the nuances of self-publishing.
