Production, printing (or publishing as it is most commonly known) is the stage of the publishing process that people are most farmiliar with. Why because it is literally when you book is published or produced in book format. But what is book format? and how do you want your book to look? Printed book, ebook, Audio book, eaudio, Video Book, evideo... there are so many options to choose from but how do you decide which option (or combination of options) is best for you and your book.

OPTION 1a: ebook

This is the most economical way to produce a book beccause being an eproduct there is ofcourse no production costs. So long as you have completed stages 1-5 there is no cost involved in creating a standard static pdf based ebook (infact you can generally quickly and easily do this yourself at the click of a button via Adobe Acrobat Writer). This is not the only way an ebook can be produced. These days what is quite popular is the animated swf which is still read online (via Macromedia Flash) however it more closely resembles the traditional book with it's animated turning pages. The best thing about the ebook is once produced there is no ongoing costs, turnaround time or cost per item and the same product can be sold time and time again.

OPTION 1b: Printed Book

The printed book is the most popular was of producing a book and has some pros and cons over the ebook. It does of course cost you more to produce as there is a cost per item however for some forms of distribution this format is essential. You can't for example put an ebook on shelves in a bookstore or hold it up when you speak to bring credibility to your book and yourself. The best part about having an ebook and a printed book however is the opportunity you now have to package. Does someone want the ebook?, does someone want the printed book? or do they want both for a discounted price as they can't decide? By producing your book in more then 1 format you automatically get the opportunity to up-sell. Remember to think about things like turnaround time though. Do you want to produce your books locally (normally used for small digital runs) and have then ready in a matter of weeks or would you rather produce them offshore (normally used for larger offset runs) which takes approximatly twice as long to produce (due to shipping and customs clearance delays) but costs approximately half the price. This will be determinded by how many copies of your book you want for your first print run.

OPTION 2a: eaudio

Your eaudio is your economical entry point for your audio book. Just like your ebook there is no ongoing production costs involved once the book is completed. In order to complete an audio book you need a couple of things. Firstly you need a voice artist (this may be either yourself or a paid actor) and secondly you need a recording method (this may be using something like Audacity at home or it may be highering a professional recording studio). Once you have made the decision as to which option you want to use for each of the above stages it is simply a matter of having your book read and edited and your eaudio is completed.

OPTION 2b: Audio Book

In order to turn your eaudio into an Audio Book you are to need a few more things. Firstly you will need some more design work for the face of the CD/s your audio book will be on and secondly some deisgn work for the case it will be in (I recommend a DVD case it it makes your book long more like a book and stand out from music CDs). The third thing you need is just like the printed book the actual production. How many copies of your audio book do you want for the first print run? Do you want them digtally or offset produced? A general good rule of thumb is to order half the number of audio books as you did your printed book as statistically you will sell 2 printed books for every 1 audio book.

OPTION 3a: evideo

Have you concidered doing your book in video format? Just like the eaudio, evideo will require some additional steps to actually create the video book so once again you will need 2 things. Firstly you need some actors (this may be either yourself/others or a series of paid actors) and secondly you need a recording method (this may be using a home video camera and tripod or it may be highering a professional videographer). Once you have made the decision as to which option you want to use for each of the above stages it is simply a matter of speaking or performing a key element from each chapter (less then 10 minutes usually works best), having your video edited and inserted into a video book player and your evideo is completed.

OPTION 3b: Video Book

In order to turn your evideo into a Video Book you are to need a few more things. Firstly you will need some more design work for the face of the DVD/s your video book will be on and secondly some deisgn work for the case it will be in. The third thing you need is once again just like the printed and audio book the actual production. How many copies of your video book do you want for the first print run? Do you want them digtally or offset produced? A general good rule of thumb is to order half the number of video books as you did your audio book or a quarter of the number as you did for your printed book as statistically you will sell 4 printed books or 2 audio books for every 1 video book.

Once your book is produced you are ready to start making money and getting credibility - so here comes the fun part!