How do I publish an illustrated nonfiction book?
- Color print-on-demand costs several times more per unit than black and white.
- Image rights and permissions must be cleared and documented before publication.
- Public domain status varies by country and by edition of the image.
- Fixed-layout ebooks preserve design but reduce accessibility and device support.
- Larger trim sizes suit illustrated work but raise per-unit print costs.
Settle two things first: the print cost at your real trim, page count, and color spec, and the rights for every image. Permissions take weeks and can cost more than the printing. Then decide between fixed-layout and reflowable ebook, knowing fixed-layout preserves design and limits accessibility.
Chapter i·Why it matters
Illustrated nonfiction gets expensive in two places authors underestimate. Color printing can push unit cost above what similar books retail for, and image permissions for archival or museum material routinely run into hundreds per image. Both are knowable before layout and painful to discover after.
Chapter ii·What to include
- A print quote at your actual trim, page count, and color specification.
- A rights clearance log: source, licensor, fee, territory, term.
- Public domain status verified per image and per jurisdiction.
- Caption and credit lines drafted alongside the clearances.
- Fixed-layout versus reflowable ebook decided deliberately.
- Retail price tested against print cost plus retailer discount.
Chapter iii·Example
An author budgeted $400 for images and spent $2,900 clearing eleven archival photographs. Replacing four of them with commissioned illustrations for $600 brought the project back inside its budget.
Chapter iv·Related questions
In WriteLoom
Everything this article talks about, in one project
WriteLoom keeps rights clearances, print specs, and costs on one record so an illustrated book's budget stays visible.
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