Tags: book printing, book publishing
(continued from previous posting)
They prey on writers who have failed to obtain traditional publishing gigs and basically trick the individuals into buying large amounts of books that then never sell out. They don’t have any selection criteria, they don’t read your book, they don’t edit it, and they certainly don’t sell it. Avoid them. Stick to the companies who basically just make a book for you and provide tools on the side (professional copyediting, though I cant speak for the quality that comes out, graphic design, etc…) or who offer to keep your file online so that individuals can buy copies from them, and they pass royalties along (createspace.com by Amazon is one possibility).
If you are looking for a less official binding, most shipping companies like UPS or FEDEX offer services where you can have large printing jobs done quickly and then have them bound. There is, of course, no graphic design service or copyediting, but the job is cheap and fast and it works.
Not to say that no one is published officially—but it is extremely rare and at some point you just want to see your work in print, and going to a self publisher or a company to have your work printed is not a sign of defeat. A work of writing is a victory, one that you can share with your family and friends for years to come, and you should be proud of it.