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YourBooks – General FAQs
How much does the book consultation cost?
Nothing. We will give you an initial consultation and base quotes for all our services free of charge.
Does YourBooks use environmentally friendly paper stocks?
Yes, please see our website for our environmental policy.
What are the steps involved in self-publishing a book?
The main steps include writing, editing, and illustrating (if you want them) your book, formatting it for publication, creating a cover design, setting a price, and marketing and distributing it.
Is YourBooks a Māori owned company?
Yes, please see our website for our indigenous ownership statement.
What formats can YourBooks make my book into?
We can create files for print (physical books), EPubs (for Amazon’s Kindle), and KDP (Amazon’s print-on-demand services).
Quotes
How do I get a quote?
A1: If you have not signed up with us before, click on Book Consultation and fill in our form with all the required details and we will open up your own YourBooks account for quoting and ordering your books.
Once you have received your login and password from us via email, click on LOG-IN at the top of the home page and click either New Quote > Simplified & Static Products or click Books: Order Now! Choose your book type and click through the options until you are presented with a screen with a series of drop-down tabs. Enter your book information and click Get Price.
A2: If you already have an account with us, you can log into your account and create your own quotes or you can contact your Book Consultant directly for a quote.
How do I find my quote online?
Log in and click View Quotes. Here you can view, download, print and even progress your quotes to the full print order.
If I want to add more quantities to my existing online books how do I do this?
A1: If your quote status is Accepted: click Version Quote at the top, a new quote number will be generated. Then click the pencil icon on the top left side and choose Edit Product. From there you can update any specifications you like including adding or changing the quantity.
A2: If your quote status is In Process: Click the pencil icon on the top left side and choose Edit Product. From there you can update any specifications you like including adding or changing the quantity.
What do I do if my quote needs updating?
Please click the Request a Quote tab and create a new quote request with your new specifications. If you need a small change to an existing quote, such as a page count update, click the Update My Quote tab on the Home page and fill in the information you need updated. You will need to provide the number of the quote you wish to update as well.
Do I need to create a new quote if I’m reordering my books?
If your page count or specifications change or you want a price for different quantities, yes you will need to create a new quote. If there are no changes, you can simply reorder the book by clicking View Orders. Find the book you want to order, click More Details > Reorder.
If you do need to update your quote, you can base it on an old quote by clicking View Quotes and finding the quote you want to update.
If your quote status is Accepted: click Version Quote at the top, a new quote number will be generated. Then click the pencil icon on the top left side and choose Edit Product. From there you can update any specifications you like including adding or changing the quantity.
If your quote status is In Process: Click the pencil icon on the top left side and choose Edit Product. From there you can update any specifications you like including adding or changing the quantity.
Dispatch
How long will it take for my books to be delivered?
This depends on many factors including whether your address is rural or in a city and also the time of year as holidays can affect usual delivery times. If you require your books by a certain date, please make sure to factor in the delivery times as well and contact your Book Consultant to make them aware of the urgency.
Our standard delivery time is 6 working days. For delivery to a rural address, allow for 8 business days. Please note that if no one will be on site to receive your books, you must leave a note in the online delivery instructions as to where the books can be left. This location must be under cover or the courier will not leave them.
What do I do if my books do not arrive within 2 days of dispatch?
Check to make sure that you have not missed a card left by the courier if you were not there to collect the order. Then check online to ensure the delivery address and instructions you gave us are correct. To do this, log in to your ordering site. Click the View Orders tab. Find your order and click More Details. On this page you can see the Expected Despatch date, Consignment number and Despatch status.
Printing Your Books
How long will it take to print my book?
Please contact your book consultant for a timeframe as this will depend on the type of books and the production load at time of ordering. Our standard printing times are 5 working days +delivery for a printed Proof, and 10 working days +delivery for full print orders.
How do I know what paper stock to choose? (Paper stock decision tree file)
Please see our helpful paper stock decision tree by clicking here. Or your Book Consultant can help you with this. Please email them at sales@yourbooks.co.nz. Here is a brief example of the stocks and their common uses:
- 80gsm Creamy Book Paper – Trade paperback novels.
- 100gsm, 80gsm white offset – Non-fiction with illustrations, or technical books.
- 115gsm matt coated – Non-fiction with illustrations, art books, history books etc. Typically a book with a lot of images and photos scattered throughout.
- 170gsm satin – Children’s picture books as the paper is thicker, which means that colourful images won’t show through the pages and will have a glossy finish.
Barcodes
Do I need a barcode or an ISBN?
Booksellers and libraries will require your book to have a barcode. A barcode can be created from an ISBN.
Apply for your ISBN through the National Library of New Zealand website.
Once you have your 13-digit number (ISBN/ISSN), you can order your barcode from the YourBooks online store. We can place this barcode on your cover or you can order just the barcode in the size you require.
Contact your Book Consultant for a quote.
Where do I get a barcode from?
Visit the National Library of New Zealand’s website for more information.
Distribution
Will YourBooks store and distribute my books for me?
We do not store books on-site. We can send them to the address provided when the order is made, and to a distributor if you have one. You can ask your Book Consultant for more details.
Legal Deposit
What is a legal deposit?
A legal book deposit is where if you publish a (commercial) book within New Zealand, it will need to be registered with the National Library of New Zealand. X2 copies will need to be sent to them within a month of the book being printed.
Can YourBooks send my x2 copies to the National Library for a legal deposit?
Yes, we can. You will need to let us know if that is something you want us to do before your full print order has been placed. Contact your Book Consultant for more information.
Marketing
Can YourBooks help with marketing?
Yes, we can offer some help with marketing your book. Please contact your Book Consultant for more information and a quote.