Self-Publishing: The Nitty Gritty of Production
As I waded into self-publishing, I discovered that it was not, in fact, very simple to get a board book printed. If you want a regular picture book, paperback book, or even a hard cover book, there are printers within the U.S. who can and will manage that for you. Bear in mind, unless the company specifically says it’s printed in the U.S., your work is still likely to be printed overseas. You just don’t have to deal with the hassle of managing that process.
There are a couple companies with U.S.-based customer service who print board books. If you go with one of these, you will pay a premium for said customer service and DDP shipping (see below).
If you want to managing the printing process yourself with an overseas printer…
Printing Overseas:
I used Shenzhen Jinhao Color Printing to produce the first edition of First Bible Basics. You can reach the production team (for a quote) at print.usa[at]lzjhy.com. SJCP also prints some Usborne books and things so they're legit. You will also have to account for customs costs if you go this route.
If you’re searching for other options for overseas printing, get on alibaba.com and start asking for quotes. I spent approximately six weeks corresponding with printers and sorting out who I wanted to work with. SJCP was the best fit for me. You might find something different!
Info on Customs:
So for customs and shipping - a lot depends on how many books you're having printed. For instance, 50 books can be Fedexed. 4000 books, not so much (or rather, you'd pay an arm and a leg for it). Most orders are shipped via ocean freight.
There are three shipping types you can get quotes for:
FOB (Free on Board) - manufacturers bears the responsibility for getting your goods from their factory to the port/ship, and the loading fee. You have to arrange for the actual shipping from the port of origin to the destination, bear the insurance cost, etc.
CIF (Cost, Insurance, Freight) - Manufacturer bears the responsibility for your goods until they are unloaded at the port of destination (including the insurance).
DDP (Duty Delivery Paid) - manufacturer bears the responsibility for your good until they are at your door.
The cost of each of these varies depending on the destination port. DDP is most expensive (and the least work for you) and FOB is least expensive (and logistically way more complicated for you).
When I did it, I shipped CIF since it's pretty reasonable. BUT, because I shipped CIF, I also had to contract with a customs broker and a freight forwarder to get my books into the country and to the proper warehouse / to me.
DDP is usually VERY expensive through the manufacturer, but any company can give you the price for all three types of shipping.
One last bit of advice if you go with CIF or FOB: Don't try to shepherd the books through the customs process yourself. It's way too complicated, it will cost you more to do it yourself than hire a broker, and it isn't worth your time.
Paper Weight
Abroad, they use the GSM (grams per square meter) measure as opposed to lb. measurements like we use for paper in the US. If you do a little googling, you'll get the gist of it. Most companies will send you samples if you want to pay for them so that you can feel the weights for yourself.
Initially, I wanted a super heavy quality board book, so I ended up going with two pieces of 350gsm C1S paper with one piece of 300gsm at the middle to achieve this. I know that probably doesn't make much sense unless you have a background in paper and printing, but I figured I'd give you those numbers as a starting point anyway.