Self-publishers who use Print-On-Demand may find themselves in a situation where, though they’ve done all they could to produce a superior product, the lack of resources to truly make it shine will still leave the book with that this must have been self-published glow.
That is why the paper you choose for your book is important as it could set the tone for how professional (or cheap) your book looks on the inside.
So let’s talk about it.
White, Cream, or Groundwood Eggshell?
If you have yet to reach the stage where you’ve published your book, bookmark this for later!
In short, you will get to choose your paper when uploading your files to KDP, Ingram, or whichever platform you choose and setting everything up for publishing. This is the paper used to print your book. Your choices will be white, cream, or, if you are using Ingram Spark, Groundwood Eggshell.
I do not recommend white paper except in cases of books with color images. Otherwise, you want to choose cream paper when publishing your book.
It is easier on the eyes than white and makes your book look more professional on the inside.
I always say there is a lot self-publishers can learn from traditionally published books. If you go to your bookshelf and crack open a traditionally published book, the paper is a creamy, off-white. For self-publishers, cream paper is the closest you’ll get to that.
Well, it was the closest.
Enter, my new favorite, Groundwood Eggshell…
It’s not always the case that a Self-Published book looks self-published because of poor editing or cover art.
It can also be because Print-on-Demand does not offer the same industry-level finish to the physical product as traditionally published books by larger publishers.
Some people can tell by the glossy finish and white paper the book has been self-published.
Annd it doesn’t help that Amazon puts a Not for Resale strip on their proof copies. (This was not always the case). At first, I thought it was a nice touch, but now it’s like a big red flag that screams: “I published this book on Amazon!”
That’s why I like Ingram Spark’s quality, specifically their hardcovers and Groundwood Eggshell paper option better than Amazon. The grade of the physical book is excellent and sets the book apart to where it looks like it was printed by a publishing house.
For the record, I am not saying a self-published book is not good unless it is like a traditionally published book.
I am saying that self-publishers do not always have access to the resources to produce a book that can compete with books published by companies with bigger budgets and better materials.
Imagine if Black schools could have received better resources, school houses, books, everything they needed, but remained all-black.
History would probably be different.
In the same way, imagine if self-publishers and indie authors everywhere had the same access to tools similar to traditional publishing houses but remained independent in the process.
When choosing your paper, I do not recommend you ever choose white except in the special case we discussed. Always go with the cream, and if you are using Ingram, try that Groundwood Eggshell.
If your book is properly edited and formatted, this paper should make your interior pop out.
Check out more Indie Author Basics articles here.
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