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TheBookPatch Answers

Pricing/Costs:: How much does it cost to use TheBookPatch's writing tools and word processor?; Okay, so how much does it cost to print?; I hate hidden fees. Are there any set-up fees, royalty fees or hidden costs?; What are shipping costs?

Writing:: What are the technical requirements to use TheBookPatch?; Why should I write my story on TheBookPatch?; How hard is it to use TheBookPatch text editor?; So once I write my story, can I print it right from TheBookPatch?; Can I just use your site as a back-up mechanism for my work?; If I write a book on TheBookPatch, do I have to use your printing service?; How and where can I access my works?; What writing tools are available to me?; Can I write about ANYTHING?; I don't see a category that fits my book idea. Can I get a category added?

Printing:: I can print just one book? Really?; Can I print and dropship to other sites like amazon.com?; Who prints your books?; Can I write my book somewhere else and just use your printing services?; Why is TheBookPatch the best POD and self-publishing outlet?; What is a perfect bound book?; What is my book stock and cover?; I placed an order and updated my text/cover. Will the updated text/cover be printed in my order?; I placed an order yesterday can I cancel my order today?; What is your turnaround time?

Privacy/Security:: Who owns the copyright to my work?; Who can read/view my work?; Can I make my book COMPLETELY private so that nobody else can see it?; Where do you store all TheBookPatch material?; Is my personal information private and secure on TheBookPatch?

Collaboration/Writing Community:: Can I create a book and only allow certain members to participate in it?; Can I create a book and not allow other members to participate in it?

General:: What is TheBookPatch?; Who is behind TheBookPatch?; What are the technical requirements to use TheBookPatch?; Do you have any writing contests?; Is there an age-limit/minimum?; Do you offer e-books, audio books or digital books?; What payment methods do you accept?

Design layout:: What kinds of documents do you accept for printing?; How do I format my PDF?; Where do I find cover dimensions/template?

Thinking Out of the Box with TheBookPatch:: What other types of things can TheBookPatch be used for?; Can I use TheBookPatch for Business?; Can I use TheBookPatch for educational purposes?; Can I use TheBookPatch to fundraise?; How can I use the BookPatch for gift-giving?

Writing Advancement:: How can TheBookPatch help advance my writing career?

Pricing/Costs:

How much does it cost to use TheBookPatch's writing tools and word processor?: Zip. Zero. Zilch. Why? TheBookPatch was actually a project that New York Times #1 bestselling author Victor Ostrovsky comissioned for his personal use as the writing tool he always wanted but could never find. He thought it was so useful that other writers would find use in it too so he declared in a booming voice "I'm going to let ALL authors use this for free from now until the end of time."; Top

Okay, so how much does it cost to print?

The cost of printing your book depends on how many pages are in the book and how many you order. Calculate the cost to print your book with our calculator.

We really want people to realize their dream of writing and publishing, and we aren’t into squeezing you for every penny you have. We try our best to make printing as cost-effective for you as we possibly can.

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I hate hidden fees. Are there any set-up fees, royalty fees or hidden costs?: There are no set-up fees. There are no hidden fees. And we don't take one cent from any sales of your books. You wrote it, why should we get any money off it when you sell it?; Top

What are shippping costs?: We offer a variety of shipping options both USPS and UPS which can be viewed before placing an order.; Top

Writing:

What are the technical requirements to use TheBookPatch?

Anyone on a PC or Mac (using an Intel processor) with an internet connection can use TheBookPatch.com on all of the major web browsers (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Opera, and Safari).

If you already have a completed book saved as a PDF, you can upload your book, and cover as a JPG, using a PC or Mac.

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Why should I write my story on TheBookPatch?

There are millions of things we want to and can say about all our awesome features, but to keep it simple TheBookPatch was created for writers by another writer (a bestselling, internationally published author at that) as the ultimate writing tool he couldn't find anywhere else no matter how much time he spent looking or how many programs he bought.

We can also tell you what it isn't: it isn't a program that makes you a great writer or teaches you how to write. It doesn't tell you when to kill someone off or put an exciting plot point. We believe natural talent, practice and dilligence make a good book, not a software program. However, TheBookPatch does help you maximize your talent by making it easier to write, store, organize and print your book.

We also have a no-rejection policy, which means that all books that are written on TheBookPatch can be printed. No voting, no criteria. If you want to write a book, get a hard copy and sell it, we'll help you get there.

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How hard is it to use TheBookPatch text editor?: Our text editor looks, works and functions just like a typical word processor. It just has added tools and features that make it ideal for writers.; Top

So once I write my story, can I print it right from TheBookPatch?: Yep. Not only can you write, but you can print with a few simple clicks.; Top

Can I just use your site as a back-up mechanism for my work?: Absolutely. We are scared of our computers crashing or losing our memory sticks too (both have happened to us!). If nothing else, feel free to upload your work to TheBookPatch as a back-up mechanism.; Top

If I write a book on TheBookPatch, do I have to use your printing service?: No. You can write it with us and print whereever you'd like. In fact, you can even print it on your own home printer if you want.; Top

How and where can I access my works?: You can access your works from anywhere in the world with an Internet connection (and so can your agents, editors etc. too if you allow them too). No more e-mailing back and forth, disks or memory sticks.; Top

What writing tools are available to me?

There are lots of tools incorporated into TheBookPatch. First there is an easy-to-use text editor. Then there are the tools specifically created for writers, which make TheBookPatch unparallelled. Two examples include the "cast of characters" where you can input all the features of a particular character so and "author's notes" where you can keep private notes and ideas on your book.

There are many others, but it's more fun to try them out than read about them.

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Can I write about ANYTHING?

Almost. The only prohibitions at TheBookPatch.com are on hate-oriented material and incitements to commit crimes. Members can notify the administrator of offensive material using the contact button.

Authors are also asked to flag sexaul content and extremely violent content so others on the site can avoid it if they wish, but it is not prohibiited. Failure to openly identify such material will result in it being removed from the site.

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I don't see a category that fits my book idea. Can I get a category added?: Yes, fill out the form on the contact page and let us know what you would like us to add. Please include an e-mail address so we can contact you when it's completed.; Top

Printing:

I can print just one book? Really?

Yes, you can print just one book. With a single copy you can give it to a friend to edit, send a finsihed copy to a major publisher or agent or give it as a gift to someone.

Again, we are looking out for you, the writer. With a one-copy minimum you also don't have to incur large upfront expenses and you don't have to find a place to store a bunch of books.

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Can I print and dropship to other sites like amazon.com?: Yep. This allows you to avoid multiple shipping fees. You can send from us to anyplace you want.; Top

Who prints your books?: We do. We have a sister printing company called Wilshire Press so you can write and print all under one roof.; Top

Can I write my book somewhere else and just use your printing services?: Yes. Just upload (or copy and paste) your work into our text editor and go from there.; Top

Why is TheBookPatch the best POD and self-publishing outlet?

Many reasons, mainly related to cost and quality. We have no set-up fees, we have a one-copy minimum.

Of course, our printing is bookshelf-quality and our prices are as good as they come.

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What is a perfect bound book?: A perfect bound book is also known as a soft cover book.; Top

What is my book stock and cover?: Your book is printed on a 60 pound paper for black and white pages and a 80 pound paper semigloss for color pages. The covers are all printed as a 100 pound full color cover that are laminated with uv coating.; Top

I placed an order and updated my text/cover. Will the updated text/cover be printed in my order?: No. The text and cover that are used for that order are the images and text that were available at the time of ordering.; Top

I placed an order yesterday can I cancel my order today?: No. You can not cancel your order the following day as we have already started printing your book. You can cancel up to before midnight the night that you placed the order.; Top

What is your turnaround time?: We can usually print and ship each order within 2 - 3 business days.; Top

Privacy/Security:

Who owns the copyright to my work?: You do. We own nothing. You can also share copyright with other authors that contribute to a book, but only if you choose to do so.; Top

Who can read/view my work?: Only the people you allow to.; Top

Can I make my book COMPLETELY private so that nobody else can see it?: Yes. You can keep works 100% private from everyone.; Top

Where do you store all TheBookPatch material?: We store them on extremely secure servers that are located within the safeguards of a bank. No for real, they are literally in a bank.; Top

Is my personal information private and secure on TheBookPatch?: Yes. We won't sell or share your information with anyone. Please read our privacy policy for complete details.; Top

Collaboration/Writing Community:

Can I create a book and only allow certain members to participate in it?: Yes, when creating a book select Private as the Member Access and select Allow Members to join as the Private Option. On books already created, go to the books administration page and change the options under the General Settings tab. Any member that would like to join should click on the book title where they will be directed to a Collaborator Request form and request the collaborator level they would like. The starting author will receive an email letting them know about the request. The email will instruct the author to go to the books administration page and either approve/disapprove the request.; Top

Can I create a book and not allow other members to participate in it?: Yes, when creating a book select Private as the Member Access and select No Access as the Private Option. On books already created, go to the books administration page and change the options under the General Settings tab.; Top

General:

What is TheBookPatch?

It is a lot of things, but simply it is a text-editor featuring useful writing tools that were created for writers by a writer. These tools can't be found anywhere else. It is also a self-publishing/print-on-demand tool that offers exceptional prices and quality.

You can do many other things too like collaborate on projects, find editors, store your works, create fund-raising projects, and get feedback on your work to name a few.

Really, we put the site up, offer tools and priting, and are interested to find what unique ways people will be able to use the site.

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Who is behind TheBookPatch?: TheBookPatch was actually a project that New York Times #1 bestselling author Victor Ostrovsky comissioned for his personal use as the writing tool he always wanted but could never find. He found it so useful that he decided to share it for free with everyone.; Top

What are the technical requirements to use TheBookPatch?

Anyone on a PC or Mac (using an Intel processor) with an internet connection can use TheBookPatch.com on all of the major web browsers (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Opera, and Safari).

If you already have a completed book saved as a PDF, you can upload your book, and cover as a JPG, using a PC or Mac.

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Do you have any writing contests?: No, but sometimes we like to give things away.; Top

Is there an age-limit/minimum?: No, but anyone under 18 should have approval from a parent/guardian before joining.; Top

Do you offer e-books, audio books or digital books?: No, but that's coming soon...; Top

What payment methods do you accept?: We accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, DiscoverCard, Diners Club Internation and JCB. We do not accept gift cards or checks.; Top

Design Layout:

What kinds of documents do you accept for printing?: We accept 1 PDF for the interior and bmp, gif, jpg, jpeg, png, tif, tiff for the cover. No PDF is able to be uploaded for a cover.; Top

How do I format my PDF?: When creating the interior of your book with bleeds, we recommend that you fade out your images about 1/8 inch from the edge of the paper or leave a white border on all four sides. This bleed is kept within the desired printed size when creating the document and pdf.; Top

Where do I find cover dimensions/template?: Cover dimensions and template are available after you have uploaded the pdf and are in the process of creating a cover.; Top

Thinking Out of the Box with TheBookPatch:

What other types of things can TheBookPatch be used for?: Educational uses, business uses, gifts and fund-raising purposes are a few things our feeble minds can think of, but we are really looking to users to define the limits of TheBookPatch.; Top

Can I use TheBookPatch for Business?

Of course. Store business documents that can be accessed anywhere in the world with an Internet connection. Share them with co-workers or other collaborators across the world and collaborate with them in real time.

As compared to something like Google docs, TheBookPatch has a couple of advantages, one being the ability to have multiple story lines so that people can take business reports different directions at the same time, and add their contributions.

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Can I use TheBookPatch for educational purposes?

Yes. Both teachers and students can find many uses in TheBookPatch. Have a class writing project or are you concentrating on short stories or poems? Why not put them together to create a class book?

We have more ideas on our best practices page.

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Can I use TheBookPatch to fundraise?

Yep. What better way to fund-raise than by creating a book. If you are with an animal shelter or rescue why not ask your members to write inspirations stories of their pets? You can then sell this book to others to help fund-raise.

Find more ideas on our best practices page.

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How can I use the BookPatch for gift-giving?: Friends and families can come together to write memories of events, loved ones or on certain themes. For example, if you are a family that is spread out far and wide (or even close), why not write a special memoir of "mom" or "growing up in Brooklyn" that can then be printed and given as gifts?; Top

Writing Advancement:

How can TheBookPatch help advance my writing career?

There are many ways depending on where you are at. No matter what level you are at you can use the writing tools to help organize your thoughts and overall book; you can gather feedback from trusted friends or complete strangers; you can browse the forums for topics that are relevant to writing; you can find a graphic designer for your cover or an editor for you book.

For those who are advanced, you can (and should) print a "finished" book to send to publishers and agents. This not only shows your ability to complete a work, but your professionalim and resourcefulness.

Of course, with our prior contacts in the writing and publishing business, agents and publishers will undoubtedly be browsing our site in search of new works to pick-up.

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