Genres of Books
Helpful tips to write the style of book you’re most interested in
Find a Genre
Children’s Books
You’ve dreamed of creating a children’s book. Now’s your chance!
We’ve produced numerous bookstore quality children’s picture books. All of our books are printed in our US-based, state-of-the-art printing facility using high quality paper and bindings. Children’s books are popular in both hardcover or softbound.
- For picture books, 32 pages is the industry standard. As a self-publisher, you have the freedom to make it any length you want, but if you are going to want to attract an agent and/or mainstream publisher, stick to 32 pages.
- Unless you are an illustrator yourself, you should seriously consider hiring an artist or partnering with one to create your book. The illustrations in most children’s books are key for its success and enjoyment by kids and adults alike. See illustration and photography resources.
- There are groups you can join to help forward your career, and even help you sell your book. There are even national conferences to attend that may be a great place to meet people and create opportunities.
- Don’t underestimate how important it is to spend some time in the local library or bookstore and read A LOT of popular children’s books that have been produced in the last couple of decades. This can give you a good idea of what kids today are reading and loving.
- Before sharing your book with editors and publishers, make sure you’ve shared it with children and friends to get their reaction. Does the storyline work? Is it clear? Do kids like it? Get ready to make some revisions — but ones that will make it a stronger book.
Find out how much it would be to create your own book.
Format: 6″ x 9″ Hardcover
Page Count: 32 pgs
Features: Laminated cover, premium paper
Motivational and Self-Help Books
As a motivational speaker, or someone who wants to share a valuable point of view that can be beneficial to others, your book can give you added credibility and expand your audience greatly. A book gives you a forum to build your expertise, and reputation. And it’s easier to book speaking engagements as a published author!
- Many people writing self-help books have a volume shipped to their home or event so they can distribute them in person. Having your book available in an online bookstore or Amazon can also be a boost to your credibility.
- What do all category experts and motivational leaders have in common? Personality! So let it shine through your book. Your readers need to feel comfortable not just with what you are saying, but who is saying it.
- Personal anecdotes are a powerful way to make your points come to life. Don’t have one of your own to use? Ask friends about their own experiences. You’ll be surprised at how willing they may be to tell their own stories.
- If people are going to believe in what you’re saying, you have to be able to back it up. Get ready to do some research. Leverage your own qualifications — or quote from others who can support what you’re saying. Ask yourself, what kind of data would support my claims?
Find out how simple and affordable it is to create your own book.
Format: 6″ x 9″ Softcover
Page Count: 68 pgs
Features: Laminated cover, 60lb paper
Services: Cover design
“Putting our family history into this book is one of the greatest gifts my kids could have given me…”
– Walter V.
Have a question about creating your own book? Give us a call! From tips to get you started, designer services to make it beautiful, and helpful customer service, we want to make it easy and fun to create a book you’re proud of.
Biographies and Family Histories
A Biography or Family History is a great way of preserving knowledge, family traditions and stories. It can help the younger generations appreciate what has come before them. And it can record important letters and documents as well as those old photos that otherwise may never see the light of day again. Organizing them into a high-quality bound book makes an excellent gift to family and friends!
A Biography or Family History is most interesting when it goes beyond a simple chronological order of events and shares stories and images that surprise, engage and make for interesting reading. What are the key moments that shaped the person’s life or effected the family?
- The best biographies reveal fresh information or perspectives about a person’s life. Research your book and accumulate relevant facts, photos, letters and things like newspaper clippings in one place.
- Seek out a variety of people who might have a different experience with the subject of your biography, and interview them.
- Consider traveling to places the subject of your book frequented.
- Sometimes arranging events and stories NOT in chronological order can be surprising and intriguing. Knowing how someone ended up can make a mystery story out of how they arrived there.
Find out more information about how to create your own book.
Format: 8.5″ x 11″ Hardcover
Page Count: 82 pgs
Features: Leatherette cover, gold foil,
black endpapers, premium paper
Memoirs
A Memoir helps to organize memories and the special photos and keepsakes that go with it, into a lasting statement about a person’s life. Because of that, many customers choose to create hardcover memoirs to make a lasting celebration of their lives. Hardcover books also feature coated paper for the best photo reproduction.
A Memoir differs from a biography in that it is a person writing about themselves. It’s autobiographical nature means that it offers a very personal perspective into how this person has lived and approached their life and work. Memoirs — different from autobiographies — often focus on a specific aspect of the writer’s life vs a chronological account of events. Memoirs frequently offer an overarching theme — lessons learned or keen insights — that provide a thread throughout the book.
- Choose the focus or theme of your memoir. What do you want a reader to take away from reading your book? What is the number one lesson that your experiences have taught you?
- Choosing a focus helps you to set apart the life experiences and events that connect the dots of your life to your core focus. That could mean concentrating on certain times of your life, people or feelings — like regrets, resentments, aspirations and dreams. It will help you decide what should and should not be included. It’s natural to want to include everything, but that can sometimes lead to rambling. How does each thing you talk about support your overall main idea?
- Consider adding other people’s stories that will add dimension to your own and support your overall idea.
- Truthfulness is key. Who wants to read a sugar-coated version? Be unafraid. Be vulnerable. The reason people are reading this is so they can hear what you, the writer, were thinking and doing — warts and all. This is about an interesting human being, not a cardboard cutout.
- And remember, while often memoirs are written by celebrities, many celebrated memoirs have been written by everyday, average people who have a story that wants to be told.
Find out how much it would be to create your own book.
Format: 6″ x 9″ Hardcover
Page Count: 122 pgs
Features: Laminated cover, mixture of 50lb and 80lb premium paper for image section
Cookbooks
Have a dream to create your own cookbook? Want to share treasured family recipes? Whether you’re printing a cookbook for family, friends, church fundraisers or the global marketplace, we can help you make it great.
The type of paper and bindings you choose is important. Sturdy coated paper can stand up to the rigors of the kitchen, while making photographs look their best. For bindings, an option that lets your cookbook easily fold flat would be plastic coil or wire-o bindings. Also ask us about fold-flat bindings for hardcover books.
- Consider how your readers will be using your book. Do you imagine them sitting back and relaxing with your book on a Sunday afternoon? Is it a book about food, or a book about cooking? We recommend recipes get printed large enough to read by busy cooks running around a kitchen. We often recommend one recipe per page to keep font sizes and images larger.
- The quality of the images is key. Consider a professional photographer. Many wedding photographers are fast on their feet and also shoot still life. Images also want to be larger, because cooks want to reference them over and over. Does mine look like that? See Illustration and Photography resources. One Book at a Time will work with you to get the best, vibrant color possible from your images.
- What’s the right way to organize your book? Alphabetically? By country of origin? By type of meal? By ingredient? An interesting way of organizing your book can make it distinctive from others.
- Ease of use and graphic quality are important when it comes to a cookbook. Consider using One Book at a Time’s interior page formatting and cover design services to help your book stand out and look its best.
Find out more information about how to create your own book.
Format: Custom 10″ x 12″ Hardcover
Page Count: 54 pgs
Features: Premium 80lb paper, Layflat Binding
Educational and Textbooks
With the rising costs of textbooks, there is increasing scrutiny and dissatisfaction with some existing textbooks. As an educator or academic, you can write the next great textbook on subjects you know best. Updating and re-organizing information can make a subject more compelling to your students. It can boost your career and credentials, and provide an additional income stream.
Students seem to favor lighter-weight softbound books, but the type of educational book you create, depends somewhat on your subject matter. Will it feature a lot of problems to be solved or instructions? A fold-flat binding might be a good choice. If it will need lots of illustrations, then printing on a coated stock is the way to go.
- Start by filling a need. Are you looking to complement or replace an outdated textbook? Do you have a different point of view to share? Who is your book meant for? Research what comparable books are available on the subject. Does your textbook have a unique perspective? Does it offer something other textbooks don’t?
- Start by deciding on a subject and a grade level audience. This will help you to decide on not only content, but how to approach it. (Hint: It helps to write for an audience you already know.) Perhaps you are interested in running your own classes, or adult continuing education.
- Consider how the book should be organized. Does the book get increasingly difficult? Is it meant to prepare students for a given test? What skills or knowledge is most important for the student to come away with?
- In creating the textbook, write a rough draft of the entire book in order to see how it fits together. Consider how you are engaging your students. Are there images/graphics to break up the copy and explain things more clearly? It’s likely you’ll need to hire an illustrator, designer or photographer to create some of these visuals. Stock photography is relatively inexpensive, and local photographers are frequently very competent, and willing to work with you. Here’s a list of possible resources for graphics.
- Besides making your textbook available in One Book at a Time’s Bookshop, we can also help you make it available on Amazon. Self-publishing your textbook instead of going to a traditional textbook publisher can give you a much larger percentage of the royalties. With self-publishing, if you want to get your book into schools and universities, just remember — you’ll have to spread the word yourself. Colleagues, students, and professional academic events and forums are great places to do that.
Find out how much it would be to create your own book.
Format: 8.5″ x 11″ Softcover
Page Count: 80 pgs
Features: Laminated cover, 60lb paper,
additional flap on back cover
Services: Interior page formatting
Art and Photography Books
When you’re creating an art or photography book, it’s all about superior reproduction and quality. We specialize in helping artists, designers, and photographers achieve rich black and whites, and crisp color accuracy. Many of these customers choose to create their book in a custom size, use special paper, or add other features that add to the beautiful presentation of the work.Our superior proofing process lets you view your proof as a page-flipping digital experience so you can see just how your book will appear — before it’s finished.
- Many art books begin with a background — the artist’s history and perspective that gives added meaning to the work throughout the book. It’s good to start early to gather information, dates, letters, and photos to flesh out this section which can dimensionalize the artist for the reader. Early in the project may also be a time to reach out to other artists who may be willing to write a foreword or preface to your book.
- Is there a theme to your book? How will you organize it — chronologically or based on subjects? locations? concepts?
- Are there ways in which the book itself may enhance the artistic work that you are showing? For instance, black and white photographs may be set off nicely with black end papers on the inside covers. Ask us about printing on certain papers that may feel more consistent with the type of work you’re showing. Art that is mysterious or has never been shown before might want to be housed in a slipcase, so that it can be uncovered and revealed with each viewing.
Find out how simple and affordable it can be to create your own book.
Format: 11″ x 8.5″ Softcover
Page Count: 48 pgs
Features: UV Cover Treatment, black end papers, premium 80lb paper
Baby Book
A Baby Book can be a wonderful way to share your joys with those you love. Whether it’s a journal of your baby’s first year, or of their toddler years, or first year of school it will be treasured as a keepsake by your baby as well — now and when they grow up.
A Baby Book is your baby’s story! What makes it different from a simple photo album, is that it wants to be read. It’s a place for you to share stories, anecdotes, memories and first words along with the photos. It is a keepsake of the treasures, and stories that make your baby and your family’s experience so special. Because the book is a legacy of your child’s birth, a sturdy hardcover construction and coated paper make lots of sense.
- Consider starting your baby book early. Include your stories about being pregnant, advice you were given, your baby shower, creating a nursery and the anticipation of your baby’s birth!
- Coordinate some of the photos you want in the book with a local photography session. Need to find a photographer? Click here for a little help
- Think about including not just the letters and photos but recording your baby’s “firsts”. Also think about photos of you and your relatives when you were babies. Do you see the resemblance?
Find out how much it would be to create your own book.
Format: 9″ x 6″ Softcover
Page Count: 32 pgs
Features: Laminated cover, premium paper
Services: Cover Design
Yearbooks
- Select a yearbook theme that will be meaningful to your class, and your school. This will make people more excited about being part of it, and purchasing it. It will also help you create a look and even a structure for the book.
- Gather a diverse staff who bring different strengths and ideas. Delegate clear roles for everyone on your yearbook staff. As an adult advisor, you need to let the students take ownership to maintain passion and excitement for the project, but start right off by gathering the team together to discuss not just commitment to the project, but to their fellow team members. Some advisors have asked students to sign a contract of commitment.
- Remind people throughout the year about the yearbook. Get the word out. Have your staff wear tshirts, make posters, be present at school events and take pictures. This gets people excited, and reminds them to contribute photos, stories, and artwork throughout the year. Gather as many photos as you can — and start early in the school year — from students but also from parents and teachers. Having an easy way for people to upload photos to a single source (like DropEvent, a Facebook page or even Yahoo’s Flikr) will make your job much easier!
- A yearbook takes a lot of time to put together. Editing is key, so do it carefully. Look for typos and photo credits to make sure they’re correct. Beware of copyright infringements. Put someone in charge of editing and fact-checking in case there are questions. Make sure you start early, don’t procrastinate and give yourselves deadlines that you follow.
- Offering ads to help support the cost of the yearbook? Be very clear with advertisers about the file requirements for the ads and keep the variety of ad sizes to a minimum.
Format: 8.5″ x 11″ Hardcover
Page Count: 44 pgs
Features: Laminated cover, premium paper
Services: Cover Design
Sports, Camp, Vacation Books
One Book at a Time helps you create the book you have in mind, whether you design it, or let us design it for you. Share it with friends and grandparents. Display it as a coffeetable book for visitors to enjoy. Whatever you do, it will be a legacy for your family to celebrate for years to come. Sturdy hardcover construction and coated paper for good photo reproduction make lots of sense.
- Keeping a journal of your experiences is a good way of keeping memories and experiences fresh until you can add them to the text of your book. Create a folder of items as reminders of items you want to scan, photograph or include in your book. It can be filled with stories, anecdotes, scans of newspaper clippings, brochures, keepsakes and all your favorite photos.
Format: 8.5″ x 11″ Hardcover
Page Count: 48 pgs
Features: Laminated cover, premium paper
Wedding and Anniversary Books
This can be a wonderful way to share the joys of a special day for years to come. Whether you’re doing this for your own special occasion or as a gift to others, it will be treasured as a keepsake by everyone who cares about the happy couple.
A Wedding or Anniversary Book is the amazing story of two people! What makes it different from a photo album, is that it wants to be read. It’s a place for you to record stories, anecdotes, and memories of a wonderful day and honeymoon — or a wonderful life lived together! A wedding or anniversary book can also can be a wonderful gift for those who helped you make your marriage so special. Because these books will be enjoyed for years, a sturdy hardcover construction and coated paper for good photo reproduction make lots of sense.
- For a wedding book, consider starting it early. Whether a wedding or anniversary book, include photos and scans of keepsakes, and all the little things that led up to you meeting, falling in love and deciding to spend your lives together. Not to mention the hectic details of wedding day itself! Among your photos, consider including photos and stories of you as kids. Who introduced you? Who helped you plan your wedding? Who came to your shower or bachelor party? Planning a wedding can be a busy time. Keep a diary or journal to record your thoughts as the day grows nearer.
- For your anniversary book, consider a timeline. Are their chapters that correspond to certain time periods in your life? Who will have photos of the happy couple from way back when? What was life like in the first few years vs now? Photos of family heirlooms — even if it’s a clay ashtray — can make it special and meaningful.
- Think outside the box. If your celebration is something special, why not have your book be just as unique? Hire a sketch artist so you can include sketches of people rather than just photos. Try integrating a design or color scheme from your event into your book. Have people fill out answers to secret questions and requests that you pass out at the event, and place them in a box to be included in the book.
Find out how much it would be to create your own book.
Format: 8.5″ x 11″ Hardcover
Page Count: 42 pgs
Features: Gold Foil, Diecut Cover, premium 100lb paper
Travel Books
You’ve traveled, you’ve experienced, and now you’re ready to share what you learned. Travel Books many times offer a fresh look at a destination and feature beautiful photography. In order to think about printing a travel book, first determine what kind of travel book you’re writing. A journal of your experiences may result in a book that’s more like a memoir. A guide for future travelers may feel more comfortable in a small, portable size. Or is it more about the images you’ve captured while traveling, which could result in a stunning photography book.
- Travel photography often wants to be seen larger to capture detail. Consider a coffeetable-sized book with beautiful crisp color images from edge to edge. Unlike many online printers, we accept bleeds on interior pages, both in the gutter and trim. Whether you choose a standard- sized book, or work with us to create the custom idea that’s in your mind, we can help bring your masterpiece to life.
- With the internet, people have seen many places already. Consider that the intimate, off-the-beaten-path experiences and photographs you take may have more impact for readers than the images and stories that they would expect.
Find out how much it would be to create your own book.
Format: 8.5″ x 11″ Hardcover
Page Count: 54 pgs
Features: Laminated cover, premium paper
Novel
You’ve finally done it. You’re writing that novel that’s been rolling around in your head. At One Book at a Time, we can make that book become a reality faster than many other online printers. Customers love our simple processes, and fast delivery of proofs and final books. When you self-publish your book with One Book at a Time, we can list you in our own bookstore as well as Amazon. We can even purchase an ISBN for you.
We’ve seen and heard many tips on writing a good novel, here are 5 of our favorites:
- Choose a Genre for your book. This really means choose an audience. Who will be interested in reading your book? Is it a mystery? A romance? Science fiction? What age is likely to be interested in your story?
- Schedule time to actually write. Write first — and fast. Edit later. Don’t get bogged down in the minutiae. Make sure your story holds together first, then go back and refine. A novel is anything over 50,000 words, but typically is in the range of 100,000-175,000 words. Because length can change depending on a number of factors —font size being just one of them —a typical 50,000-word manuscript will result in a book of about 200 pages. How long does it need to be for you to develop your story and characters?
- What will make it stand out among the other books in this category? Is there a big idea that makes it seem different? Are there surprises and complications for your main character to keep it interesting? Is it interesting enough to be the basis for more stories, or multiple books?
- Start by observing, researching, preparing and then outlining your story and characters. Write a little character study about each character to get to know them. Love your lead character, and make him or her relatable, sympathetic and human. But most importantly, just write. Don’t censor yourself, just write.
- Don’t forget about your cover. Check out our suggestions for illustrators and photographers you could tap. Sometimes the cover that grabs people the most is one that doesn’t tell the whole story, but only hints at what’s inside in order to entice readers beyond the cover.
- Take creative breaks, and don’t give up!
Find out how easy it is to create your own book.
Format: 5.5″ x 8.5″ Softcover
Page Count: 188 pgs
Features: Matte Varnish cover, black end papers, economy 50lb paper
Services: Cover design
Professional
As a business professional, you can share a unique point of view that can showcase your expertise, knowledge and passion. It can also do wonders for a career! With the boosted reputation of a published author, you may find it easier to attract clients, job offers and even speaking engagements.
- Many professionals will use a book they have written as an introduction to new clients.
For that reason, many choose to have a volume shipped to their home or office so they can distribute them in person. Having your book available in an online bookstore or Amazon can also be a boost to your credibility. - When it comes to professional books, there is no set length or format. whether it’s softcover or hardcover — it matters more what’s between the covers. Can you showcase your knowledge and expertise in a compelling way? Do you have a unique point of view?
- Personal anecdotes are a powerful way to make your points come to life. If you don’t have one of your own to use, ask friends about their own experiences. You’ll be surprised at how willing they may be to tell their own stories.
- If people are going to believe in what you’re saying, you have to be able to back it up. Get ready to do some research. Leverage your own qualifications — or quote from others who can support what you’re saying. Ask yourself, what kind of data would support my claims?
Find out how much it would be to create your own book.
Format: 8.5″ x 11″ Softcover
Page Count: 88 pgs
Features: Matte varnish with spot gloss Cover
Not-for-Profit
A book is a good way to get your organization’s story out to the world. It can give individuals and organizations added credibility, expertise and scale. A book conveys a serious long-term commitment on the part of the author(s). Importantly, a book lets you tell stories — and gives you enough space to tell them in a compelling way.
- Not-for-Profit organizations want to appear cost-conscious. They are in the business of helping people — not making a profit. Softcover books with perfect bindings, or (for smaller books) even a saddle stitch binding may be most appropriate. Choosing uncoated paper is also a sign that you are not over-spending on book production, although be aware that photo reproduction works better on better quality coated paper.
- The right cover can tell readers a lot before they even open the book. Is it clear what your book is about? As a reader, why would I want to pick up this book? Have you supported your claims with facts, data and/or photos? The design team at One Book at a Time can help you with both cover design and interior formatting of your book.
- Consider how you want to distribute your book. Will you have people order them from our bookstore? Is it important for the book to appear on Amazon, or would you do better handing them out at special events? Maybe it’s a mix of both. Would you use it as an incentive for donors?
Find out more information about how to create your own book.
Format: 6″ x 9″ Softcover
Page Count: 66 pgs
Features: Laminated cover, premium paper
Religious
Get ready to inspire with the faith-based book that you’ve been thinking about writing. People of faith and religious leaders turn to One Book at a Time to turn their inspirational faith-based messages into beautifully printed books. We have helped people with a variety of religious backgrounds to create the books they’ve been wanting to write.
- We’ve printed religious books in both hard and softcovers. Unless you have something specific in mind, many people who are interested in reading about your message may want to carry the book with them to spend time with your message. In this case, a smaller size paperback book may be preferable.
- In order to inspire others with your book, you need to make your perspective clear and unique. Remember what inspired you to write your story in the first place! Feature a cover that clearly tells the reader what to expect. The designers at One Book at a Time are happy to help you with this.
- Your book will be strongest when written from your own personal experiences, and spiritual journey. If you are offering fresh ideas and perspectives, it will be easier for your reader to embrace if it is written sympathetically in your own, authentic voice.
- Whether you’re offering scholarly wisdom, a fresh perspective or simply explaining how religion fits into your life, consider having a respected voice in the religious community write an introduction for the book.
Find out how much it would cost to create your own book.
Format: 6″ x 9″ Softcover
Page Count: 98 pgs
Features: Laminated cover
Services: Interior Page Formatting
