Frequently Asked Questions

1. I never received my account confirmation e-mail, what should I do?
   You should have received an email with a link to verify and confirm your email address, so that we can keep you updated about your projects and your friend’s activities. If you did not receive a confirmation email, make sure to check your spam folder, and add noreply@fastpencil.com to your list of approved email senders.
   Contact support if you do not receive a confirmation email within 12 hours.
2. Why publish with FastPencil?
   Unlike previous publishing approaches, FastPencil is an all-inclusive process that guides and assists authors from start to finish. You’ll enjoy free built-in writing and collaboration tools, version control, precise formatting, multi-format output, and a market for selling your books.
3. What’s the FastPencil community?
   FastPencil is a community with a purpose. Sure, posting photos and sending video links is fun, but when you’re writing a book, you need a community that fosters collaboration. With FastPencil you can bring in friends and family, make new friends, and enlist their support for brainstorming, editing, and design.
4. How much does it cost to publish?
   All of the FastPencil writing tools are free. When you’ve finished writing and are ready to publish, we have four different publishing packages and an array of a additional publishing services, so you have maximum flexibility. Get the full rundown on our publishing packages and additional publishing services.
5. How quickly can I publish my book?
   The time it takes to publish and ship your books depends on the size of the order and the complexity of the printing and binding. In all cases, FastPencil publishing is far faster than traditional methods; your books could be at your doorstep in as little as a week.
6. If I publish through FastPencil, will I hold the copyright?
   What's yours is yours. Everything you write with FastPencil stays under your copyright.
7. What font and font sizes are available for the interior contents of my chapter book? Can I select whatever font and font size I desire?
   The interior layout template selected during the PDF Preview and / or the Publishing process determines the font and font size used, i.e. Business, Elegance, Poetry, etc all have their own font, and the font size.
8. Do I need to register my copyright?
   You automatically gain copyright to whatever you produce. As soon as you save it on the server, it is considered to be "fixed in a tangible medium" and therefore under copyright protection. If you want to register your copyright with the Library of Congress, start here. Cost is 35 dollars to register copyright online.
9. What’s the minimum order?
   With FastPencil you can publish one copy or a thousand, or 10,000. If you have a defined, finite market, you can publish exactly the number of copies you need, and no more. Our print on demand technology also gives you the ability to order a short run of a few copies, then order more books as you need them.
10. Can I turn my blog into a book?
    Yes! Our blog import tool makes it easy to grab your existing blog posts, whether for use as a compilation or for use in a completely new work. You have three options:
    • RSS Feed: Just enter the blog’s url and we will retrieve up to 25 posts.
    • Sign in to your blog, retrieve up to 500 posts
    • Export your WordPress or Blogger blog, and import the corresponding xml file
11. Who is the publisher when I use FastPencil?
    FastPencil is the publisher. We make all of the printing and distribution arrangements on your behalf.
12. What are the 5 steps to publishing?
    1. Create your account in Fastpencil
       Signup at FastPencil, create your profile, and invite friends to review or edit your new book.
    2. Create your writing project
       FastPencil provides several ways of getting your book into the system. You can do any of the following:
       • Start writing your new book using our simple and user-friendly writing tool. You can quickly and easily add text—and upload images.
       • If you already have a blog, you can import it directly into your book, pictures and all!
       • If your book is ready to publish as a PDF, then you can upload it directly to FastPencil and go straight to publishing.
       • If you have the book ready in MS Word format, you can cut and paste it into our writing tool. Or have one of our Professional Services team members help you through this for a nominal charge.
    3. Comments and feedback on your projects
       You have the option of having your friends edit and review your work, helping you create the book you have always dreamed of having. The revision history feature provides you with convenient version tracking and the ability to accept or reject changes made by editors, so that you are in ultimate control of your work.
    4. Publish your book
       Once you have reviewed the final book in PDF format and you are satisfied, the next step is to publish your book. Go through the publishing processes to pick your trim size, format of book, option of ISBN, and setting your sale price. You will also need to create the book cover and spine. You have the option of publishing as a book, or just as a PDF document, or in different e-book formats.
    5. Order a copy
       Your book is now available for orders at the FastPencil website. Navigate to your profile to see the list of books published by you and order a copy for you and your friends!
13. What resolution and size should I use for images I upload in FastPencil?
    Before uploading an image from your computer to FastPencil, make sure the resolution is at 300 dpi, and the image size matches the size you want it to be in the final printed version. For example, if you want a photo to be 5” wide and 7” tall on the printed page, make sure to save it as 5” wide and 7” tall at 300 dpi in your image editing program (Photoshop, CorelDraw, et al.).
14. What image format (PNG, JPEG, TIFF, et al.) should I use to save my images for uploading to FastPencil?
    FastPencil accepts GIF, JPEG, and PNG formats. Resolution of less than 300 dpi may not print as clean and sharp as 300 dpi or higher. Also keep in mind that GIF and PNG are generally better formats for charts and graphs. They are limited to a certain number of colors, so they are not as good for photos or other images with graduated tones.
15. If I have my own cover image, can I use it for the cover of my FastPencil book?
    If you have the front and back cover images in PNG or JPEG format, with the text included, you can upload those images as the front and back cover images in your project home page. We do not yet support “spread” format, where the front cover, spine, and rear cover are in one image. However, if you have already created a “spread” image and need assistance, please contact support@fastpencil.com.

16. What size and resolution should my book cover be?

    Please click here to see our book cover sizing and resolution chart.

    FastPencil Cover Calculator

17. I want to use the Direct to Publish path to upload my book's interior contents PDF file already formatted for print, i.e. with bleeds, gutter and crop marks. How do I format the pages in my design program before exporting to PDF format?
    Click here to view our interior contents page formatting guidelines.

18. What sizes can I get a soft cover book in?

    Trade paperback books, available with perfect or saddle stitched binding. Books with black and white interior contents print on 50lb opaque or 50lb crème paper. Color interiors print on 100lb white gloss paper in the following sizes:

    • 5.25 x 5, 6 x 4, 5.5 x 8.5 (portrait or landscape) Small paperback
    • 6 x 9 (portrait or landscape), 8.5 x 8.5 Medium paperback
    • 8.25 x 11 Large paperback

19. What sizes can I get a hard cover book in?

    Hard covers available in Casebound and Black or Blue cloth with dust jacket (stamped cover, with gold foil author and title on spine). Books with black and white interior contents print on 50lb opaque or 50lb crème paper. Color interiors print on 100lb white gloss paper in the following sizes:

    • 5.5 x 8.5 (portrait or landscape) Small hardcover
    • 6 x 9 (portrait or landscape), 8.5 x 8.5 Medium hardcover
    • 7 x 10 (portrait or landscape), 8 x 10 (portrait or landscape), 8.5 x 11 Large hardcover

20. After I order a copy of a book, when I can expect to receive it?

    Whether you order 1 or 1,000 copies of your book, or another author’s publication, it will printed within 5 business days (soft cover) or 5-10 business days (hard cover). We offer two shipping methods, Ground (2-5 business day delivery) and Express (2 business day delivery). Once your order ships, we will automatically send you an e-mail with the Shipper and Tracking details.

21. Are there bulk order discounts?
    Yes, like:
    50 books: 10% discount
    100 books: 15% discount
    250 books: 25% discount
    500+ books: 30% discount
22. How do I set the price of my publications sold through the FastPencil Marketplace and third party retail channels?
    See our Pricing and Distribution page for details and examples.
23. Are there any minimum purchase requirements in the publishing process?
    Publishing Process: Minimum Purchase Requirements (PDF)
24. Once I submit my publication for distribution through the FastPencil Marketplace, when will it be available for purchase by others?
    Immediately, once you have completed the Publishing process.
25. Once I submit my publication for wide distribution, i.e. to Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, etc, when will it be available for purchase by others?
    When a title in our wide distribution program is published, we begin sending out the catalog metadata to our distribution partners the following day. For a publisher's first title, it usually takes a week or two to initially get set up, and after this, a title usually goes live within a few days. We send our data feed out daily, and it is up to our channel partners to pick it up. A title is usually available within 4-6 weeks after it is published. It can definitely happen faster, it all depends on when our channel partners pick up our feed.

26. Where can I distribute my book online?

    FastPencil gives you distribution flexibility that is unmatched in the publishing industry.

    Your printed Color (interior) books can be distributed via Amazon.com, Alibris.com and the FastPencil Marketplace.

    Your printed Black and White (interior) books can be distributed via Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, Baker and Taylor and the FastPencil Marketplace (excluding 8.5x11 page size).

    Your eBooks can be distributed through:

    • Epub: Apple iBookStore, Amazon.com, Powells.com, Ebookmall.com, Diesel-ebooks.com, Booksonboard.com, Lulu.com, Lybrary.com, and the FastPencil Marketplace.
    • PDF: Powells.com, Ebookmall.com, Diesel-ebooks.com, Booksonboard.com, Lulu.com, Lybrary.com, and the FastPencil Marketplace.

    Outside of Amazon.com for printed books, and the Amazon Kindle Store for ebooks, it’s important to remember that FastPencil has limited control over which book retailers actually list your ISBN title, i.e. we place your title in catalogs, and it’s up to the retailers to fetch and list them for sale on their websites. If you have further questions about your book in wide distribution, note the page size, binding type and if the interior is printed in color & send an email to support@fastpencil.com for further information.

27. What Digital Rights Management (DRM) alternatives are available?
    We only sell non DRM enabled ePub and PDF ebooks on the FastPencil Marketplace. We push the same unencrypted ebooks into our wide distribution channels. The only exception being the Amazon Kindle Store, which converts unencrypted epub files into a drm enabled .azw Kindle Store file format.
28. Is my title guaranteed to be included in these third party retail catalogs?
    If your title is not showing up on a specific retailer site, this is probably isolated to that retailer. If it is one of our above distribution partners, we will work with them to resolve the issue. If it is not one of our distribution partners, please contact them directly. Since Baker & Taylor targets libraries they will, on occasion, elect not to carry a specific title-- regardless of the printer or publisher--if they feel it won't generate interest from their target audience.
29. What additional information is required when I list my published title(s) in the FastPencil Marketplace or Retail Distribution outlets?
    We need to collect the mandatory fields from the IRS W9 form:
    • Name
    • Business Type
    • Business Name
    • Tax ID# (TIN or SSN)
    • Citizenship Status
    • Payee Address
30. How do I collect my Royalties if I’m not a US Citizen?
    If you earn money in the U.S., you must pay taxes on your income. U.S. tax laws requires us to report royalty payments made to non-U.S. members and withhold and remit taxes on the royalty payments to the U. S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Although you may also need to report and pay taxes to your own government, we are not involved in this process.
    Determining Tax Rates
    The standard tax-withholding rate for non-U.S. members is 30%. If you are a non-U.S. member and your country has an established tax rate treaty with the U.S., you may be eligible for treaty withholdings rates if you provide us with a valid W-8BEN.
    Here are some common tax withholding rates by country, which are subject to change without notice:
    Canada: 0%
    Australia: 10%
    UK: 0%
    Japan: 10%
    India: 15%
    
    For more information, see IRS Publication 515.
    
    
    1. Obtain a U.S. Tax Identification Number (TIN) Apply for a U.S. TIN through either a W-7 form (for individuals) or SS4 form (for businesses), which you can find at the IRS website. If you are an individual applying for a TIN, you may also be required to submit a document to the IRS, which confirms your business relationship with FastPencil. We call this an IRS commitment letter. Please contact us to receive the commitment letter before applying for a TIN.
    2. Enter your TIN in your FastPencil account Click on Account link in upper right hand corner, and go to Payee Information. Enter your TIN in the field labeled Tax ID. Complete all other required fields on the page, then click Save.
    3. Send us your complete W-8BEN form A W-8BEN form states what country you reside in and which treaty, if any, determines your tax rate. Download a W-8BEN, complete the form it its entirety, including your TIN and FastPencil user ID, and provide it to us either by mail, fax, or e-mail:
       
       FastPencil Inc.
       3131 Bascom Avenue
       Suite 220
       Campbell, CA 95008
       
       fax: 408-540-7572
       ATTN: FastPencil Accounting
       
       email: support@fastpencil.com
       
       Neither a TIN nor W-8BEN form are required to receive royalty payments, however, if you choose not to provide a W-8BEN, we will withhold 30% of your earnings for tax purposes regardless of any tax treaties your country may have with the U.S.
31. How can I monitor the sales of my publications and royalties accrued during and by quarter?
    Click on Account, then My Author Royalties. The Author Royalty page details your publication sales by period and sales channel. Click here to see a screen shot
32. How and when do I get compensated for my publications sold through the FastPencil MarketPlace and third party retailers?
    FastPencil accumulates author royalties by calendar quarter, and then pays them out to authors using NET30 terms.

Still have questions?
You can reach one of our friendly Customer Service representatives through email or phone to help you get started!