The Galley FAQ

by Wendy J. Woudstra

What is a Galley? What is a Bound Galley?

A galley is simply a collection of unbound signature pages. A bound galley is a galley that has been bound into book form. Bound galleys are generally produced after a manuscript has been typeset but before proofreading, and are used by publicists to send to book reviewers, distributors and book clubs that like to see a copy of the book three or four months before its official publication date.

Why are galleys sometimes called Crane's?

The first company to specialize in the production of bound galleys was Crane Duplicating. The company's site explains

"Priscilla Crane, an imaginative woman with a background of more than 35 years in the book publishing trade, set up a small print shop on Cape Cod and manufactured 15 advance copies of a book for Viking Press. She was the first to do this, and Crane Duplicating became the first company whose sole function was the printing and binding of 'advance review copies'."

What information should be included in a galley?

Make sure the galley or bound manuscript includes information
essential to the book reviewer either on the cover or first page:

title
author
publication date
ISBN
publisher name and contact information
price
number of pages
number of illustrations
trim size
distributor and contact
contact name and information for the publicist
"Uncorrected proof: do not quote without prior permission from the publisher."

What's the difference between a bound galley and an advance reading copy?

For all intents and purposes they are the same, but some reviewers classify books with full color covers as ARCs, and those with plain cardstock covers as galleys.

When should I send out bound galleys?

Most publications require galleys three or four months before the publication date.

Where can I get bound galleys made?

Check with your printer to see how much they will charge to produce bound galleys for you. Often they can offer a good price for galleys. Other companies that can produce galleys for you are listed below:

POD Wholesale
www.podwholesale.com
DeHart's
www.deharts.com
One2One
www.121direct.net
Crane Duplicating
www.boundgalleys.com
DocuNet
www.netudoc.com
Country Press Inc.
www.countrypressinc.com
The Galley Company
www.galleycompany.com

How many bound galleys will I need?

That depends on your book. If it's not the type of book likely to be reviewed by major media, you may not need any at all. At the most, you'll want 25 to 30 copies to send to prepublication reviewers.

Where should I send them?

Where you send bound galleys depends on the type and topic of the book you're publishing. You'll want to send a copy to the major book clubs in your genre, to major trade magazines in your topic area, and to any 'movers and shakers' who might influence sales.

Here are some other likely recipients of your bound galleys:

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