Sometimes being a sci-fi geek has its benefits. It’s often said that not everything written about in science fiction exists, but everything that’s discovered in science existed first in science fiction. Now, sci-fi is leading the revolution in book packaging that we discussed in a previous blog post.

A new book by Daniel Wallace, The Jedi Path: A Manual for Students of the Force, won’t be your usual reference tome. With a hefty US$99 price tag, the promise is a full-color interior, “missing” pages, removable trinkets, flashing lights, sound, and movable parts. Oh, and there’s even an actual printed book to read somewhere in the package. Clearly not your usual hard cover edition.

With all the new formats — e-books, vooks (video books), audio books, enhanced books, collector editions with special features — it can seem like a confusing time. Or is it just the most exciting opportunity we’ve ever seen for creating new ways of communicating with your audience?

Printing books uses a lot of trees. Short of going for a fully electronic release, here are some ways you can minimize the environmental impact of your book.

Know the 3 Kinds of Material for Making Paper

1. Virgin fiber: made from fresh trees
2. Pre-consumer waste: composed of the scraps generated at the paper mills during the paper-making process
3. Post-consumer waste: the material you put in your recycling box

Choose Recycled Stocks
From an environmental perspective, the more recycled content in your paper, the better. Avoid virgin fiber if you can. If you buy virgin stock, at least make sure it is certified as having been responsibly harvested and not from old-growth forests. You save one tree for every 90 books you print on 100% post-consumer recycled stock.

Pay Attention to the Bleach
The whiter the paper stock, the more chlorine is needed to bleach it, so choose papers that are less bright. For book publishing, papers that are less bright are better anyway because they’re easier on the eyes for long periods of reading. If you do want a brighter stock, look for papers that are certified “elemental chlorine free.”

Let Readers Know
Let your readers know you support and use tree-friendly printing practices. In North America, if your chosen stock contains at least 50% recycled content, with a minimum of 10% post-consumer waste, you can display the EcoLogo. In the United States, if you print on recycled stock, you can display a recycled content logo from the American Forest and Paper Association.