Print-on-Demand

Printing and Pricing Considerations When Publishing a Book

Keith Ogorek — Mon, 03 Apr 2023 13:46:47 GMT

Current Revision posted to Print-on-Demand by Keith Ogorek on 4/3/2023 1:46:47 PM

Printing costs must always be factored in when setting a retail price for a book. ALC President Keith Ogorek's latest nonfiction book will be printed in color, so the pricing and printing options are very important considerations in the publishing process since color is more expensive.

There are two main printing options for authors: 1) print on demand, and 2) offset printing. The advantage of print on demand, used by platforms such as Kindle Direct Publishing and IngramSpark, is that books are printed only as they are ordered. The print cost per book is much higher, especially for a color book, but the author doesn't have to pay up front for a large quantity of books or figure out how to warehouse the inventory. When using offset printing, you typically have to order and pay for 1,500+ books at a time, but your cost per book will be much lower. The path you choose for printing will greatly affect how much you make per book, so it's important to keep this in mind when setting your retail price.

www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../PrintingandPricingConsiderationsWhenPublishingaBook.mp4

Tags: fiction, Nonfiction, video

Printing and Pricing Considerations When Publishing a Book

Keith Ogorek — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 18:31:51 GMT

Revision 1 posted to Print-on-Demand by Keith Ogorek on 3/30/2023 6:31:51 PM

ALC President Keith Ogorek explains the printing and pricing options when publishing a book.

Tags: fiction, Nonfiction, video

The Importance of Distributing Books Outside of Amazon Through Ingram

Keri-Rae Barnum — Mon, 05 Apr 2021 19:09:24 GMT

Current Revision posted to Print-on-Demand by Keri-Rae Barnum on 4/5/2021 7:09:24 PM

It is estimated that Amazon has at least 50% of the print book market, and around 67% of the eBook market. Most authors realize the importance of having their books for sale on Amazon, but what they underestimate is the untapped markets outside of Amazon. This includes independent bookstores, libraries, museums, and other retail outlets. Per book marketing expert and New Shelves Books Executive Director Keri-Rae Barnum, it's critical that authors reach these other booksellers to maximize their sales. One of the best ways to increase a book's distribution is to upload it to IngramSpark. IngramSpark is a print-on-demand channel that is partnered with the sales arm, Ingram Wholesale. When books are uploaded to IngramSpark, they can be distributed through Ingram Wholesale, which has access to all types of booksellers. These are two different service providers that each get paid separately.
www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../TheImportanceofDistributingBooksOutsideofAmazonThroughIngram.mp4

Tags: fiction, Nonfiction, video

Technology: Print on Demand - article

Michael Esser — Wed, 25 Mar 2020 17:18:24 GMT

Current Revision posted to Print-on-Demand by Michael Esser on 3/25/2020 5:18:24 PM

In the days of the dinosaurs before man stood upright there existed a publishing system that moaned and groaned with an inconsistency that not only hindered many would-be authors but hemorrhaged money with almost every project it produced.

Before there was print on demand (POD) publishing there was traditional publishing. How it worked was that you wrote a book, made copies of chapters, got publishers’ addresses, and sent off copies with a cover letter. You crossed your fingers and waited. If you were lucky--No, wait.-- extremely lucky, you heard back from them for revisions and possibly an offer to publish. Maybe six months to a year went by and maybe your book was published and maybe it hit the shelves with some degree of marketing and you sold a few copies.

That game has changed.

With POD publishing the new print houses that have sprung up keep your book in a virtual inventory with machines that only print a copy of your manuscript once it’s ordered, one at a time. No more need for stocking the shelves with the hopes your books don’t get sent back for credit. This new system has made a way for authors around the world to publish their books with complete control of the final product.

That includes everything from designing your cover to where and how you market your masterpiece. Because you’re in charge you will also notice that you’ll be receiving a larger portion of the profits as well, often going from a commission of 7-10% to somewhere in the 50-80% range. The two largest POD service providers today are Kindle Direct Publishing and IngramSpark.

The turnaround time from finished product to doorstep is no longer six months, either. Because of this new system you can finish writing and editing a book on Saturday, submit it to POD sites the same day, and have a copy in your hands by Friday. Oh, and by Monday your book would have its ISBN and barcode and be already sent off to the major online bookstores for distribution and ebook downloads. Companies like these often handle all the orders, financial transactions, and deliveries. And at the end of the month they send you a check, too.

It is so easy publish a book nowadays that there is no excuse not to let the creative juices flow. Plus, with Facebook, Twitter, and the product webpage that the print on demand publishers often provide, your marketing plan is full of targets. Those targets won’t cost you anything but the effort to find a like-minded demographic within the online communities where you will talk about your book.

Here are a couple of words of encouragement. Just the fact that you’re here reading this right now means that you have a desire to publish something. Use that desire, create the best product you can, and get it out there. No excuses.

Tags: article, fiction, Nonfiction

Your Book, Your Rules: Exploring the Benefits of Print on Demand - recorded webinar

Amy Collins — Wed, 25 Mar 2020 17:11:07 GMT

Current Revision posted to Print-on-Demand by Amy Collins on 3/25/2020 5:11:07 PM

You’ve heard of print on demand (POD) services like Kindle Direct Publishing (formerly called CreateSpace) and IngramSpark and how they’ve revolutionized self-publishing. No more hand stapled copies, no more offset costs, no more waiting. Just your book, straight from the printer, whenever you want it. Sounds pretty great, right? But where do you start…

Right here at the ALC! Join us for this exclusive webinar with industry expert Amy Collins and learn all about why authors like yourself are switching to POD services.

In our 60 minutes together we’ll cover the following topics and more:

• Taking the right steps to properly publish your book using the POD model

• Understanding the technical and financial ramifications of using services like Kindle Direct Publishing (formerly called CreateSpace)

Discover why one of today’s most popular publishing methods is the future for you and your book!

www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../Your-Book_2C00_-Your-Rules_5F00_-Exploring-the-Benefits-of-Print-on-Demand.mp4

About the Presenter: Amy Collins is the president of New Shelves Books, one of the best-known book sales and marketing agencies in the US. She is a trusted expert, speaker, and recommended sales consultant for some of the largest book and library retailers and wholesalers in the publishing industry. In the last twenty years, Amy and her team have sold over 40 million books into the bookstore, library, and chain store market for small and mid-sized publishers.

Tags: fiction, Nonfiction, Subscriber, Recorded Webinar

The Benefits of Print on Demand for Authors

Amy Collins — Mon, 10 Dec 2018 20:51:02 GMT

Current Revision posted to Print-on-Demand by Amy Collins on 12/10/2018 8:51:02 PM

Writing a book is difficult, but it’s not the end of your journey. When the writing process is done, the publishing process begins. Actually selling your book is difficult and can be a financially risky business. One way to mitigate that risk is to consider printing on demand. Amy Collins, President of New Shelves Books, talks about why printing on demand is probably the best path to take at the beginning of a writing project. Printing in bulk may seem less expensive, but that lower price has the potential for a bigger cost. To find out how this is possible, listen to the clip below! Here, you can also discover how print on demand can help your book launch, how it can assist your market research, and how you can iron out wrinkles in your first edition. “When you publish your book,” she says, “there’s going to be some errors in it. I don’t mean there might be. There will be.” If you're printing on demand, this is an easy fix. If you're printing in bulk, it's a problem. To learn more about print on demand, listen to industry expert Amy Collins.

www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../TheBenefitsofPrintOnDemandforAuthors.mp4

Tags: fiction, Nonfiction, Subscriber, video

Print Book Distribution Tips for Beginner Indie Authors

Amy Collins — Mon, 10 Dec 2018 19:01:57 GMT

Current Revision posted to Print-on-Demand by Amy Collins on 12/10/2018 7:01:57 PM

The publishing industry is complicated. Whether an author is traditionally published or self-published, trying to sell a book is difficult in a system that requires so much prior knowledge. It’s important for authors to gather extensive knowledge of the industry before they begin selling. Otherwise, it becomes extremely difficult to turn a profit, which keeps people who want or need your book from discovering it. In the clip below, Amy Collins shares some of her publishing and distribution expertise with us. Collins, President of New Shelves Books, gives tips about who to print with and explains the pros and cons of different print methods. How do the large publishers print their books and should you do it in the same way? Collins highly suggests that beginning indie authors start by printing their books on demand. There are many reasons for this and she explains them in great detail. Watch the clip below to learn how print on demand can affect your shipping cost, book storage, overhead costs, and bookstore distribution.

www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../PrintBookDistributionTipsforBeginnerIndieAuthors.mp4

Tags: fiction, Nonfiction, video

The Benefits of Print On Demand for Authors

Amy Collins — Mon, 10 Dec 2018 18:59:39 GMT

Revision 2 posted to Print-on-Demand by Amy Collins on 12/10/2018 6:59:39 PM

www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../TheBenefitsofPrintOnDemandforAuthors.mp4

Tags: fiction, Nonfiction, Subscriber, video

Print Book Distribution Tips for Beginner Indie Authors

Amy Collins — Fri, 07 Dec 2018 18:24:29 GMT

Revision 1 posted to Print-on-Demand by Amy Collins on 12/7/2018 6:24:29 PM

www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../PrintBookDistributionTipsforBeginnerIndieAuthors.mp4

Tags: fiction, Nonfiction, video

The Benefits of Print On Demand for Authors

Amy Collins — Fri, 07 Dec 2018 18:07:41 GMT

Revision 1 posted to Print-on-Demand by Amy Collins on 12/7/2018 6:07:41 PM

www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../TheBenefitsofPrintOnDemandforAuthors.mp4

Tags: fiction, Nonfiction, Subscriber, video

Technology: Print on Demand - article

Michael Esser — Tue, 10 Jul 2018 20:11:25 GMT

Revision 4 posted to Print-on-Demand by Michael Esser on 7/10/2018 8:11:25 PM

That game has changed.

Tags: article, fiction, Nonfiction

Technology: Print on Demand - article

Michael Esser — Tue, 10 Jul 2018 20:09:39 GMT

Revision 3 posted to Print-on-Demand by Michael Esser on 7/10/2018 8:09:39 PM

That game has changed.

Tags: article, fiction, Nonfiction

Your Book, Your Rules: Exploring the Benefits of Print on Demand - recorded webinar

Amy Collins — Wed, 06 Sep 2017 16:27:05 GMT

Revision 1 posted to Print-on-Demand by Amy Collins on 9/6/2017 4:27:05 PM

You’ve heard of print on demand (POD) services like CreateSpace and IngramSpark and how they’ve revolutionized self-publishing. No more hand stapled copies, no more offset costs, no more waiting. Just your book, straight from the printer, whenever you want it. Sounds pretty great, right? But where do you start…

Right here at the ALC! Join us for this exclusive webinar with industry expert Amy Collins and learn all about why authors like yourself are switching to POD services.

In our 60 minutes together we’ll cover the following topics and more:

• Taking the right steps to properly publish your book using the POD model

• Understanding the technical and financial ramifications of using services like CreateSpace

Discover why one of today’s most popular publishing methods is the future for you and your book!

Tags: fiction, Nonfiction, Subscriber, Recorded Webinar

Technology: Print on Demand - article

Michael Esser — Sat, 04 Mar 2017 09:20:41 GMT

Revision 2 posted to Print-on-Demand by Michael Esser on 3/4/2017 9:20:41 AM

Before there was print-on-demand publishing there was traditional publishing. How it worked was that you wrote a book, made copies of chapters, got publishers’ addresses, and sent off copies with a cover letter. You crossed your fingers and waited. If you were lucky--No, wait.-- extremely lucky, you heard back from them for revisions and possibly an offer to publish. Maybe six months to a year went by and maybe your book was published and maybe it hit the shelves with some degree of marketing and you sold a few copies.

That game has changed.

With print-on-demand (POD) publishing the new print houses that have sprung up keep your book in a virtual inventory with machines that only print a copy of your manuscript once it’s ordered, one at a time. No more need for stocking the shelves with the hopes your books don’t get sent back for credit. This new system has made a way for authors around the world to publish their books with complete control of the final product.

The turnaround time from finished product to doorstep is no longer six months, either. Because of this new system you can finish writing and editing a book on Saturday, submit it to POD sites like www.lulu.com or www.inkubook.com the same day, and have a copy in your hands by Friday. Oh, and by Monday your book would have its ISBN and barcode and be already sent off to the major online bookstores for distribution and eBook downloads. Companies like these often handle all the orders, financial transactions, and deliveries. And at the end of the month they send you a check, too.

It is so easy publish a book nowadays that there is no excuse not to let the creative juices flow. Plus, with Facebook, Twitter, and the product webpage that the print-on-demand publishers often provide, your marketing plan is full of targets. Those targets won’t cost you anything but the effort to find a like minded demographic within the online communities where you will talk about your book.

Tags: article, fiction, Nonfiction

Publishing Tools: Print on Demand - article

Kay Ziegler — Sun, 26 Feb 2017 10:34:14 GMT

Current Revision posted to Print-on-Demand by Kay Ziegler on 2/26/2017 10:34:14 AM

With the ages, printing has evolved. Writers used to have to find an agent, who, in turn, had to find a publisher. The publisher then found editors and designers for the novel, long before the novel every reached the shelves. The whole process could take years. Thankfully, this is not the case anymore.

A writer has much more control today over publishing his work. The moment he’s done writing and editing his piece, he can send it out for printing. There’s no waiting for the publisher to accept your work. The author assumes or contracts out the role of editor and designer, earning much more money than if he had to pay an agent, editor, and publisher a portion of his book revenues.

Print on Demand (POD) is a great option for writers who don’t want to follow the traditional publishing path. But, you might ask, what exactly is POD? Print-on-Demand is a printing approach that prints your book only when there is an order for it. In the long-term scheme of things, this process saves money and keeps you from having a backlog of unsold books hanging around your house. If your novel sells well, you can order more. The companies often have small fees for this service, but they help distribute your story to stores. They also offer you a great deal of control over your book and its design, as well as its distribution. It also saves trees. This is in contrast to what’s called offset printing, which is commonly used when printing magazines and news papers. It used to be the only real option for printing books, until the rise of the POD technology.

Offset printing requires a printer to put images and text on a printing plate (usually made of aluminum) that is used to transfer the images to paper. The paper is then run through heated ovens to dry the ink and then through ‘chill rollers’ to cool the paper and set the ink. This approach allows the printer to easily make tons of copies of the same words and images. It’s very labor intensive and often requires the customer to purchase a large quantity of the final product. Each purchase is a print run. You might need to purchase, say, 1500 books in one print run to make it worth the printer’s time and effort to use the offset method. Of course, that means you are paying for 1500 books and if you don’t sell them, that’s a financial investment you’ll never get back. POD printing, on the other hand, lets you print what you need when you need it. Often it has a higher per unit printing cost but in the end, you save money by only printing (and investing in) the quantity of books you actually need.

There are quite a few providers of POD services. In no particular order, here are some great companies: Author Solutions, Xlibris , Lightening Source, and The Book Patch. If you search on Google or Yahoo! for POD service providers, you will find hundreds, if not thousands of results.

It’s yours for the choosing. I wish you all the best. Good luck in all your publishing ventures.

Tags: article, fiction, Nonfiction

Printing On Demand and ePublishing - video

Lee Foster — Mon, 09 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Current Revision posted to Print-on-Demand by Lee Foster on 1/9/2017 12:00:00 AM

Author and photographer, Lee Foster, talks about the various print on demand and eBook channels he has used over the years and what he liked and found challenging with the different paths.

www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../LeeFosterPrintingonDemandandePublishing.mp4

Tags: fiction, Nonfiction, Subscriber, video

Printing On Demand and ePublishing - podcast

Lee Foster — Mon, 09 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Current Revision posted to Print-on-Demand by Lee Foster on 1/9/2017 12:00:00 AM

Author and photographer, Lee Foster, talks about the various print on demand and eBook channels he has used over the years and what he liked and found challenging with the different paths.

www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../LeeFosterPrintingonDemandandePublishing.mp3

Tags: fiction, Nonfiction, Subscriber, podcast

Publishing Tools: Print on Demand - Article

Kay Ziegler — Wed, 14 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Revision 1 posted to Print-on-Demand by Kay Ziegler on 12/14/2016 12:00:00 AM

It’s yours for the choosing. I wish you all the best. Good luck in all your publishing ventures.

Tags: article, fiction, Nonfiction

Technology: Print on Demand - Article

Michael Esser — Wed, 14 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Revision 1 posted to Print-on-Demand by Michael Esser on 12/14/2016 12:00:00 AM

That game has changed.

The turnaround time from finished product to doorstep is no longer six months, either. Because of this new system you can finish writing and editing a book on Saturday, submit it to POD sites like www.lulu.com or www.inkubook.com the same day, and have a copy in your hands by Friday. Oh, and by Monday your book would have its ISBN and barcode and be already sent off to the major online bookstores for distribution and eBook downloads. Companies like these often handle all the orders, financial transactions, and deliveries. And at the end of the month they send you a check, too.

Tags: article, fiction, Nonfiction

Print-on-Demand

Former Member — Sat, 12 Nov 2016 01:38:57 GMT

Current Revision posted to Print-on-Demand by Former Member on 11/12/2016 1:38:57 AM