Whether you want to retain creative control or are just having a difficult time getting attention from traditional publishers, “print on demand” is like getting the keys to a radio station across the street from the SiriusXM headquarters. You get to release your books on your terms and build up your readership without interference from above.
With that being said, you’ll have to work harder and figure out how to sell a book on your own. Having no publisher to wrestle away creative decisions also means no established infrastructure. But fear not! With a little navigation and some elbow grease, you can make print-on-demand bookselling a success, especially with the help of Print Bind Ship when you contact one of their experts today!
What Is a Print-on-Demand Book?
Unlike traditional publishing, which usually prints up a batch of thousands of books (or more) for distribution and then prints more once that first batch is gone. Print-on-demand is the opposite. When a customer orders a book, the print-on-demand company will create the book and ship it without any input from the author.
How Does Print-on-Demand Work?
If you decide to go your way for book publication (or are tired of rejection) and are searching for “how to sell book – online,” you will see businesses that specialize in print-on-demand. You have to send your manuscript to the print-on-demand company according to their format guidelines, including cover art.
Once all of the parameters have been met and the manuscript is ready to be crafted into physical books, you will set up your storefront to sell your book online. When new orders come in, the print-on-demand company makes the book and ships it off. You don’t have to worry about inventory or unsold books. If you are seeking more information about the process, check out Print Bind Ship’s Ultimate Guide to Print-On-Demand.
Four Ways to Sell Books Online
For many authors, the fear of how to sell a book themselves keeps them away from even trying. They worry about quality control, upfront costs, or having to focus on myriad business decisions instead of the fun, creative aspects of writing.
What print-on-demand offers is more creative control, not less. If you want to sell your book online on personal terms, you have options!
1. Print-On-Demand Bookstore
When searching for a print-on-demand bookstore, you’ll need to do some research. Get a test printing of your book to feel the quality in your hands. Check everything, from color to paper quality to durability.
Pros of a Print-on-Demand Store
Benefits include the following:
- Full control of the content
- Begin publishing immediately
- No inventory, meaning books are printed and shipped as ordered
- Book in print as long as you want
Additionally, you keep the majority of royalties when you work with a print-on-demand store.
Cons of Online Print-on-Demand Shops
Drawbacks include:
- No publisher to handle storefront or marketing
- Upfront costs, unlike with a publisher
- Must check quality of printing first
- In charge of the final cover art and editing
Now, for some authors, those may not be cons – just the price of freedom and creative control. Just be aware that with print-on-demand, the buck stops with you!
2. Amazon
If you ever wondered where to sell a book, this platform is right for you. Amazon dominates the book market, selling over 300 million printed books and 487 million ebooks yearly. You can also sell on Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing without any upfront costs or inventory orders.
Pros of Selling on Amazon
- Able to sell both new and used books
- Large customer base
- Upload logistics to Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA)
Cons of Selling Through Amazon
- Different fulfillment options include additional fees
- Highly competitive market
- Need to pay for a seller account (Individual at $0.99/sale or Professional at $39.99/month)
3. eBay
This is another great platform to sell books, especially if you want to sell used ones. eBay also lets you sell your books where you can set your price options between “Buy It Now” and “Auction.” Sellers who want customers to auction for the price of a product they’re selling usually do that for rare items or collectibles. Sellers can choose “Buy It Now” by setting a fixed price for their product, which is suitable for authors selling their books or selling used ones.
Pros of Selling Books on eBay
- Huge customer base
- Auction-based listings
- Allowed to sell both new and used books
- The seller’s first 250 listings are free
Cons of Using eBay to Sell Books
- Unable to sell e-books
- High competition
- High selling fees (each listing at $0.35 per month plus paying 14.95% of the total amount of sale for books and magazines)
4. Self Publishing
With self-publishing, you’re going a step further with your level of control. Instead of a print-on-demand structure, you’ll get batches of books printed that you’ll then sell yourself. This way, you can weed out any books that are damaged or have misprints, and you can even go the extra mile and personalize books with signatures or other touches for customers.
Pros of Self Publishing
The best benefits of self-publishing include:
- The most control of any option
- You get to check the quality of every copy of your book personally
- You’ll have multiple copies that you can personally sell or distribute
Additionally, orders can be personalized for customers.
Cons of Self Publishing
Drawbacks of self-publishing include:
- Every step of the process is your responsibility
- All costs are yours to bear
- You must personally take time to ship books to customers
- You will have to rectify any errors yourself
When you go self-published, you have to be ready for the workload! Unless you hire editors, graphic designers, proofreaders, a webmaster for your storefront, and people to handle shipping for you, that’s everything you need to take care of.
Get Books into Your Customers’ Hands with Print Bind Ship
Whether you want to trust a print-on-demand service to ship books to your customers or you’d rather handle it yourself, the first and most important thing is to get books that are consistently high quality.
Print Bind Ship helps authors just like you around the world! We will print up a batch of books for you to distribute or connect with your storefront to fulfill orders directly. We’ll print up a test book for you, too! If you’re ready to get your book off your computer’s hard drive and in front of eager readers, then it’s time to contact Print Bind Ship.
Frequently Asked Questions
Selecting the right print on demand platform depends on product quality, customization options, production and shipping times, and integration with your sales channels. Evaluate user reviews and compare costs to make an informed choice.
Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator lead the pack for print-on-demand design, offering powerful editing features and industry-standard precision for high-quality product customization. Canva serves as an accessible, user-friendly alternative, ideal for beginners.
Effective print on demand marketing strategies include social media advertising, influencer collaborations, and email marketing campaigns, designed to engage targeted audiences and drive sales.
For efficient print on demand fulfillment, streamline your design process, choose a reliable supplier, and integrate robust e-commerce platforms to manage orders promptly.
Effective methods for analyzing print on demand sales data include sales volume tracking, trend analysis, customer demographics studies, and product performance reviews to inform strategy and boost profitability.