Print on demand involves printing a minimal number of copies upfront, with copies printed to order thereafter. Set up for this printing method is included in SilverWood's packages and is the route we encourage self-publishers to use because of many benefits including worldwide distribution. Bulk printing can be more cost-effective on a per-unit basis but requires a considerable upfront investment. The author needs to pay in advance for a specified print run, which is an additional cost above the usual self-publishing package.
Other downsides to bulk printing are that they may not sell, in which case the cost and resources are wasted. And while attempting to sell the books, they need to be stored and their distribution managed. A successful book is often the result of two factors: a great product and some consistent, impactful marketing.
As a self published author, you're in charge of how your marketing happens. In fact, this is usually the case even if you're mainstream-published, as we'll see below. Authors should be fully prepared to delve into the world of social media and press coverage but we can also recommend various marketing specialists who you can pay to do some of the work for you.
Historically in traditional publishing, the publisher would do the marketing for their authors, with a launch, press activity and exposure on social media. However, in the current market, mainstream authors are finding they are expected to do much of the marketing legwork themselves, or paying independent specialists, just like self published authors.
And the harsh reality is that in most cases, a book will sell far fewer copies than an author expects. Mainstream published books can result in anywhere between 2, and 10, sales on average, but the advance is the author's only income until the book hits the shelves, which could take months. Self published books, on the other hand, offer a greater return from royalties much faster.
Importantly, those returns start coming in sooner because the speed to market averages around months. If your book is topical, reflecting the zeitgeist of the moment, this is a critical benefit of self publishing. Despite greater returns per book, some self published authors don't make their monetary investment back. So why invest? The rewards of self publishing can be less tangible, but potentially more valuable. Some authors use self published books to underpin their expertise and bring credibility to their business.
Others use them as a springboard for speaking engagements or to attract participants to workshops and courses. At SilverWood, we advise our authors that they may not make the money back pound for pound. And that they should only spend what they can afford. In some cases, a self-published book has led to an author being noticed by a trade publisher, which has then led to mainstream publishing contracts or sales of foreign publishing rights to translate their works into other languages.
Many self-publishing authors simply want to see their book in print, with the fulfilling reward of sharing their story with friends, family and colleagues. But it is possible to make money from self publishing your book, as shown by our author's royalty statements and this famous case study in the papers of an author making 6-figures from his books.
In future articles, we'll be looking at cases of some of SilverWood's financially-successful authors, so do sign up here for our eNewsletter to stay in touch. Ebooks can be a quick route to getting a book put together and out into the online space. At first glance, the return on ebooks can be attractive. Print-on-demand, where books are printed only as ordered and can be ordered one at a time, and Volume printed or Offset. Here are the costs of both processes, and the pros and cons of each. The last ten years—even the last five —have seen game-changing developments in printing technology.
Advanced inkjet technology now creates pages and covers that are nearly identical to those created with traditional offset printing, offering incredible advantages to self-publishers. For self-publishers, getting your work into the world used to mean printing 1, copies and an expensive proofing copy. Digitally printed books are created in the same facility, without having to ship blocks and covers to different sites for assembly.
Not to mention, commercial digital printing machines in themselves are incredibly fast and getting faster. This means even larger orders could be done and in-hand in as fast as a few weeks, not a few months. Books are shipped by the printer or the retailer directly to your customer, without effort form you. Small-run titles can stick around more. This is better for the self-publisher, the printer, and the environment.
There are also more opportunities to design and shape the book in special ways. Afterward, that image is transferred onto a sheet of paper. This older printing method has its own advantages, especially for larger orders.
Printing offset means ordering at least 1, copies of your self-published book. But this way of printing, especially with an overseas printer, is hands-down the lowest possible cost-per-copy. You just have to finance a large order. Without negotiating warehousing and fulfillment with your distributor, these tasks are also up to you. Printing offset means the highest possible margin, but you also bear the largest burdens for up-front cost and distribution.
Printing offset follows the older printing methods of page creation, cover creation, and assembly. Your printing plates will need to be custom created, so the creation and setup of plates gets factored into your book proof copy. Because the plates, trimming, covers, and even materials are individually set up, these large orders make it more cost-effective to make your self-published book look and feel exactly as you like, since the setup fees have already been costed out.
This means more possibilities for specialty trim sizes, paper types, and cover types. And you'll still need a good microphone and audio editing software. Despite the cost, the third option is the easiest for most new authors. If money is an issue, consider using book sales royalties from your ebook to invest in an audiobook later.
The ebook market is crowded with substandard books. That means budgeting for advertising and promoting your book over email by giving away some free copies. Basically, self-published authors must also plan to market and sell their book once live on stores like Amazon. Many indies spend a lot more using Facebook and Bookbub ads.
Many other book promotion services exist, although they are mostly geared towards genre fiction. When you choose this program, unlike the conventional Kindle Direct Publishing, you give Amazon the exclusive rights to sell your books for 90 days, and the rights automatically renew. At the very least, you will get your book in front of more readers and potentially collect organic books reviews. These will improve the quality of your book's sales page. That can mean only one thing—more success for your book.
The Amazon algorithm will recommend your older or newer books to readers. When in doubt, remember: The best way to market your last book is to write the next one. This is one of the key aspects you have to think about after you have completed writing, editing and formatting your book. Price the book too high, and you can put potential readers off. For example, I charge more for print copies of my books than for digital copies. The average self-published book sells approximately copies over its lifetime , according to both Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and the Nonfiction Authors Association.
That said, you can sell many more copies on an ebook retailer like the Amazon Kindle store if you take book marketing seriously and invest in ads and grow an email list of loyal readers. Find out how to make an audiobook … and how much that costs. Amazon assigns an international standard book number for your print or Kindle book automatically.
That said, buying an ISBN will help you establish ownership of your book across multiple stores and get your book into libraries, universities and more. This is advisable if you intend to publish a print book and retain your rights or want to publish your book on IngramSpark.
They will be recognised as the publisher instead of you. This complicates re-publishing the book under your own ISBN and retaining full rights. Read more about ISBNs here and here. Each time I self-published a book, I hired more expensive editors, designers and so on to improve the quality of the books. I also spent money on marketing my books via Facebook and Amazon ads. Technically, it's free to use and self-publish a book on Amazon. However, you still need to budget for writing software, editing, formatting and a book cover.
Promoting your book on Amazon via ads can cost several hundred dollars per month. Amazon self-publishing is worth it if you're committed to building a career as an author and enjoy working with the written word. It's a great way of reaching readers around the world with Kindle and print books. However, think beyond Amazon. Get a FREE book of writing prompts and learn how to make more money from your writing.
Bryan Collins runs things around here. He's also a non-fiction writer and author. View all posts. How much will it cost to self-publish a book? What services will I need to pay for when publishing my first book? Should I commission a designer to create a professional book cover?
What about book marketing and ads? Should I approach a traditional publisher? Can I use a self-publishing service to publish my first book? These are a few of the questions I faced when I started self-publishing my books.
Now, if you think self-publishing a book is easy and free, think again. The simple answer: No. Self-Publishing Software 2. Editing and Proofreading 3. Book Cover Design 4. Book Formatting 5. Print 6. Audio 7. The Power of Creativity book cover. How much does it cost to self publish a book on Amazon?
Is Amazon Self Publishing worth it? Join over 15, writers today Get a FREE book of writing prompts and learn how to make more money from your writing. Now check your email to claim your prompts. There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again. Email Address.
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