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Nik
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Jul 09, 2015 12:29AM
Guys, basing on your experience, can I safely assume that printed books are nowadays sold mostly in physical book stores, while PoDs, offered online, are purchased primarily by close friends, relatives and authors themselves to give them as presents to other close friends and relatives? -:)
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For the vast majority of us, yes. As you get into the upper reaches of successful indie authors, I think POD sales can be more significant. (That's based on checking the print edition's sales rank of a few 100-top authors in our genre.)
Thanks, Owen, that's what I thought based on my own experience, which is only 9-10 months long.I myself prefer a printed book, but I feel old fashioned and not nature friendly on this point
Try Create Space. It will publish also on Amazon along with your eBook book. As an author, you also have the ability to buy your books straight from Create Space yourself and have them shipped anywhere you want. My novel in paperback is sold through Amazon at $10.49, and there may be shipping costs as well, a price which I can not change, but if I wish to gift a copy to a customer, I can, at my price, have a single copy printed and shipped in the continental U.S. to anyone I choose, with shipping included for only $8.25. My book is 316 pages.
Morris
Morris
Thanks, Morris, yep, I did exactly that with Createspace. With overseas delivery, my author's price is 1/3 of delivery costs -:), but if I want to send a printed book to someone in US, it's indeed comfortable.I just noticed though, that if I have an occasional sale of ebook here and there, the paperbacks are hardly ever sold....
paperbacks are rarely sold anyway. My aunt has a book that she gets printed, and she goes on speaking engagements in churches and what-not, and sells them directly to the buyers. One thing you can try... Buy your books in larger lots (to get a break on the shipping) and have them shipped to you, then find an independent book store and work out a consignment deal, or better yet, a book signing. You would have to make some posters and put an add in the local paper, but some authors have done that and it works for them. A book singing would be perfect, if the bookstore owner knows that it will drive more customers into his store, and you give him a buck or two for each one sold with no risk or investment on his part.
Morris
Morris
Morris, thanks for advice. All sound like pretty good ideas. It definitely looks like it's worth ordering batches of at least few copies, so that delivery won't be that pricey per book..Re book signing, at this stage I'm a little afraid trying it, because I live in a country where English isn't a native language, although most people know it and there is a community of English speakers, but I guess I need to gain a bit more of local recognition first.
Nik
I see. Check with Create Space. The more books you buy, the better the shipping rate. Unless you need more books, order what makes sense and still get a good shipping rate. You don't want to be the author who winds up giving them as Christmas gifts to relatives or offering them in a yard sale.
I checked shipping with my own book..
1 Book $3.59... $3.59 shipping per copy
2 books $4.18... $2.09 " each 2 copies
5 books $5.95... $1.19 " each for 5 copies
10 books $8.00... $0.80 " each for 10 copies
20 books $13.00... $0.65 " each for 20 copies
30 books $18.00... $0.60 " each for 30 copies
50 books $23.00... $0.46 " each for 50 copies
100 books $43.00... $0.43 " each for 100 copies
I checked shipping with my own book..
1 Book $3.59... $3.59 shipping per copy
2 books $4.18... $2.09 " each 2 copies
5 books $5.95... $1.19 " each for 5 copies
10 books $8.00... $0.80 " each for 10 copies
20 books $13.00... $0.65 " each for 20 copies
30 books $18.00... $0.60 " each for 30 copies
50 books $23.00... $0.46 " each for 50 copies
100 books $43.00... $0.43 " each for 100 copies
Well researched! I should indeed check how quantities influence costs of international shipping. The initial cost is higher, but pro rata it should work the same. Of course, it's frustrating to get stuck with a stock. The PoD option is a wonderful solution for enabling an option for a printed book and having no need for a stock. I know one author, who couldn't do PoD and the storage costs are killing all the revenues from sales ...
I have higher expectations for ebooks though..
Yes, ebooks require little shipping costs, and you don't have to worry about product inventory.
Morris
Morris
I will only buy in quantities of 50 or more now. Lesson learned.
Martin wrote: "I will only buy in quantities of 50 or more now. Lesson learned."And how do you realize the lot then?
Morris wrote: "paperbacks are rarely sold anyway. My aunt has a book that she gets printed, and she goes on speaking engagements in churches and what-not, and sells them directly to the buyers. One thing you can ..."Oooh, great idea! I have mine up on CreateSpace and have sold those to family, but never thought of doing that!
Nancy
For me only a small percentage of PODs have been bought by family and friends. More than 95%, as far as I can determine, have been bought by God knows who. And, I am beyond grateful for each and every one of them.Createspace, to me, is the way to go. They've been great to work with.
Hi Steven, did you sell a lot of paperbacks since 2013 or at least at comparable scale with ebooks?
I think PoD's have become the standard way to which companies publish books now. Book companies and publishers don't have enough faith in keeping a ton of books around in a warehouse because that costs them money so naturally PoD is a better way for them to cut the cost of keep your book without having to really take a loss. As for who purchases these PoD's? I would assume anyone including yourself. If a buyer makes a request then the sale goes through and they print a book right then and there and ship it out. It's no different for an author expect that an author gets it at a much lower rate because it's their book and they more than like buy the book in bulk. PoD in bulk I would also imagine is much easier and a simple process.
Well, the publishers probably don't keep too big a stock nowadays, but they do print certain amount of copies to distribute to the book stores. Those books in a physical book store are not PoD.However, indies would usually choose PoD, but it seems there are much more ebooks of the same title sold than PoDs.
PODs, to a discerning eye, have an inevitable glossy print "Xeroxed look" that's really unfortunate. They are also often printed on paper that looks nothing like even reasonable trade paperback stock and suffer from various design and editing problems that makes them look like they're not a professional effort. I'm a graphic designer and I can spot one a mile away. That said, it's a good idea, but be careful!
Jim Dodds
http://its-your-story.weebly.com/
Jim Dodds
http://its-your-story.weebly.com/
Can't call my eye discerning, but I like the look of my PoDs printed with createspace. I chose matt option. What I like less is that my cover, especially the letters look kinda blurred when downsized to a thumbnail. Some designers say it's because black on red and vice versa doesn't go well when downsized. Who knows
Nik, good point. Its also the reason bookstores aren't so open to putting indie authors books in their stores. Because they unlike PoDs still actually stock books in their warehouses and back rooms and of course that's costs them money so if they don't believe your book will make them money they'll pass. They don't want a stack of books in the back collecting dust.
Jim wrote: "PODs, to a discerning eye, have an inevitable glossy print "Xeroxed look" that's really unfortunate. They are also often printed on paper that looks nothing like even reasonable trade paperback sto..."I was initially a little concerned about Createspace, but they doea nice job. My housemate brings half a dozen books home from the library weekly. Our print versions (which very few people) buy stack up to all of them. (I based our layout, font choices etc, on the books he brought home. Have made a good part of living for 15 years as a graphics designer, I suspect my eye is reasonably discerning.)
I have made all of my 9 self-published eBooks in Create Space and, also as an ex-graphic designer from the corporate world, I think they are very professional looking. Beautiful, in fact. I'm new here, but I've been a writer for over 44 years and have been published since 1984; I have 23 novels published and as of 2012 I self-publish...what a great, great thing! I'm finally making real money. I LOVE self-publishing and being able to create my own paperbacks. Look me up here: https://kathrynmeyergriffith.wordpres... https://www.amazon.com/author/kgriffith Kathryn Meyer GriffithDinosaur Lake
Hi Kathryn, Nice to emeet such a prolific and experienced writer turned indie.
