Leading Print-on-Demand Businesses to Familiarize Yourself with in 2024
Heyyo! Are you thinking about selling physical copies of your book but haven't got a clue about the logistics? Well, worry not! Print-on-demand (POD) companies have got your back. Instead of printing a ton of books to sell and potentially ending up with a heap of unsold hardcovers, POD technology lets you publish a book only after you've got an order. This is a total game-changer, especially for independent authors and publishers who want a more cost-effective and sustainable way to share their work with the world.
So, What's This POD Thing All About?
With POD, you won't have to worry about learning the intricacies of book printing since most of that gets handled by the POD company for you. It's perfect when you've got enough on your plate in your self-publishing business. If you're curious about which POD services to check out, here are some top picks for ya:
The Cream of the POD Crop
1. Amazon's KDP Print
When it comes to POD companies for books, Amazon's KDP Print is a leader. As a self-publisher, you already know the importance of Amazon's marketplace for selling ebooks online. (Just a quick reminder: Amazon is the behemoth of online retailers, and "Books" is its fifth highest-selling category.)
Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) integrates POD with its brick-and-mortar stores in 13 countries. Making your book available on POD via the KDP platform is a straightforward and convenient process. It's especially attractive for authors who are already selling their ebooks via KDP. In terms of royalties, you'll earn 40-60%.
2. IngramSpark
Along with KDP Print, IngramSpark is another great option. IngramSpark is a massive book distribution company that focuses on print, reaching over 39,000 online stores, including big-time bookstores like Barnes & Noble and numerous libraries.
To publish a book on IngramSpark, you'll need two print-ready PDF files (most POD companies require these). With IngramSpark, you'll earn between 40-70% royalties.
3. Blurb
With Blurb, you'll get a user-friendly platform to create your POD book. Sure, it's a bit pricier, but one of its key offerings is photobooks, which makes it an excellent choice if you're planning to sell graphic novels or cookbooks with lots of photos.
Once you've uploaded and created your book on the Blurb platform, the base price is determined by the format you choose (such as paperback, hardback, etc.). You can then choose to sell your book on Blurb or through their distribution network, provided by IngramSpark. With Blurb, royalties range from 45-64%.
4. Bookvault
With Bookvault, you can sell your books directly on your website through various apps, plugins, and integrations. You can also choose to sell through their distribution networks like Amazon, IngramSpark, Gardners, and The Great British Book Shop. Bookvault is UK-based, so it's a fantastic choice if you're targeting the UK market. Bookvault requires a $23 setup fee. You can earn between 40-90% royalties.
5. BookBaby
BookBaby is the most expensive option, with a $399 setup fee. This choice may be best if you want to order physical copies in bulk, or if you prefer a more hands-on approach, as BookBaby offers professional reviews (compared to automatic software used by most other providers). BookBaby's distribution network includes all of IngramSpark's stores, as well as other retailers. When it comes to royalties, you'll earn 45%.
6. Our Website
Our website is an online self-publishing platform that lets you reach top POD publishers and thousands of other channels. Beyond that, our platform helps you sell in markets like China through CNPeReading, where millions of readers are waiting for print books.
CNPeReading distributes to JD, a retailer capturing 30% of the Chinese market and Dangdang, which boasts 30 million monthly visitors to its online store. Our website is currently the only aggregator that can easily get your books to audiences in China.
Take advantage of the best POD publishers and thousands of other channels with our website. Get everything you need for distribution, marketing, and more for your print-on-demand books, ebooks, and audiobooks.
Start for free! Or try our paid plan and get your money back if you're not satisfied.
Ready to Publish Your POD Books?
It's not rocket science to start publishing print-on-demand books and selling across various channels:
- Sign up for an account on our website.
- Upload your print book files.
- Add the details like trim size, binding type, retail price, and other specifics.
- Switch on the POD service channels you'd like to reach.
Getting Your Book in Print
When preparing your book for POD, make sure your files are ready to go with these two primary PDF files:
- Your book cover design including the front cover, spine, back cover, and bleed area.
- Your manuscript file consisting of all the interior pages.
You can provide your POD books in paperback or hardback. The most common format is a paperback with a trim size of 6x9 inches. You can structure your manuscript using Microsoft Word or Google. You can also create professional layouts using programs like Adobe InDesign or Vellum.
Remember these main requirements:
- Use CMYK or RGB color spaces.
- Use single-color black or gray-scale for black and white images.
- Use a resolution of at least 300 DPI.
- The pages should fit the trim size you specified.
- Add 0.125" (3 mm) bleed to all sides.
- Embed fonts in PDF files.
- Don't include crop or trim marks in the final interior.
- Maintain a minimum margin of 0.5" (13mm) from the trim edge.
- Implement a logical numbering system—even numbers on the left, odd numbers on the right.
For more details, check out these print formatting guidelines.
If you want to ensure your POD files get uploaded correctly, you can use our POD converter.
The Cost of Printing Your Book
When you sell your books through retail channels, you'll encounter printing costs, book printing services, and retailer margins. Remember, retail prices have minimum or base prices to cover the fees for print and distribution. Profit margins may vary depending on the number of pages, color types, and paper types.
When ordering personal copies, be prepared to deal with shipping and taxation costs. The print manufacturing costs will be your responsibility, while distribution deductions come from your royalty earnings, which vary from store to store.
Here's an example of print costs:
- Selling price: $20
- Distribution cost: 50%
- Manufacturing cost: $6 (based on the number of pages, colors, black and white, and trim size)
- Author's compensation: = 20 * 50% - $6 = $4
Printing copies of your book for commercial purposes, book signings, or quality checks is simple with our website. Learn more here.
Why Choose Our Website for POD?
Besides the wide reach for your POD books, check out these cool perks we offer:
- A simple, user-friendly interface for all book formats.
- Automated print formatting for every store.
- Transparent analytics and real-time sales reports.
- Marketing tools, like price promotions, sending review copies, and more.
- No additional royalties—only a monthly flat fee. All earned royalties are yours!
- The Automated Abacus and Team Royalties features help you split royalties with colleagues.
- Increase your sales with our international self-publishing options! Some of our authors saw a 200% increase in 2022 by self-publishing internationally in all formats and stores.
Get started today!
- The benefits of using POD services, such as Amazon's KDP Print and IngramSpark, for self-publishers lie in their ability to reach a wide range of online stores, earning royalties between 40-70%, and providing a more cost-effective and sustainable way to publish books.
- If you're an author targeting the UK market, Bookvault is an attractive POD service, allowing you to sell books directly on your website and through their distribution networks like Amazon and Barnes & Noble, with royalties ranging from 40-90%.
