Print on demand has reduced financial risk for independent publishers by eliminating most costs associated with printing and maintaining inventory.
But how can authors select an ideal POD service provider? Choosing one should not be taken lightly, with many important aspects to be taken into account before making your selection. Here are a few helpful guidelines to guide your decision and find your POD partner of choice.
Find a Printer
Print-on-demand book printing offers authors more creative control when it comes to book creation and publication. Printing only occurs after an order has been placed, thus eliminating upfront costs and inventory management needs.
Locating the appropriate printer can be daunting. A quick online search may reveal an array of possibilities from local quick printers like Kinkos to full-scale book manufacturing companies that offer print-on-demand.
Starting your research is best accomplished by reading reviews about any companies you are considering, preferably independent and verified reviews to get as honest a perspective as possible.
Ideal, you should research how long the company has been in operation and their quality-control standards. Book production processes move quickly; so be sure to choose a provider who can meet the market demands.
Create Your Book
Traditional publishing meant finding an agent willing to take on their book and print thousands of copies, but now with print on demand this process has become much simpler and less risky.
Once your manuscript is complete and edited, the next step in creating your book should be to format its text and cover. Be sure to utilize design aesthetics when formatting for visually appealing books.
Include a foreword, afterword, or biographical note from someone well-known in your field as this will establish credibility and promote your book. Furthermore, be sure to include a table of contents with chapter titles and page numbers.
IngramSpark provides an effective book pricing calculator that enables authors to understand how much their books should cost. Alternatively, visit a bookstore to observe similar books in your genre, format, and trim size generally sell for. Gaining an idea of the cost will allow you to decide where and how many copies should be printed initially.
Upload Your Files
Once your book is finished, the next step should be submitting it to a print-on-demand service for printing. Each company may vary slightly in their process for this step; but all require you to upload two files: its interior pages and cover. Prior to uploading files for print services, please read and follow their guidelines regarding file requirements before uploading them.
Once uploaded, your book will be available for sale through various online and physical bookstores – depending on which print-on-demand service you choose, such as Amazon, IngramSpark, PublishDrive, Lulu or Draft2Digital.
Print-on-demand companies use cutting-edge printing technology to ship books directly to their customers whenever a book is ordered, saving both money and unsold inventory from having to be printed up front.
Print-on-demand technology enables you to maintain more creative control over book publishing without incurring upfront costs or risking unsold inventory, making it a perfect option for independent authors seeking to keep more of their royalties.
Create Your Cover
Your book cover should immediately grab readers’ attention. It should communicate the content and feel of the book as well as establish an author brand identity.
Choose a layout and typography that reflects your book and genre. Make sure the title and subtitle (if any) are clearly visible, as well as text that fits its size appropriately. Consider also using text hierarchy, where certain parts of text become larger than others to highlight key information.
There are various tools available to you when it comes to designing book covers, from free ones such as Canva to paid ones such as Adobe Photoshop or IngramSpark’s Book-Building Tool. Or alternatively, use Gimp or Placeit templates and find designs therein.
To create your own book cover, start by measuring its dimensions. Next, lay it on top of felt or another sturdy material and trace its top and bottom edges – leaving a small extra space behind as space for flaps on the back cover.
Promote Your Book
Print on demand allows authors to keep creative control while publishing books without an upfront investment or handling distribution, shipping and returns hassles. It does mean taking on additional responsibility in terms of promotion and sales for their book themselves, however.
To succeed as authors, they need a firm grasp on their target readership and how best to reach them. This involves understanding factors like gender, age range, level of education and buying habits of their readers as well as creating an author platform through social media channels such as blogging or engaging content production.
Searching for a print on demand service that offers wide distribution networks and customization options (book size, paper type and cover finishes) is also beneficial; do consider printing turnaround time and shipping duration before making your selection; this can have a major effect on how quickly and successfully your book sells to its audience.
