A practical guide to creating and distributing your e book or print carla king 20730. Distributing your selfpublished book grammar factory publishing. Selling selfpublished books on amazon sell books on. Mar 29, 2019 hand out a business card for the book and your contact information. Some of these forums have specific areas for posting news and press releases, but youll soon get banned if you try and turn every discussion into a promotion for your book.
It was a room full of self published authors, and a beautiful experience. Jul 06, 2010 i went and set up a table at a literary cafe in the civic center here in desoto, texas, friday evening march 23, 2012. How can an author get distribution for a selfpublished book. Bookbaby has two different book distribution networks. The service you used to print your books may go a long way to deciding or even dictating which method or services. Although self publishing is very much a labour of love, if you aim for high sales and put in the necessary time and investment, it is possible to make a profit from your book. Distributing a selfpublished book can be just as challengingalbeit in a different wayand time consuming as creating the book itself. Book distribution for selfpublishers ingram content group. You get to choose the list price for your book and you will keep all profits after printing costs and amazons cut. For more on selfpublishing, see our selfpublishing done right story from the march 2011 issue of pdn. Without distribution it doesnt matter how good your writing is, which is why this step of the process is so important. Rants and revelations get published, write better, book. Printing books on your own is expensive and offers logistical challenges, and distributing. What most of the larger self publishing companies mean by printondemand publishing is the combination of digital printing with digital online distribution.
If you choose to work with a publisher, you need to meet a high standard of quality with the delivery of your book. Distributing your selfpublished book where do you start. Top 10 selfpublishing companies for firsttime authors editage. Any author who has self published a book understands both the difficulty and the allure of getting your book off of a device and into readers hands. Self publishing has exploded because of the internet, not because brickandmortar bookstores are finally stocking self published books. On demand printing, coupled with easy access for book buyers via amazon or ingrams catalogue, is a selfpublishing coup. What selfpublished authors need to know ebook distribution. Jan 17, 2019 this post, based on an extract from the askalli guidebook, choosing the best self publishing companies and services, explains the difference and tells you what features to look for when choosing the best distributors for your self published books. In a few clicks, people can buy your book directly from the blurb bookstore, without any listing charges or fees.
There are various means of selling and distributing a self published book. Amazonkdp does not include the following basic information in the sales reports. A lot of different groups offer different services and its best to match your audience and distribution needs with the scope of a provider. For most self published authors, the majority of the book.
To illustrate printing on demand for selfpublishing, lets walk through the workflow of my latest book, the identity project. Now that your self published book is available, distribution is now paramount, call yps publishing now to discuss your options. For most selfpublished authors, the majority of the book sales still come from amazon, so thats one platform you cannot avoid. On demand printing, coupled with easy access for book buyers via amazon or ingrams catalogue, is a self. Once the digital marketing is over, book distribution begins. There are various means of selling and distributing a. While many indie authors have mastered online sales, even strongselling writers tend to see distribution to libraries and bricksandmortar stores as difficult to. Depending on the type of book youve produced, there are both online and brickandmortar options for selling your work. Self published authors are recommended to sell copies of their book on a consignment basis to their local and special interest bookstores. Selling your book online is a reliable and easy option.
Nov 22, 2019 i now have 5 book titles published, 4 are mine selfpublished and one by another author. Self publishing book printing book self publishing. How to distribute your self published book professional ghost. What does distribution really mean for selfpublishers. The book marketing services at outskirts press help authors promote highquality books with exceptional book marketing services. How to get book distribution for a selfpublished book. Once you have ebook files ready to go epub andor mobi files. Paidup members of alli may download a free ebook of this and all our guidebooks when logged in to the alli membership website. Booksellers and libraries use these lists to keep up with new titles that are released and to find out how to order a book that a customer requests. Printing books on your own is expensive and offers logistical challenges, and distributing those books can be even more difficult. Some indie authors manage to land traditional publishing deals based solely on the success of their self published ebooks.
Their global retail network puts your book in the ingram content group catalog, making it available to both online and. Dance because you can was represented at the national book fair in new york city. Successful self published authors are tapping into larger markets, which include many other retailers beyond amazon. Dont be fooled by expensive self publishing packages that claim to distribute your book. Outskirts press self publishing packages help authors develop and publish highquality books by offering exceptional design, printing, publishing, distribution, and book marketing services.
If you choose to work with a publisher, you need to meet a high standard of quality with the delivery of your book to all formats. However, if you have your original filemicrosoft word or whateveryou can use tools at online self. Even a good book may be declined if not submitted properly or has missing information. There are two main ways you can promote your self published book using social media. This is your absolute last chance to catch anything that you want to change before we print your books. I went and set up a table at a literary cafe in the civic center here in desoto, texas, friday evening march 23, 2012. Ingramspark also encourages publishers to place orders for their own books, so that they can be shipped to them or dropshipped directly to their customer. Distributing your self published book finite publishing.
Jan 20, 2017 successful selfpublished authors are tapping into larger markets, which include many other retailers beyond amazon. Maximize your book s exposure in our global distribution network for softcover, hardcover, ebook, and audio book publishing. Book title, actual date of saleorder only the month, and of course they dont give you the customer who ordered it who is your. Self publish by hiring a service company to basically act as your publisher. It also offers royalty programs for purchase of the books on kindle devices and kindle apps for ipad, iphone, ipod touch, pc, mac, blackberry, and androidbased devices. Distributing your selfpublished book although selfpublishing is very much a labour of love, if you aim for high sales and put in the necessary time and investment, it is possible to make a profit from your book. Receiving your first royalties is highly rewarding and motivating, even if its just a couple of dollars. Nov 19, 2018 learn more about promoting your self published book online. Make sure your book looks good with a professionallooking cover and interior layout design and is well edited. If you want to promote your book without paying for it. If you are willing to grant amazon exclusive distribution of your ebook for a 90day period.
Kindle direct publishing is a free program that helps authors self publish their book as ebooks. Giveaways in both print and digital formats help to build awareness and give your book more places to drum up interest. Have a marketing plan in place before pitching to bookstores. Invest in other book distribution formats and channels. In addition, ingram spark offers convenient inhouse channels for you to connect with more retailers to promote your book.
Selfpublished books now account for 30% to 40% of ebook sales. Discover how selling a self published book on amazon is now easier than ever. Without distribution it doesnt matter how good your. Jun 28, 2016 any author who has self published a book understands both the difficulty and the allure of getting your book off of a device and into readers hands. Book distribution for selfpublished authors beyond amazon. The book was also the 2019 evvy award winner for best selfhelp. The lack of distribution keeps some great books out of the hands of a lot of avid readers. How do you distribute and sell your book as a selfpublisher. Here are five distribution options for your selfpublished book.
You can also make your trade book available to stores. Jul 02, 2017 selfpublish completely on your own, hiring only the freelance assistance you need, and work directly with retailers and distributors to sell your book. Nov 21, 2016 get your book into the hands of potentially over 7 billion readers worldwide by connecting to more than 39,000 retailers and libraries globally. How to print and distribute your selfpublished book. To use kindle direct publishing, you must have the electronic rights to the book. Now that your self published book is available, distribution is now paramount, call yps publishing now to discuss your options yps publishing based in york is one of the publishing industry. This post will expand on how to selfpublish completely on your own. How do you sell a selfpublished book online and manage. Book distribution is the main dividing line between self publishing and publishing with a traditional publisher. Try to persuade a distributor to list your book in their catalog.
Print book distribution is fairly straightforward if youre making use. You have boxes of your printed books or youre planning to print boxes of your book. They are distributing ebooks, audiobooks, and pdf books from both published and self published authors. How to get selfpublished books into stores and libraries. How to get book distribution for a selfpublished book book distribution is the main dividing line between selfpublishing and publishing with a traditional publisher. Less is more is a cute phrase for minimalists, but dont limit yourself when it comes to online retail options for worldwide book. Everything authors need to know about book distribution. Self publish completely on your own, hiring only the freelance assistance you need, and work directly with retailers and distributors to sell your book. The good news is that you sell to them in ways in which you are already familiar. Your photo book can reach amazons global audience with our oneclick setup and seamless integration. How do you sell a selfpublished book online and manage shipping.
Sell your selfpublished book as soon as its finished. Whats the best way to distribute selfpublished books. Dont be fooled by expensive selfpublishing packages that claim to distribute your book to thousands of outlets. Usually the retailer gets 35 to 45% of the price of the book, lighting source takes approximately 30% for the printing and i get the restabout 30 to 35% of the published book price.
Distributing a self published book can be just as challengingalbeit in a different wayand time consuming as creating the book itself. Trade shows also give you the opportunity to meet buyers, distributors and others working in the publishing and bookselling fields who can offer advice as to how to get a self published book. The terms of consignment differ from store to store, but in general consignment means that the store will stock copies for a designated period of time. You could also donate a copy to your local library. You can spend your energy writing the next book, rather than spending it on self promotion. Distribute your self published book with createspace createspace is an amazon company which gives you the option to have your print books distributed through all of the amazon online stores and your ebooks distributed through kindle direct publishing. This program enables authors to submit their nook press book for consideration for distribution instore and even for inclusion in marketing programs on a local, regional or national level, and even get included in critical store. Jul 21, 2017 receiving your first royalties is highly rewarding and motivating, even if its just a couple of dollars.
Nov 26, 2019 if youre selfpublishing, you assume all of the cost and effort, and need to know what challenges exist to get your book findable and readable to meet varying audience requests and sometimes, demands. It was a room full of self published authors, and a beautiful. Less is more is a cute phrase for minimalists, but dont limit yourself when it comes to online retail options for worldwide book sales. A few months before you publish your book you need to pass on its details to one of the catalogues that booksellers use to find books. Depending on the type of book youve produced, there are both online and brickandmortar options for selling your.
For more on self publishing, see our self publishing done right story from the march 2011 issue of pdn. Look into self publishing if you cant find a publisher or if youre interested in distributing your own product. Self published authors have tons of online book distribution markets to choose from. Infinity publishing provides you with the easiest and most comprehensive self publishing experience. Often, with a self published book, a writer can make more money on each book sold, but often has to be the one selling them. Some indie authors manage to land traditional publishing deals based solely on the success of their selfpublished ebooks.
The best book distribution services for selfpublished. Whats the best way to distribute selfpublished books direct or. First you should think about a short print run, rather than printing on demand. Print on demand book distribution selfpublishing, book. Sell your books with the worlds largest online book retailer. If you dont have an isbn your book cant be found in bookstores, whether physical or online, as booksellers, libraries, universities, wholesalers and distributors use this number for the marketing and ordering of books. Hand out a business card for the book and your contact information. How to get your selfpublished books into bookstores and libraries. Sell your selfpublished book, ebook or magazine blurb.
I now have 5 book titles published, 4 are mine self published and one by another author. Authors who want to selfpublish their books have unprecedented options. The internet is a useful resource for self published authors, but dont overdo the promotion, particularly on forums where people are talking about writing and publishing. An isbn international standard book number is a unique digit identifier for books and simplifies the distribution throughout the global supply chain.
For more information about the various distribution choices for ebooks, print books and audiobooks, read our askalli guidebook, choosing the best self publishing companies and services. Selfpublishing book distribution for authors and businesses. We help you select the best way to distribute your book. This post, based on an extract from the askalli guidebook, choosing the best self publishing companies and services, explains the difference and tells you what features to look for when choosing the best distributors for your self published.
Book title, actual date of saleorder only the month, and of course they dont give you the customer who ordered it who is your reader and customer too. How to get book distribution for a selfpublished book self. This part is about online selling and distributing your book. Last but not least, your readers need to trust and like to use the sales channels offered by the distributor. In addition to selling printed books print on demand, bookbaby ebook distribution allows you to publish and sell your book digitally, through the. If your book isnt selling and you are actively marketing, you might want to try adjusting your pricing, discounts, or returnable option to see if that helps move the needle. This post will expand on how to self publish completely on your. Today, more than half of all print books are sold online, as are nearly all the audiobooks and obviously 100% of all ebooks. Distribution beyond amazon will be nearly impossible as a selfpublished author. If youre self publishing, you assume all of the cost and effort, and need to know what challenges exist to get your book findable and readable to meet varying audience requests and sometimes, demands. Gisela hausmann used a writeup about her self published emailetiquette book, naked words 2. Aug 30, 2019 a selfpublished author can quickly get their print and ebook distributed to the most important online retailers by using just a couple services, all of which have no or very low upfront costs. A self published author can quickly get their print and ebook distributed to the most important online retailers by using just a couple services, all of which have no or very low upfront costs. Its possible to contact book distributors about distributing your book, but not the larger book.
How to select the best distributors for your selfpublished books, whether ebooks, print or audio, and how and when to use aggregators. With pod, your books are printed as they are ordered, and cost about. In addition to print, publish your book as an ebook. Although selfpublishing is very much a labour of love, if you aim for high sales and put in the necessary time and. The bad news is that the distributors are inundated with books that they cannot take on and therefore must reject them. The information you add to your author central account appears on. This is the fourth and final part of a series about how we self published a book. We help you select the best way to distribute your book or ebook using. I recommend that authors use amazon kdp to distribute their print books strictly to amazon do not choose their expanded distribution, then. How to distribute your selfpublished book pdn online. Blurb to amazon allows you to sell your book on the worlds largest bookstore, without the setup costs. Remember traditional publishers do a lot of manuscript vetting and book.
A practical guide to creating and distributing your e book. People will buy your book from a variety of places. Yes, this is self publishing 101 but it is possible to not do those things and still move some e book copies. Can you sell a selfpublished book through amazon at. This means that if there is any interest they can supply your book on commission. In addition to selling printed books print on demand, bookbaby ebook distribution allows you to publish and sell your book digitally, through the largest ebook stores online, for ereader devices such as kindle, ipad, and nook. Print on demand book distribution sell books on amazon. A bookstore wants some assurance that books will sell. Book buyer and distribution expert amy collins shares a free stepbystep guide to getting self published books to sell in bookstores and libraries.
A practical guide to creating and distributing your e book or print carla king 20730 king, carla on. Trade shows also give you the opportunity to meet buyers, distributors and others working in the publishing and bookselling fields who can offer advice as to how to get a self published book into bookstores. Sell your self published book as soon as its finished. You have boxes of your printed books or youre planning to print boxes of your book and a page on your website to sell them. Anyone considering self publishing should focus on their distribution strategy as early as they can. However, if you are a self publisher of a print book, you may find some traditional library book vendors may not be willing to to distribute a self published book. Global distribution self publishing book ebook publisher.