Print on demand book publishing is an increasingly common way to self publish books. The older self-publishing model was to place an order with a book publisher and to order the minimum number of copies required by the publisher. The books were then taken by the writer to bookstores that agreed to sell them.
With print on demand book publishers, the books exist in a database and are printed out only when someone purchases the book. There is generally no purchase required of the writer with this type of book publishing. Amazon's CreateSpace print on demand service has no fee and has no purchase requirement.
Publishing Books With Amazon
CreateSpace is an Amazon program that allows books, CDs and DVDs to be self published through the site and placed for sale on Amazon. The creator of the work receives a royalty on each copy that is sold. Each book that doesn't already have an ISBN is given one free from CreateSpace.
The contract between CreateSpace and writers who self publish though the program is non-exclusive, so the writer does retain the rights to the work. After publishing and selling the book through Amazon it can still be sold to another publisher.
This arrangement allows people to use this print on demand publisher to try to interest traditional book publishers. To get their attention, self-publishers writers often purchase copies and attempt to sell large numbers of their books. With high sales figures, some self-published writers have been able to get high-paying contracts from large book publishers.
A La Carte Book Publishing
When publishing books with CreateSpace, writers choose the list price, as long as it meets the minimum price for the specific book type and the publishing plan that the writer chooses. Each writer can choose where their book will be sold, including on their own website through a CreateSpace eStore. Amazon recommends selling books on both to maximize the number of customers.
By selling on Amazon, writers can choose the Look Inside feature to allow customers to browse a few pages before deciding whether to buy. Writers can also choose to offer customers free shipping on orders over $25.
The Pro Plan costs $39 to join and $5 per year thereafter. The plan makes the price of each book cheaper so that the royalties on each sale are higher. It also gives writers access to more markets.
Amazon Self-Publishing Services
In addition to the free services, Amazon offers a number of optional book publishing services. Writers can have their books edited and their book covers professionally designed for an extra fee. There are also extra marketing services available. An expanded distribution channel is an option that gives book wholesalers access to the book. With this expanded access, wholesale book distributors can purchase copies of the book for libraries and bookstores.
Book Publishing Royalties
Sales that are made in a CreateSpace eStore, Amazon or through the expanded distribution channels earn different royalties. Amazon charges a per-book price plus a per-page charge on each book sale. The royalties are the book's list price minus those charges.
The exact royalties vary with the number of pages in the book, the type of publishing plan the writer chooses and whether the book has color on the interior pages. Amazon provides a royalty calculator to let writers calculate their projected royalties.
Lizz Shepherd - I am a freelance writer specializing, for now, in Web writing. The Web is an enormous place and I have been carving out my own little ...
