by A.C. Williams @ACW_Author
Once you get your novel ready to publish, how do you get it into the hands of your readers? How do you get your book onto bookstore shelves? Do you pay someone to do it for you? Do you do it yourself?
Self-publishing presents a tremendous opportunity for authors, but it requires you to make major decisions at every milestone of the publishing journey. Not the least of which is your Distribution Plan.
So far in this series on self-publishing, we’ve talked about setting your goals, understanding your legal rights as a self-published author, and ISBNs. This month, we’re going to focus on distribution: how you get your manuscript into the hands of your readers.
The answer to this question will vary enormously depending on your goals, which is why it’s so important to set your goals first.
Obviously, this little blog post isn’t sufficient to detail every publishing platform in the industry. We’re only going to hit a few of them, but most of the processes in working with them are the same regardless which one you choose.
Let’s start with the basics, though. What is a self-publishing platform?
A self-publishing platform is a tool an author can use to publish, print, and distribute their novels through various distribution channels. The most popular platforms are ones like Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (Amazon KDP), IngramSpark, BookBaby, Smashwords, and Draft2Digital, among many many others.
How do you choose?
Well, that depends on your goals as an author. Most every self-publishing platform distributes everywhere, but not all of them provide a solution ideal for every author.
Do you want your book in libraries? Do you want your book in bookstores? Do you want your book in hardback, paperback, ebook, audiobook formats? Do you want to sell your books at in-person events? Do you want to sell your book through your own website? Are you planning to order a thousand copies of your book?
Choosing a self-publishing platform will depend on how you answer those questions.
If you just want to distribute your book on Amazon, the easiest route is to publish through Amazon KDP. Generally speaking, publishing through KDP is a simple, straightforward process that features tons of documentation, instructions, and even helpful templates.
Through Amazon KDP, you can publish ebooks, paperback books, hardback books (without a dust jacket), and audiobooks (through their partnership with ACX). They offer a variety of trim sizes, different kinds of interior options, and several other personalization options.
If you price your ebook between $2.99 and $9.99, you are eligible for a 70% royalty. If your price is below $2.99 or above $9.99, the royalty drops to 35%. For paperbacks, the royalty is usually 60%. (Note: Those percentages are for sales in the United States only.)
Additionally, if you elect to ONLY distribute your book on Amazon, you can enroll it in Amazon KDP Select. This allows several other opportunities, such as special promotions and giving Amazon Unlimited customers free access (for which you receive payment per pages read).
However, even if you select Expanded Distribution when you are setting up your Amazon KDP paperback or hardback, most bookstores will not purchase from Amazon. Period. They don’t distribute to libraries either.
If you want to distribute your book to more retail locations than just Amazon, a good alternative is IngramSpark. IngramSpark also publishes ebooks, paperbacks, and hardbacks (with or without a dust jacket). But they are the better choice for distribution to libraries or bookstores.
However, if you want to distribute to a retailer, you usually need to include a retailer discount of 40% to 55% on each title. Additionally, IngramSpark’s costs are higher than Amazon’s, so you usually need to charge more per title in order to make a profit. Plus, IngramSpark also requires a $50 charge to upload a title to their catalog, as well as an extra charge for any corrections or adjustments that need to be made to the title after it’s approved.
So what if you want to go all digital and just distribute ebooks? Well, one of the most comprehensive options is Draft2Digital, which allows you to set up your ebook and distribute it to most major ebook retailers, including Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Overdrive, and many many others.
An interesting point, Draft2Digital also offers paperback printing and supposedly works with some major retailers, similar to IngramSpark. However, their print program is still relatively new, in comparison to other platforms.
But what about doing your own distribution? The latest trend among self-publishers is Direct Sales, building and setting up your own online store that carries both ebooks and physical books. Can any of these self-publishing platforms accommodate that sort of distribution strategy?
Well, sure. But in these cases, it depends on how much storage space you have. If you have the space and the interest in managing oodles and gobs of your own inventory and fulfilling shipping orders, you can absolutely use any of these platforms. However, most authors don’t want to do that.
If that’s the case, you should consider looking into platforms like BookVault or Lulu Direct. Both of these platforms allow you to print your book at their location, and then they ship it directly to the customer for you. (Returns are another topic for another day.)
Authors with their own online stores have had the most success with distributing their own ebooks and audiobooks. Platforms such as BookFunnel provide the solution for listing an ebook or audiobook for sale and delivering a purchase via email.
Are those the only options? Heavens, no. Those are just a handful. And that’s not even mentioning the many, many others that focus on large-scale print runs in the thousands. If you’re printing thousands of copies of your book, then you will need a warehouse to store them in, which usually requires an extra fee.
No matter what distribution strategy you have in mind for your book, there is a self-publishing platform that will work for you. But that’s why it’s so important to understand your goals before you get to this step.
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so timely and deeply appreciated! thanks, amy!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much. I'm still trying to decide between traditional or self-publishing. This information is immensely helpful.
ReplyDelete