Leveraging On-Demand Book Publishing to Increase Profitability
What if there was a way for self-publishers to increase profitability while reducing any financial risks associated with their books? On-demand book publishing promises to help with both.
Digital printing on demand means copies of books are printed one by one as people order them. Most publishers also fulfill customer orders and relieve authors of the responsibility.
In the long-term arc of publishing books, print on demand is a relatively recent innovation made possible by digital printing equipment, which operates differently than traditional offset.
With Print on Demand, Where Do I Sell My Book?
Nearly all books printed on demand are sold online, where digital imagery and descriptions are what shoppers expect to find. It’s different from books published in advance that can be placed in bookstores.
On-demand book printing is a phenomenon of the internet where people will buy copies without seeing the book first.
Today, there are vast online bookselling opportunities, and self-publishers who are content to reach that market only are the best candidates for print-on-demand. Other print methods may offer more opportunities for those who want to sell in bookstores or other retail options like big box stores.
What Makes On-Demand Printing Profitable?
Companies offering on-demand publishing for books sold online customarily cite several potential financial advantages. The most significant opportunity has to do with inventory.
- Zero inventory cost
- Possible content preparation support with upload templates
- Order fulfillment service
- Exposure for your book through major online sellers
- Less time commitment from authors once the book is written
Today’s print-on-demand systems are extensive. When you place your book in that sales channel, you become one of the thousands of authors participating in the segment.
Many decisions, such as your percentage of the profits from your book, are determined by the on-demand company based on their formula and specific details about your book. The process isn’t always entirely transparent.
How Can I Make the Most Money Selling My Book?
The book industry offers many printing and sales models that vary in profitability. Each one can be beneficial for particular authors and other self-publishers. Understanding your book’s potential to sell to its target readers has much to do with it.
For example, authors who write books that are required reading for classes of training courses can count on steady sales. Writers who are established and have written successful books already can more easily forecast how their next title may sell. If you’re a favorite of book clubs, you may be able to count on bulk sales.
If you have no idea about your potential book sales, are content to sell only online, and expect nearly all sales to be one copy at a time, you might decide printing books on demand is your most profitable option – or that it is the least risky.
How Do You Determine a Book’s Profitability
In the simplest terms, profit is the difference between how much you pay to print a copy of your book and how much someone pays to buy it. It’s a classic financial model upon which all business transactions take place.
Can you make selling books more profitable?
One way is reducing your cost to print copies, and the other is raising the price people pay for the book. Excellent books, professionally produced, can command higher prices. But the marketplace is competitive, and higher prices can slow sales.
Therefore, improving the profitability of your book is a balancing act between lowering your printing cost and setting your price a bit higher, depending on the competition.
Where Can I Find More Profitable Book Printing Options?
At Acutrack, we make improving the profitability of self-published books our number one priority. As we’ve built our business, we’ve examined every angle to develop a better solution. We’ve created a system that maximizes the profitability of self-published books in five ways.
- Competitive pricing on book printing
- Low financial and inventory risk
- Book order fulfillment service
- Print customization services
- Outstanding customer service
Our solution relies on a just-in-time model that lowers inventory costs, allows you to keep more profits from your book, and comes with an order fulfillment service.
We strive to give you all the profit advantages of on-demand printing with higher quality printing and fast service to delight your customers.
What On-Demand Companies Pay Authors the Most?
How much on-demand book printers pay authors depends on various factors. Some of them are decided behind the scenes at companies providing the service. There can be a reduction in profitability in exchange for the complete inventory risk protection they provide.
Therefore, one of the biggest questions for self-publishers to answer is about goals for their books. If selling many copies and profitability is the top priority, it may be wise to consider many options.
For example, if you see your book as a marketing vehicle to increase your business’ profits, working inside the print-on-demand system may cost you opportunities.
It’s common today for people to write books to gain new clients and customers. For them, selling books in many places, including their own websites, can be essential – because they gain access to customer data for future marketing initiatives.
Will I Make More Money Printing On-Demand?
If your book will have limited sales, you may find print-on-demand the easiest way to earn a profit on your book. For self-publishers with more confidence about their book’s sales, a different method like our just-in-time book printing system (with order fulfillment) at Acutrack can work better.
It’s also as easy to set your book up for printing with us as with large print-on-demand companies. We provide the same electronic submission convenience but give you many more options to upgrade your printing if desired.
Your book says a lot about you or your company. If you can make an excellent branding statement with increased profits thanks to the printing method you choose, you’ll be better off in the long run.
