The most economical strategy for publishing your book is to print on
demand (POD). This means printing only the books you need when you need
them.

In the
current self-publishing market, there are four POD services that stand out:

Ingram
spark, KDP Print (Amazon’s publishing platforms Kindle + Create Space have
merged), Book Baby, and Blurb.

Reedsy, a
British marketplace for editing, marketing and publishing talent, did a very
helpful survey of
these four POD services.

So, which publisher should you choose? Let’s consider your priorities.

Amazon’s KDP Print

Do you want to print in softcover and ebook formats, with a
relatively easy upload process, low-cost preview books, and Amazon’s
mighty marketplace?  Then choose KDP Print.
This is Amazon’s hybrid publishing platform which combines their former
Createspace with Kindle Direct Publishing. KDP does not charge for
uploading your book. There are no fees until you press “print.” As with
all PODs, you decide how many to print at one time.

If you want the widest possible distribution of your book, when
clicking on distribution options, opt for Amazon but opt out of Amazon’s
expanded distributions services; instead, select IngramSpark’s
distribution network (see below).

Downsides
to KDP books are: bookstores usually do not stock them, there is no option for
hardcover, and there is a significant fee to send your books to sell at other
stores besides Amazon.

Ingram Spark

Ingram Content Group is currently the largest book distributor and wholesaler in the U.S. IngramSpark
is their publishing arm for indie publishers. They excel at
distribution – and they have global partnerships that can expand the
distribution of your book significantly. Ingram also has the largest
variety of retailers and wholesale networks, so if you’re planning to
sell in bookstores, this a good choice. There is a $49 set-up fee.

The
downside to IngramSpark is that this is not a user-friendly experience. There
is a thick set of instructions and minimal customer support. They will flag
formatting issues and leave it to you to fix them. Other POD services will indicate
format problems and try to help you correct them. With IngramSpark, it’s best
if your PDF and cover are perfectly formatted before you submit. This could
mean hiring a designer, adding to your expenses.

BookBaby

People like BookBaby because
they offer a lot of support to self-publishing authors. New authors need
advice regarding POD, ebook production, book editing, design,
marketing, and distribution.

Their platform is easier than most; there is little to no learning
curve. There is a set-up fee of $299, though, which covers their
services.

The
downside is that it’s expensive to distribute your book via BookBaby. Their
distribution options utilize Ingram Content Group, so you’re charged extra for that
service.

Blurb

Blurb is a moderately easy,
versatile publisher that allows you to print books on demand as well as
image-rich works like magazines or photography books. So if your book is
heavily illustrated, Blurb’s software is far more agile than most.
There is no set-up fee, but their production fees are higher than
others. If you need to order in bulk, Blurb offers good volume
discounts. They will also list your book in Ingram’s book catalog for
free.

The downside to Blurb is that you can’t send trade books directly to Amazon for sale; you can send them through Ingram.

The
self-publishing market is constantly innovating and changing. It’s a good idea
to read up to stay current. I read Publisher’s Weekly,
Reedsy,
and Writer’s
Digest.

Next up, how
to set up your writing practice.