I’m releasing my debut novel on May 31st, and after months (yes, months), of back and forth with Ingram, I’ve decided to pull the title from Ingram, and publish through KDP, and also, offer a collector’s edition of my hardcover (with dust jacket), through my website (that’s through Lulu). I’m doing signings, and offering other goodies, so that’s why I’m not going to use their “selling direct to consumer” tool on my site (because then I cannot sign, etc), but, I’m very excited to receive the Lulu version. I’ve heard great things about them, and they seem like they truly care about the author, and the consumer, equally. The KDP proof I got is, okay.. but, with the premium materials and all with Lulu, I’m so excited to see how that version turns out. This was a great video Dale! Thank you!
If you're planning to sign copies, I'm curious how you're going to handle fulfillment. Are you going to warehouse at a location easily accessible for you and also handle shipping?
@@mac878 so, when I order author copies through KDP, the shipping will be relatively cheaper (Prime), plus the book cost themselves will be lower (because they’re author copies - so, I’m not purchasing at full price, I’m purchasing at print cost), and I’m just starting out, so I’m not expecting a crazy amount of orders on day one (but you never know). The only unfortunate thing about KDP is they don’t offer the author copies until after the book is published, so, imagine this process… my book is published (goes live), and then I’m going to immediately jump on KDP, order a bunch of author copies right away, for those who have told me they’d purchase a copy, and some more, and then those will be sent to me.. then, once I have them in my possession, I can sign them, throw the free bookmark into them, and send them out. This is only through my website as well, so.. I’m not expecting crazy numbers, but you never know. They’ll be delivered to my address at home, and I’ll ship them from around where I live. I could have a direct to consumer link on my website, but then I’m not able to sign the books. I want to really create a unique experience from myself to the customer.. signed copy, free bookmark, handwritten thank you note, etc. It will be a lot of work, but that’s okay, I want to build a very trusting relationship with my readers, but give them a unique, more personal experience as well. And there may come a day where I’m unable to do that due to the influx of orders, and if that happens, I guess that’s the dream, right? So, then I would quit my day job and solely concentrate on this entire process, as well as writing.
@@jonathanbaumler Thank you for explaining that further. I just hadn't heard of starting that way. An interesting idea for distributing more signed copies initially. A nice approach to building a supportive and engaging audience. The importance of building a relationship with your early adopters will make up for the work you're putting in up front. You've given me a lot to consider regarding customer experience. Hope Lulu goes well. Much success.
This video is AMAZING! It is so chock full of info that I didn't know or needed updates on. I will be reviewing this periodically. Thanks so much for putting this list together!
I would have given this informative video 10 Thumbs up, but YT wouldn't let me.... another great training packed with what you need to know regarding print books in 2024.
I'm focused on providing options for a global audience. If you're looking for options that are specific to that market, you'll have to search for German-based TH-cam channels that cover publishing like I do. For now, I answer to the global audience and not just one specific area.
Wow thank you so much for this video! So helpful. I am writing my first book. It is an illustrated children’s book. Do you have a preference for this type?
Ooo, you're going to want to look into KDP, IngramSpark, Bookvault, and Lulu. Run some test proofs through each of them. The only limiting factor you have is hardcover. KDP has a ridiculous minimum page count for hardcovers (I believe it's 74 or 75 pages), so if you can't meet that minimum, try the other companies. For quality, Bookvault and Lulu are head and shoulders above the rest (in my opinion). But, Lulu tends to be a bit pricey for base costs. Bookvault is more around the same pricing as IngramSpark - slightly more expensive than KDP. I hope that helps. Hey, have you ever checked out Self-Publishing Made Simple with April Cox? She's my go-to expert in children's book publishing. Ask her that question and you'll get a more detailed response. I stand behind whatever she recommends since she's helped hundreds of authors publish children's books. I hope that helps and thanks so much for watching and commenting.
Please help me understand, sorry I'm new...do we keep the rights to our books for all of these platforms? Can we sell our books on all of them at the same time? If not can you please clarify which ones you can publish on at the same time? Thank you so much, this channel is a great help!
Yeah, you keep the rights. As for what avenues you can use simultaneously, you’ll have to go back through the video and ear mark which ones don’t have overlap (namely any platform using Ingram).
Thank you for the video Dale that is a lot of great information. I used D2D to get my e-books as print books and once they are printed they are on sale at Amazon , Barnes & Noble and others (through D2D of course). I found out from D2D that when someone buys a print book from them it does take 3-4 months for the author to receive payment; I only just received payment from D2D on a print book which was sold in January 2024. On a live D2D call a while ago I was hearing from other authors that on Amazon they had great difficulty in trying to the settings to format their print books but luckily when they went through D2D it was a lot easier for them. D2D has a lot of advantages for print books.
Hi! What was the company that allowed you to only pay for the specific number of color pages needed? I'm pretty sure you mentioned it on a previous video. I thought it was Lulu, but I don't see the option there. Thanks!
@@DaleLRoberts Thanks so much. I appreciate your prompt reply. My Amazon KDP account just got terminated yesterday. I have uploaded my books on Barnes and Noble for some time now, but I have not gotten any sales. I thought of trying Bookvault because I am in the UK. Driving traffic to other non-Amazon sites seems to be the problem, but I am trying to see if I can get my Amazon KDP account back. I know that concentrating on Amazon is not advisable in the long run.😥
Sorry to hear that. Good luck! And remember, if you want to sell more books, you must actively market and promote them. No platform is going to sell the books for you, so you have to put in the work to get the results. Bookvault is worth a shot, but bear in mind, you'll have to account for upload fees (use code BVDALE to waive three uploads) and ISBNs. I spoke with the reps at Bookvault and they said they're more focused on distributing fiction and nonfiction, not so much low content books. Does that mean you can't sell low content books through them? No, but it certainly shows that low content books aren't a high priority for Bookvault. Again, good luck! You've got this.
With Lulu I gave them a suggestion (especially for series writers, like me lol) about making book bundles. Note: Bookvault has book bundles which makes it awesome for series writers.
Have a budget of zero to just a little. Getting my second book ready now. Tried Rose Dog, do not go anywhere near them! Dorramce is the parent company. What platform do you suggest? I am looking at your channel for videos on using a free version of Canva and MicroSoft Word as my tools.
Amazon KDP is a great place to start. Go through their free course, KDP Jumpstart. They even have videos showing you how to format with Microsoft Word. That should help you get started. As for my videos, I’ve got a LOT so browse through them to see what strikes your fancy.
KDP is probably your best bet. But frankly you should have a budget greater than zero. Because if you want your book to be a quality book, you’ll need to spend some money on editorial services. A badly edited book will get you terrible reviews and no one will buy your book. In addition, even though you want to use Canvas, I suggest paying a small amount at a place such as FIVERR to get a professionally made cover. Good luck!
@@yawboateng8188 Thanks for the feed back. I understand and agree about the editing services but use most of what I get on disability to pay bills and buy food. Will check into FIVERR. If I can find a service that does not cost too much, may be able to swing editing. Will delay my book by a month or two but may be worth it in the end. Thanks.
Are there any aggregators that publish print books through Amazon, B&N, etc, that enable/offer Prime shipping for Amazon Prime members? The reason why this is important is that if one publishes a physical book through an aggregator and Amazon Prime members have to pay shipping fees to get it, they are less likely to order it than a book that they could get with free Prime shipping. This could significantly effect sales.
I believe that I have fallen prey to a scam from Writers of USA. This is my bad for not doing due diligence. I am so confused and frustrated at this point but have not given up! Will KDP ask for bank account and routing information when signing up? I am a little cautious right now.
Hey, Mark, sorry to hear about your issues. Yes, KDP will ask you for your bank account information and your tax ID. If you want to be paid, you have to give it to them. BUT...big but here...do NOT go anywhere else other than Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing site (KDP dot Amazon dot com). There are some hucksters out there who use Amazon's branding to fool authors into using their site instead. Forgive my link mention; it's so my comment doesn't get flagged by TH-cam for outbound links. They're weird like that.
I can't recall what I said in the video, so you'll have to hit that point again to find out. It seems like I remember all these fine details, but I don't. haha
My major complaint about the ISBN numbers and this goes against a lot of companies, you cannot use your own ISBN number if you use it elsewhere and those ISBN numbers you purchase are not cheap. While you can get a free one, which is another headache, lol.
You can use the your own ISBN with various companies, but if it’s in use with one avenue that overlaps with another, then it’ll block access. I believe I discussed duplicate publishing in the video.
@@DaleLRoberts Yea you did. I just don't like that lol. I know you mentioned why but I also do not like using the free ones either as you are restricted and even Barnes and Nobles does this. Just a grip I have lol
Sadly, that’s not a platform issue, more an ISBN issue. We’d have to complain to the organizations that give us ISBNs. And yeah, agreed on the free ones.
There was so much information that I watched it twice to make sure I understood it all. 👍
Glad it was helpful! And thanks so much for watching twice.
I studied this video like 5 times. You're a lifesaver Dale. Thank you.
Glad it helped!
I’m releasing my debut novel on May 31st, and after months (yes, months), of back and forth with Ingram, I’ve decided to pull the title from Ingram, and publish through KDP, and also, offer a collector’s edition of my hardcover (with dust jacket), through my website (that’s through Lulu). I’m doing signings, and offering other goodies, so that’s why I’m not going to use their “selling direct to consumer” tool on my site (because then I cannot sign, etc), but, I’m very excited to receive the Lulu version. I’ve heard great things about them, and they seem like they truly care about the author, and the consumer, equally. The KDP proof I got is, okay.. but, with the premium materials and all with Lulu, I’m so excited to see how that version turns out. This was a great video Dale! Thank you!
Sweet, good luck!
If you're planning to sign copies, I'm curious how you're going to handle fulfillment. Are you going to warehouse at a location easily accessible for you and also handle shipping?
@@mac878 so, when I order author copies through KDP, the shipping will be relatively cheaper (Prime), plus the book cost themselves will be lower (because they’re author copies - so, I’m not purchasing at full price, I’m purchasing at print cost), and I’m just starting out, so I’m not expecting a crazy amount of orders on day one (but you never know). The only unfortunate thing about KDP is they don’t offer the author copies until after the book is published, so, imagine this process… my book is published (goes live), and then I’m going to immediately jump on KDP, order a bunch of author copies right away, for those who have told me they’d purchase a copy, and some more, and then those will be sent to me.. then, once I have them in my possession, I can sign them, throw the free bookmark into them, and send them out. This is only through my website as well, so.. I’m not expecting crazy numbers, but you never know. They’ll be delivered to my address at home, and I’ll ship them from around where I live. I could have a direct to consumer link on my website, but then I’m not able to sign the books. I want to really create a unique experience from myself to the customer.. signed copy, free bookmark, handwritten thank you note, etc. It will be a lot of work, but that’s okay, I want to build a very trusting relationship with my readers, but give them a unique, more personal experience as well. And there may come a day where I’m unable to do that due to the influx of orders, and if that happens, I guess that’s the dream, right? So, then I would quit my day job and solely concentrate on this entire process, as well as writing.
@jonathanbaumler Sounds Good. Only issue with KDP and author Copies, is that they come with an annoying watermark on the book cover
@@jonathanbaumler Thank you for explaining that further. I just hadn't heard of starting that way. An interesting idea for distributing more signed copies initially. A nice approach to building a supportive and engaging audience. The importance of building a relationship with your early adopters will make up for the work you're putting in up front. You've given me a lot to consider regarding customer experience. Hope Lulu goes well. Much success.
This…..is EVERYTHING…..
❤️🌞🙏
Thanks!
This video is AMAZING! It is so chock full of info that I didn't know or needed updates on. I will be reviewing this periodically. Thanks so much for putting this list together!
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for the kudos.
I would have given this informative video 10 Thumbs up, but YT wouldn't let me.... another great training packed with what you need to know regarding print books in 2024.
Wow, thanks! I really appreciate the kind words.
Very thorough and with useful links in description. Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
Great post, Dale! But we'll like you to talk about German book retailers alternative to kdp
I'm focused on providing options for a global audience. If you're looking for options that are specific to that market, you'll have to search for German-based TH-cam channels that cover publishing like I do. For now, I answer to the global audience and not just one specific area.
Wow thank you so much for this video! So helpful. I am writing my first book. It is an illustrated children’s book. Do you have a preference for this type?
Ooo, you're going to want to look into KDP, IngramSpark, Bookvault, and Lulu. Run some test proofs through each of them. The only limiting factor you have is hardcover. KDP has a ridiculous minimum page count for hardcovers (I believe it's 74 or 75 pages), so if you can't meet that minimum, try the other companies. For quality, Bookvault and Lulu are head and shoulders above the rest (in my opinion). But, Lulu tends to be a bit pricey for base costs. Bookvault is more around the same pricing as IngramSpark - slightly more expensive than KDP. I hope that helps.
Hey, have you ever checked out Self-Publishing Made Simple with April Cox? She's my go-to expert in children's book publishing. Ask her that question and you'll get a more detailed response. I stand behind whatever she recommends since she's helped hundreds of authors publish children's books.
I hope that helps and thanks so much for watching and commenting.
Please help me understand, sorry I'm new...do we keep the rights to our books for all of these platforms? Can we sell our books on all of them at the same time? If not can you please clarify which ones you can publish on at the same time? Thank you so much, this channel is a great help!
Yeah, you keep the rights. As for what avenues you can use simultaneously, you’ll have to go back through the video and ear mark which ones don’t have overlap (namely any platform using Ingram).
Thank you for the video Dale that is a lot of great information. I used D2D to get my e-books as print books and once they are printed they are on sale at Amazon , Barnes & Noble and others (through D2D of course). I found out from D2D that when someone buys a print book from them it does take 3-4 months for the author to receive payment; I only just received payment from D2D on a print book which was sold in January 2024. On a live D2D call a while ago I was hearing from other authors that on Amazon they had great difficulty in trying to the settings to format their print books but luckily when they went through D2D it was a lot easier for them. D2D has a lot of advantages for print books.
Yes, Ingram collects that payment, then sends it to D2D, so it’s a whole process. Thanks for sharing your experience with D2D.
Thank you so much for making this video!
My pleasure!
Hi! What was the company that allowed you to only pay for the specific number of color pages needed? I'm pretty sure you mentioned it on a previous video. I thought it was Lulu, but I don't see the option there. Thanks!
BookVault. I don’t know if Lulu does, so contact their support.
Thank you for the informative video. Which site is best for low-content books ( coloring books/activity books?). Thank you.
Start with KDP, then consider other sites like Barnes & Noble Press and Lulu.
@@DaleLRoberts Thanks so much. I appreciate your prompt reply. My Amazon KDP account just got terminated yesterday. I have uploaded my books on Barnes and Noble for some time now, but I have not gotten any sales. I thought of trying Bookvault because I am in the UK. Driving traffic to other non-Amazon sites seems to be the problem, but I am trying to see if I can get my Amazon KDP account back. I know that concentrating on Amazon is not advisable in the long run.😥
Sorry to hear that. Good luck!
And remember, if you want to sell more books, you must actively market and promote them. No platform is going to sell the books for you, so you have to put in the work to get the results.
Bookvault is worth a shot, but bear in mind, you'll have to account for upload fees (use code BVDALE to waive three uploads) and ISBNs. I spoke with the reps at Bookvault and they said they're more focused on distributing fiction and nonfiction, not so much low content books. Does that mean you can't sell low content books through them? No, but it certainly shows that low content books aren't a high priority for Bookvault.
Again, good luck! You've got this.
@@DaleLRoberts Thank you so much.
With Lulu I gave them a suggestion (especially for series writers, like me lol) about making book bundles. Note: Bookvault has book bundles which makes it awesome for series writers.
That’d be nice. I can’t wait till BookVault launches physical box sets. Hopefully any day now.
Have a budget of zero to just a little. Getting my second book ready now. Tried Rose Dog, do not go anywhere near them! Dorramce is the parent company. What platform do you suggest? I am looking at your channel for videos on using a free version of Canva and MicroSoft Word as my tools.
Amazon KDP is a great place to start. Go through their free course, KDP Jumpstart. They even have videos showing you how to format with Microsoft Word. That should help you get started. As for my videos, I’ve got a LOT so browse through them to see what strikes your fancy.
KDP is probably your best bet. But frankly you should have a budget greater than zero. Because if you want your book to be a quality book, you’ll need to spend some money on editorial services. A badly edited book will get you terrible reviews and no one will buy your book. In addition, even though you want to use Canvas, I suggest paying a small amount at a place such as FIVERR to get a professionally made cover. Good luck!
@@yawboateng8188 Thanks for the feed back. I understand and agree about the editing services but use most of what I get on disability to pay bills and buy food. Will check into FIVERR. If I can find a service that does not cost too much, may be able to swing editing. Will delay my book by a month or two but may be worth it in the end. Thanks.
Thanks!
Oh, wow! I appreciate the Super Thanks. It's always a pleasant surprise, so I'm 100% grateful for your generous gesture.
Please make a video on how to publish on draft2digital. Because of my books haven't been published since 3 weeks
I don’t think you need a how to publish on D2D video, you need to contact D2D support. If they haven’t published it, get with them.
I am Canadian...can I self publish from all of them from Cairo, where I currently live?
You’ll have to check with each platform.
I wonder which is best for a photography book, seems geared mostly for writers books
Look into Blurb, Lulu, or BookVault.
@@DaleLRoberts thank you
Are there any aggregators that publish print books through Amazon, B&N, etc, that enable/offer Prime shipping for Amazon Prime members?
The reason why this is important is that if one publishes a physical book through an aggregator and Amazon Prime members have to pay shipping fees to get it, they are less likely to order it than a book that they could get with free Prime shipping. This could significantly effect sales.
If you want Amazon Prime, you’ll have to go direct.
I believe that I have fallen prey to a scam from Writers of USA. This is my bad for not doing due diligence. I am so confused and frustrated at this point but have not given up! Will KDP ask for bank account and routing information when signing up? I am a little cautious right now.
Hey, Mark, sorry to hear about your issues. Yes, KDP will ask you for your bank account information and your tax ID. If you want to be paid, you have to give it to them. BUT...big but here...do NOT go anywhere else other than Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing site (KDP dot Amazon dot com). There are some hucksters out there who use Amazon's branding to fool authors into using their site instead. Forgive my link mention; it's so my comment doesn't get flagged by TH-cam for outbound links. They're weird like that.
Please can you make a video on how to publish on book vault?
I’ll see what I can do.
With ingram there is a new region that you can sign an agreement with and it is called Sharjah Distribution Agreement
Yep, I discussed it on the podcast a few weeks ago.
You didn't mention which of these allow book store returns.
Good point, but I did mention one - IngramSpark. I guess you missed that part.
So D2D min page count is 64? Just making sure I understand.
I can't recall what I said in the video, so you'll have to hit that point again to find out. It seems like I remember all these fine details, but I don't. haha
@@DaleLRoberts it's what was said. But the way it was presented, I wasn't quite sure.
I try to communicate clearly as possible, so I’m sorry if you missed that point or didn’t quite understand it. Thanks for letting me know.
My major complaint about the ISBN numbers and this goes against a lot of companies, you cannot use your own ISBN number if you use it elsewhere and those ISBN numbers you purchase are not cheap. While you can get a free one, which is another headache, lol.
You can use the your own ISBN with various companies, but if it’s in use with one avenue that overlaps with another, then it’ll block access. I believe I discussed duplicate publishing in the video.
@@DaleLRoberts Yea you did. I just don't like that lol. I know you mentioned why but I also do not like using the free ones either as you are restricted and even Barnes and Nobles does this. Just a grip I have lol
Sadly, that’s not a platform issue, more an ISBN issue. We’d have to complain to the organizations that give us ISBNs. And yeah, agreed on the free ones.
@@DaleLRoberts Yes I know just a complaint. But thanks for the video. It helps.
which platform will format your book for print?
Look into Draft2Digital.