Quick Links: What’s the Best Print on Demand Service for Self-published Paperbacks?

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Print on demand is such a wonderful option for authors who want to expand from their eBook offering.  helps you to ask the right questions on what to expect from POD services, and which option is right for you. Go to Self Publishing Advice Center to learn more.

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What’s the Best Print on Demand Service for Self-published Paperbacks?

By Jay Artale

This looks expensive.
This looks expensive.

June 21, 2016

In a new occasional series here on the blog, ALLi’s Communications Manager Jay Artale dips into our vast Author Advice Centre archive of information and distills the answers to some of the most frequent questions among self-publishing authors.

Before you dive headlong into creating a paperback version of your ebook you should ask yourself why you want a print version in the first place, which will give you all the information you need to choose the right print partner to achieve your self-publishing goals.

Many of the decisions regarding printing your books will depend on your goals. If you only intend to sell online, you’ll have fewer decisions to make. If you intend to try and get into brick-and-mortar stores, you have a lot more to consider. Quality and cost are considerations, but ease of use also comes into play when making your POD decisions.

Determine your POD goals

Choosing a print partner is not as much about money as it might seem at first. It’s a decision that can only be answered after you determine exactly what you want to do with your printed book. Here are five questions to ask yourself:

  1. Are you going to be primarily an ebook author with a few printed books for promotional purposes?
  2. Are you going to restrict print sales to online, through the pbook retailer and your own website?
  3. Are you going to limit yourself to a few local or handpicked bookstores?
  4. Are you going to go all out and try to get a distributor and do a print campaign with the associated trade-style publicity in newspapers and other media that is necessary to sell books in this way. If yes, why?
  5. Have you realistically budgeted time and money costs?

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