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actual book vs e-book contemplating the differences

by Jonathan Ferraro
3 replies
Hey guys,

For one of my niches, I am thinking about publishing an actual book vs an ebook (which is what I have normally done).

I love the idea of having a book listed in Amazon and other book retailers, and customers generally find them more respectable than ebooks.

Here is the problem I am having. When it comes to e-books, everything is so cut and dry. When it comes to publishing an actual book, the process of it all really confuses me.

I have like a hundred questions, and I'm not even sure which ones I should be asking

I know about Lulu and CreateSpace, but I find their websites to be so confusing. It's really hard to figure out what exactly it is I want to do?

I'm curious if there are any warriors who went this route, and what kind of success they had with it, and was it worth the effort?

For instance, I've read that these services ship the book for you, so it's all automated, an that's great since I don't want to have to keep the inventory in my house, yet I can't seem to find a place on the site that mentions how much this costs.

Also, you can put how many books you want to order, and see how much it would cost. My question is why would you have to order your own books? Shouldn't they just be published and shipped the moment it is ordered??

Also, how does lulu know when a book is sold? Or even how it's sold? Whether it be on my own website or in Amazon, etc...

I've got a ton more questions. The costs (with all those extra services) alone are confusing, but I guess I'm just looking for people to tell me whether this is worth pursuing or not, as I can't quite wrap my head around the logistics of it.

Any help would greatly be appreciated.

Thanks
#actual #book #contemplating #differences #ebook
  • Profile picture of the author Mark Riddle
    When it comes to publishing a book, there are many services that provide what is call print on demand.

    What that truly means is the book is not printed until its ordered and there is no need for inventory.

    Now with Amazon, many service include your book on amazon but it shows that it's not currently available.

    Or you can still use a print on demand book printer, and only print 5-20 books and list them in the same listing as the used/new books, showing they are now available to buyers on Amazon.

    Some will buy direct from the amazon link (generally so they can qualify for discounted shipping)

    There are many advantages with physical books, but also remember if your book started out as an e-book or you are writing with no previous book add a kindle version to your marketing plan.

    Even if you never sell any, it gives the buyer a better feeling about the book, making them more likely to purchase.

    Now here is also what is brought up in peoples minds, they see your book is waiting to be re-stocked, and you have a kindle version, people will think that its popular and sold out, because they don't know or understand the Print on demand model for publishers it doesn't show up on their radar.

    Thats just one little tip on how to increase your sales on amazon

    Mark Riddle
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    Today isn't Yesterday, - Products are everywhere if your eyes are Tuned!
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  • Profile picture of the author SteelDanno
    Agreed. Print on demand is interesting. Self Publishing - Lulu.com looks killer if you want to explore that route.
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    • Profile picture of the author Pat Blank
      One of the non-profits I work with uses Lulu for some of their guidebooks. They use the option that you can download the book for free, or purchase it bound for about $15.00. I've had a lot of problems getting the books set up, as you can tell it isn't simple. When the books are ordered, it takes 4-6 weeks or longer.

      Once set up, it's been great. For our purposes it's excellent, but I wouldn't know about using it to make money.

      Best to you - I bet there's a way to do really well with them.
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