How do dead trees turn into books in people’s hands? It’s not magic. Behind the scenes, thousands of people work hard to ensure books get from the printer into the hands of readers like you.
If you want your book to end up in readers’ hands, Tracy Higley can help. She is the author of more than 15 books, both fiction and nonfiction. She also runs an ecommerce website and an order fulfillment and logistics company that works with traditionally published authors. As the CEO of Stonewater Books, she helps independent authors get print books into the retail supply chain. In short, she really knows what she’s talking about.
Thomas: How did you get into the fulfillment business in the first place?
Tracy: We kind of fell into ecommerce by accident. It’s a funny story. Our 11-year-old daughter wanted to go to horse camp in the summer. We told her that if she made some money, we’d cover the rest. She started selling items online on eBay, and it took off from there. This was back in 2004, when ecommerce was just starting. We realized we could make some extra money, so I pushed into it a bit more. We started a website, learned as we went, and it quickly turned into a full-time business. My husband was able to quit his job, and we began doing ecommerce full-time.
As we got better, we launched other websites with different products and became proficient at shipping. People started asking us to handle their shipping because they wanted to sell online but didn’t want to deal with logistics. A few years ago, we started a logistics and order fulfillment branch. We ship our own products and also handle shipping for other sellers.
Meanwhile, because I’ve been writing books, I’ve also gotten into the distribution and fulfillment side of books specifically.
How does a dead tree turn into a book on someone’s shelf?
Thomas: Walk us through that supply chain.
Tracy: So, obviously, we’re talking about print books when we mention “dead trees.” That’s primarily our focus today: print books. We all probably understand how ebooks get into e-readers.
A lot is involved in producing print books: printing and binding, distribution, warehousing and storage, getting the books to bookstores or online retailers, and shipping directly to customers. The book passes through many steps and hands.
If you’re traditionally published, your publisher handles all of this, making it seem like magic when you tell your readers, “Hey, I’ve got a new book out,” and they can order it immediately. If you’re indie published, it’s a bit trickier, and you really need to think through your options.
Why are books put into a warehouse?
Thomas: Why are books put into a warehouse? Why aren’t they sent to all the customers right away?
Tracy: It’s about streamlining the process as much as possible. Individual bookstores, whether physical or online, have their specific ordering processes and preferred distributors. For example, a small mom-and-pop bookstore down the road, or any brick-and-mortar bookstore, prefers to order from specific distributors rather than dealing with every single publisher or independent author. This helps them aggregate their orders, get shipping deals and discounts, and have a sales representative.
Ordering from a distributor makes sense because it’s not efficient to spend 20 minutes on phone calls to sell a $20 book for a $2 profit. Bookstores typically don’t carry many copies of any one title on their shelves. They want to order from a distributor who can house all the print books in one place and ship them in bulk according to their weekly or monthly orders.
Distributors facilitate this by aggregating books, allowing bookstores to place consolidated orders for various titles. This system ensures that bookstores can efficiently manage their inventory and keep costs down.
Thomas: I’m picturing the warehouse from Indiana Jones, with box after box. Instead of rare artifacts, each crate is filled with books. Retailers place orders to this warehouse, where someone retrieves the requested books and mails them to the retailer. This way, regardless of who wrote or published the book, the retailer only needs to contact one central warehouse.
Tracy: Right. I’ve walked through those warehouses, and they are organized a bit differently. Your book isn’t just in a crate somewhere with the Ark of the Covenant. It’s likely on a pallet, in a box or two on a shelf, and there may even be some loose copies on a shelf. The picker, the person who fulfills orders in the warehouse, will go to these locations, pick your book, and gather other books as well to fill the order.
Thomas: The actual ordering is done by the computer. When you buy a book at Barnes and Noble, and it scans with a “dink” on the barcode reader, the computer likely places an order for a replacement book. Sometimes, it orders two, sometimes none, but let’s assume it’s ordering a replacement. This prompts the warehouse to receive an order: “Oh, somebody bought a copy from Barnes and Noble. We need to replace that copy.” The book is then added to the next shipment.
A picker in the warehouse receives a list of items to find, which includes your book among other items. The picker retrieves the books, and they are packed into a box. This box is then delivered from the warehouse to Barnes and Noble.
Tracy: Typically, Barnes and Noble will pay for the shipping. The shipping method depends on the size of the order and the distributor’s arrangements. If it’s a full container truckload, a freight company will handle it. If it’s a single box, it might be sent via FedEx. The specific freight carrier used depends on the size of the receiving store and the size of the order, ensuring the most efficient delivery method is chosen.
Thomas: Before 2020, no one paid attention to supply chains because it didn’t affect our daily lives. During the pandemic in 2020, supply chain issues suddenly impacted everything. Have you seen the publishing supply chains disrupted, or are books still flowing through the system?
Tracy: I wouldn’t say the supply chain has been disrupted to the point of stopping entirely, but a major issue has been Amazon significantly reducing its orders from publishers and distributors. They started prioritizing essential items and deemed print books non-essential. For example, toilet paper took precedence over print books.
We are still uncertain about the long-term effects of the pandemic on the publishing industry. When ereaders and ebooks first entered the market, many predicted the demise of print books. However, print books continue to make up a significant portion of the market. Print is not dead.
The pandemic may have pushed more people towards ebooks due to the inability to browse physical stores and changing buying habits. However, buying online does not necessarily mean buying ebooks. Many people still purchase print books online.
We don’t yet know the full impact of these buying shifts, but print books are likely here to stay. Many millennials, for example, prefer print. Therefore, it’s important to recognize that while some people exclusively read ebooks or listen to audiobooks, many still prefer print books. If you’re publishing a book, there’s still a strong case for producing print versions alongside ebooks.
What’s the difference between distribution and fulfillment?
Thomas: A lot of authors think distribution and fulfillment are the same, but there is an important difference between them.
Tracy: When we talk about distribution, we’re referring to getting your book into the supply chain. This means placing your book where bookstores typically order their books. Whether it’s an indie bookstore or a large online retailer like Barnes and Noble, retailers can place an order for various books, and these orders are fulfilled by the distributor, arriving in one box, crate, pallet, or truckload. This is what we mean by distribution: getting your book into the supply chain where retailers source their inventory.
Fulfillment, on the other hand, involves getting the book directly into the hands of readers. This can be done in various ways. You could handle fulfillment yourself, perhaps even out of your garage, with your kids helping to label bubble mailers and take them to the post office. Alternatively, you could hire someone or a fulfillment provider to manage this process. Essentially, you’re acting as your own distributor, figuring out how to sell the books and ensuring they are shipped to customers, whether you do it yourself or outsource it.
Thomas: Distribution means being in the computer system at Barnes and Noble, so they know who to contact to order the book. Fulfillment is getting the book from one place to another. You can be in the computer system, but if your book is marked “out of stock,” they can’t fulfill the order. Conversely, you can handle fulfillment directly by shipping books yourself, like when someone calls and asks for 20 copies of your book for a Bible study, and you ship them the books. That’s fulfillment without distribution.
Some people only handle distribution, some only fulfillment, and many companies do both. There are multiple warehouses, but Ingram is arguably the largest, although Amazon has its own warehouses that rival Ingram’s size.
How can indie authors benefit from the supply chain?
Thomas: In the past, self-published authors haven’t had access to the supply chain unless they put on a mask and pretended to be a big publisher. How has that changed?
Tracy: There are two main routes for indie authors. The right route for you depends on a few factors, with one of the most important being your goal. Every author should ask themselves: What is my goal in selling print books?
Is your goal audience reach? Do you want to get your book into the hands of as many people as possible, regardless of the revenue per book or total revenue? Is your goal revenue, focusing on total earnings or earnings per book to maximize profit? Or is your goal simplicity, where you prefer the most straightforward, hands-off approach, even if it means sacrificing some revenue, sales, or audience reach?
You need to think through which strategy aligns with your primary goal. The two general strategies are print-on-demand and getting your book into distribution. Print-on-demand allows for easy and flexible printing without needing a large inventory, while distribution means getting your book into a warehouse where any bookstore can order it.
Thomas: If you’re going with print-on-demand, you really only need to work with one or two companies: Amazon, which has its own print-on-demand service, or IngramSpark. Most other companies claiming to offer print-on-demand services simply purchase from these two and sell to you at a markup. Therefore, it usually doesn’t make sense to pay anyone else when you can deal directly with Amazon or IngramSpark and save money.
Both Amazon and IngramSpark claim to provide distribution. When they say they offer distribution for your print-on-demand book, what exactly do they mean?
Tracy: When they say they provide distribution, they do not mean they will put any effort into selling your book. They won’t market or push your book in any way. What they mean is they will list your book in the industry-wide system so it can be ordered. For example, if your grandmother walks into a bookstore three states away and asks to order your book, the bookstore clerk can look up your name and title and see that the book is available. It might take a little while, but they can order it.
That’s what they mean by distribution: making the book available and orderable.
Regarding IngramSpark and Amazon’s print-on-demand programs, while you mentioned choosing one, I would actually advise using both. If you opt for Amazon’s expanded distribution, very few bookstores or distributors will buy from Amazon, and you’ll earn less money per book. Therefore, it’s beneficial to also use IngramSpark’s print-on-demand service. This will improve your overall distribution and potentially increase your earnings.
Thomas: There’s a soft boycott on Amazon. Indie bookstores, ChristianBook.com, and Barnes and Noble all hate giving money to Amazon.
Tracy: Retailers will be hesitant to order your book from Amazon. Some might even outright refuse, telling customers they can’t get the book if it’s only available through Amazon. If the bookstore clerk sees that Amazon is the only source, they might tell your grandmother they can’t order it.
Therefore, if you’re using Amazon’s print-on-demand, I also recommend using IngramSpark. IngramSpark’s distribution model is better for reaching retailers that are not Amazon.
Thomas: IngramSpark has another advantage: they have print-on-demand machines in other countries. For example, they can print and fulfill your book in Australia. This avoids high tariffs and expensive shipping costs associated with printing in the U.S. and mailing to Australia. Printing and fulfilling locally in Australia is much more efficient. IngramSpark boasts the largest global network of printers and fulfillment centers, which is their major strength.
However, it’s important to note that all you’re getting from IngramSpark or Amazon is a listing in the industry system, like being in the white pages with a phone number. There is no effort made to promote your book.
How do you ensure bookstores order copies of your book to put on the shelves for customers to discover?
Thomas: How do you make your book stand out and get bookstores to order it ahead of time rather than waiting for someone to request it?
Tracy: Getting bookstores to order your book is a significant challenge when using print-on-demand. Generally, they won’t do it unless it’s a local bookstore where you personally walk in and inform them about your new release, suggesting they stock it because you’ll be directing readers there.
Another exception is if you have a marketing platform or contacts at the bookstore that can encourage them to order in advance.
Print-on-demand books are not typically ordered ahead of time because the concept itself is to print books as needed, based on demand. Stores wait for orders before stocking the book. Without your proactive effort to persuade them otherwise, it’s unlikely they will have the book on the shelf in advance, which makes this a difficult hurdle to overcome.
Thomas: In the warehouse, there is no crate of books for print-on-demand titles. Instead, there’s a machine in the middle of the warehouse that prints books 24/7. The books come out of the machine and go straight into the box for shipping. Print-on-demand is not just a term; it’s a literal description of the process. The order is received, the book is printed, and then it’s packed and mailed.
How does offset printing work for indie authors?
Thomas: Now, let’s discuss the other approach, where you print a large batch of books and store them in the warehouse. How does this change the game for indie authors who choose offset printing?
Tracy: Offset printing involves creating plates for the printing process rather than printing each book digitally one at a time. These plates make the process more economical and faster for larger print runs. However, the upfront cost is higher because of the need to create these plates. Initially, the per-copy cost is high for smaller quantities. For instance, if you print 500 copies, the cost per book is high due to the effort and time involved in setting up the plates. But if you print 5,000 copies, the cost per copy drops significantly.
For a worthwhile offset print run, I generally advise printing no less than 3,000 copies. If you are confident you can sell at least 3,000 books and have the upfront funds, the print cost will be much lower compared to using Amazon’s print-on-demand (POD) program.
For example, if you’re selling a $15 book on Amazon, Amazon might keep about $5 for printing and another $6 for distribution, warehousing, and shipping, leaving you with $4. In contrast, with an offset print run of 3,000 to 4,000 books, the printing cost might be around $2 per book. Although you’ll pay more to the bookstore and distributor, the overall cost savings in printing can be significant. Ultimately, the per-book revenue from an offset print run of only 3,000 will likely be similar to that of POD, but you will have made a higher initial investment. Your profit margins increase as the quantities increase.
Thomas: The bigger the volume is, the more that price drops. That $20 Harry Potter hardback you bought may have only cost $0.90 to print because they printed a million of them.
Tracy: Even though print-on-demand (POD) and offset print runs might yield a similar profit per book, doing an offset print run can expose you to a larger distribution chain, increasing your total revenue due to higher sales volumes. While you might only sell 1,000 copies through Amazon, better distribution could allow you to sell 3,000 copies. Although the profit per copy might be similar, the total number of copies sold will drive up your revenue.
Therefore, when considering audience reach, revenue, and simplicity, the offset print run offers higher revenue and a larger audience. However, it sacrifices some simplicity because you need to manage printing in advance and getting your book into retail distribution.
Thomas: A common mistake I see many indie authors make is focusing too much on the price per book breakdown. They notice that the cost per book decreases significantly if they print 5,000 or 10,000 copies and end up printing far more books than they can sell. This often leaves them with unsold books that need storage, leading to the classic scenario of authors with garages full of unsold books.
My advice for those just starting out is to use print-on-demand for your first book unless you’re crowdfunding. If you run a successful Kickstarter campaign and pre-sell 3,000 copies, then by all means, order 5,000 or 6,000 copies since you already have a good idea of how many you’ll sell. However, if you’re just starting out, don’t print 10,000 copies of your book, as it can be prohibitively expensive and risky.
Tracy: You really need to have a good sense of how many copies you can sell. This option is ideal for hybrid authors, who still have traditional publishers promoting their books and increasing their name recognition, or for experienced indie authors with a proven track record. These authors are likely to have their books picked up from bookstore shelves because of their established names or because bookstores are hand-selling and recommending their titles.
Additionally, if your book covers a hot nonfiction topic that people are actively searching for in bookstores, it’s more likely to sell. In any case, you need to be confident in the number of copies you can sell before committing a significant amount of money to a print run.
Is distribution different for Christian authors?
Thomas: Christians buy books at places like churches, Christian bookstores, and Christian coffee shops. Does that change the nature of distribution for Christian authors, or should it? Are there Christian distribution companies?
Tracy: Distribution is different for Christian authors. Just as bookstores prefer to order all their books from one source, they will want to order from the distributor that has the most books they are interested in. There are specific Christian distributors for this purpose.
Ingram, not to be confused with IngramSpark (their print-on-demand division), has a division called Spring Arbor that focuses on Christian books. Another major Christian distributor is Anchor Distributors, which we work with at Stonewater. These distributors primarily serve the Christian market, supplying churches, coffee shops with book displays, and Christian bookstores.
Thomas: While the online world is all about algorithms, the offline world still heavily relies on relationships—specifically, the connections between people at the distributor and those at the bookstores. It might seem surprising, but part of the world still operates on human-to-human connections rather than computer-to-computer connections. In the offline world, computer connections are often established only after human relationships have been formed.
So, while Ingram may be the largest distributor globally and Amazon is also big, it is Anchor Distributors that has the greatest presence in much of the Christian market.
Tracy: Depending on your approach, getting your book into distribution through Anchor Distributors can offer additional benefits. If you provide sufficient lead time and have a favorable arrangement, you may also receive sales representation. Anchor has sales reps who engage with buyers from ChristianBook.com, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and independent stores. They promote the books available in the current sales cycle, highlighting new releases and well-known authors, and encouraging stores to stock these titles. This sales push is a significant advantage that you don’t get with print-on-demand services.
Thomas: In many bookstores, decisions about which books are displayed on the shelves, especially those displayed face-out rather than spine-out, are made by humans. Salespeople pitch their books, hoping to secure prime shelf space, and a human ultimately makes these decisions.
That is not the case with Amazon’s brick-and-mortar bookstores, where algorithms determine which books are displayed. These decisions are based on sales and reviews from users in the area, not personal relationships with book buyers.
Distributors like Anchor have sales reps who pitch books to various retailers, which can be an opportunity for indie authors. If an indie author wants their book included in a distributor’s catalog, it is possible, but the process and requirements can vary.
Establishing a relationship with the distributor and ensuring your book meets their criteria are key steps in making this happen.
Tracy: Just as bookstores prefer to order from a distributor rather than from numerous indie authors, distributors like Anchor are also reluctant to deal with a multitude of indie authors. They are already busy with publishing houses that aggregate books for them, presenting upcoming releases for each season.
As a result, distributors often decline requests from indie authors to include their books in their warehouses and catalogs. To address this, Stonewater Books, the company I’ve been working with, emerged. Stonewater Books aggregates and vets indie authors, ensuring their books meet quality standards, including cover design and overall presentation.
By grouping these vetted indie authors, Stonewater Books can present them to distributors like Anchor, facilitating their inclusion in catalogs. With enough lead time, sales reps can promote these books to buyers. This process enables indie authors to achieve retail distribution, making their books appear similar to those from traditional publishers when presented to retailers.
Thomas: They are basically publishing their own book but hiring Stonewater to be an interface into the distribution network. Getting listed on the computer is the easy part, but getting listed in the physical catalog means a sales rep will visit the bookstore in person and present the books they have available. Stonewater is a way into the Anchor catalog, which is arguably the biggest catalog in the Christian space.
Tracy: Of course, you give up portions of your total revenue when entering these different partnerships. However, remember that you also give up a significant chunk to Amazon or IngramSpark when you do print-on-demand with them. It’s easy to overlook this because you see the bottom line and think, “I have $4 in my pocket.” That’s often better than the royalty rate you might have received from your traditional publisher.
This approach is different: you’re paying less for printing, the bookstore gets a cut, and the distributor gets a cut, but you still end up with the same or more money, depending on the total number of units sold.
What kind of authors does Stonewater Books work with?
Thomas: What kind of authors are a good fit for a company like Stonewater?
Tracy: The best authors for a company like Stonewater, which focuses on distributing books, are those who can either market their books effectively themselves or have strong name recognition. These authors can move units because bookstore buyers recognize their names and are confident in selling their books. For instance, a bookstore buyer might say, “Yes, I know that author. We’ve sold her books well in the past. I’ll take six or ten copies.”
Authors who have a strong platform, such as a large mailing list or a dedicated fan base eagerly awaiting their next book, are also ideal. These authors can push their books through their own channels and have confidence in their sales potential.
This approach is not typically for brand new authors, unless they have some other form of celebrity or recognition that ensures their first book will be a hit.
Thomas: Let me put it this way: on the application form to have Anchor feature your book, the very first question is, “What is the size of your email list?” If your answer to that question ends in the word “hundred,” Anchor is not for you.
Anchor needs to sell 500-1,000 copies to make it worth paying their hourly people to do all the labor for this process. It doesn’t make financial sense for them if they’re only going to sell a handful of copies.
Tracy: Also, understand that distributors like Anchor make money when your book sells. You don’t pay a large fee to have your book in their warehouse. You might pay some storage fees, but you’re not spending thousands of dollars just to have it there. They keep your book in their warehouse because they profit when it sells and ships out. If Stonewater doesn’t believe your book will sell, then it’s not a good fit since a cut of nothing is still nothing.
It’s important to consider your goals: simplicity, larger revenue, or a larger audience. Also, assess where you are in your career.
Additionally, I strongly believe that every author should develop direct sales to their readers, bypassing intermediaries like Amazon and distributors as much as possible. If you have a mailing list and loyal readers eagerly waiting for your next book, the best strategy is to sell directly to them through your own website. This approach maximizes your revenue per book.
There are various ways to facilitate direct sales, from low-cost DIY methods to more streamlined solutions. Stonewater can assist with this as well, but you could also have your kids help with shipping books from your basement if that works for you. By selling directly to your readers, you retain more of the profits and cater to your most dedicated fans who will buy your books as soon as they’re available.
Thomas: Selling directly means the difference between making $3 per copy (what you’d earn selling a paperback on Amazon) and $10 per copy (what you’d earn selling it yourself). However, you need to sell enough copies on your website to justify the costs of building an ecommerce platform, which isn’t cheap. Additionally, there are costs associated with storing books with a company like Stonewater or paying your kids to handle shipping.
Paying your kids is an inexpensive option, and you can buy bubble mailers at Sam’s Club for a reasonable price, but it’s still labor-intensive. If you start with manual processes like writing addresses with a pen, you might soon need a label maker, shelving, and other supplies. Without careful planning, you could end up spending a lot and getting a larger percentage of a smaller revenue.
Therefore, these strategies are best suited for your second book onward. You need to be confident that you can sell enough copies to justify all this work and investment.
Tracy: I’ll push back a bit and say that if you have a WordPress website, the WooCommerce plugin is very easy to use and provides a simple step into ecommerce. You can list your books, set prices, add an “add to cart” button, and receive orders via email. Printing labels is straightforward, and there are services like Stonewater Books that can handle orders automatically. They receive the orders, pack the books, and ship them without you having to do anything. You give up a small portion of the profit, but it simplifies the process.
You don’t need to build a complex ecommerce site with many features to start selling one or two books. This approach is also beneficial for traditionally published authors who have crates of books or a garage full of them. Some authors might have bought back their rights and ended up with physical copies, or they might have purchased a lot at a discount.
Selling directly from your website, with a fulfillment provider handling the logistics, is a good way to clear out those books. If you own the rights and have print books sitting in your house, you can also use the Amazon Advantage program. This program allows you to list your books on Amazon, and to buyers, it appears no different from books sold by publishers. Amazon handles the shipping, making it a very convenient option.
How can Stonewater help with Kickstarter campaigns and preorders?
Thomas: Another way to simplify the process is to use Kickstarter. WooCommerce is easier now than it was in the early days of web development, but Kickstarter offers a different approach. With a Kickstarter campaign, you can pre-sell a large number of books.
Tracy, I know you have experience with Kickstarter campaigns. After a successful campaign, you’ll receive a list of backers. For example, if you have 500 backers, you’ll get their information, and then you can ensure that each backer receives the correct reward for their support. This way, you can focus on fulfilling the orders without worrying about setting up an ecommerce site.
Tracy: We also work with some authors who love to do pre-orders. They set up a pre-order option on their own websites, informing buyers that the book will not ship until a specific release date. On our end, we aggregate these orders over the months, digitally setting them aside in an on-hold section. As soon as the books arrive at our warehouse, we quickly turn around and ship all the pre-ordered books to readers within a couple of days.
This allows you to collect orders ahead of time and then fulfill them all at once upon the book’s release. Pre-orders can help build excitement for a big new release and ensure that readers get their copies promptly.
Thomas: It’s not very expensive because fulfillment companies like Stonewater, as well as others, receive special pricing from UPS. When you as an author go to Office Depot to mail your book, you’re paying a lot more because of the additional costs for human interaction. In contrast, Stonewater has a system and special arrangements with UPS, making their pricing very competitive.
This is generally true across the board. You will pay more for shipping if you handle it yourself. While you save on handling costs by doing it yourself, the higher shipping costs can offset those savings. This is an important factor to consider when pricing out your fulfillment options.
Tracy: I strongly encourage anyone already in the situation of shipping books themselves to consider a different approach. This hassle is unnecessary. By giving up a small portion of the revenue, you can completely offload this task. It’s incredibly freeing to know that your books are being sold and shipped without any effort on your part.
Thomas: I did that once. After the Kickstarter for my book, we turned one room of our house into a little fulfillment center. We had an assembly line where I was signing books and others were packing them. And when we were done, I thought, “Never again.”
Tracy: Speaking of Kickstarter and signed books, print offers options for fun, premium items that ebooks can’t provide. For instance, you can offer hardcover or signed copies, which can be premium-priced or simply serve as perks for those buying directly from you, allowing you to make more money without increasing the price.
Take Brandon Sanderson’s $7 million Kickstarter as an example, which featured special editions like leather-bound hardcovers. While we might not reach those numbers, the point is that print offers numerous possibilities.
For example, I have a series coming out next year where the main character is a sketch artist who documents archaeological finds. I plan to include some of her sketches in the print version. I’ll likely hire someone from Fiverr to create these sketches, which will make the print book unique and valuable. Adding those sketches in an ebook isn’t as feasible because of formatting and file size issues. Ebook readers who want the additional sketches might be drawn to buy the print book.
You can also include physical items like bookmarks or even an extra book if you have out-of-print copies to add value to a new release. There are many ways to enhance the value of print books.
Are there any myths about distribution and fulfillment that you want to debunk?
Thomas: Is there something you’re tired of people saying, and every time you hear it, you shake your head? What’s a myth that you want to clear up right now?
Tracy: One common myth is that all the money is in ebooks, and it’s not worth it to do print. This is similar to saying it’s not worth it to do audiobooks. Yes, there is extra effort and possibly some upfront costs, but focusing solely on ebooks doesn’t make sense. There are many print readers out there.
Another myth is that the process is too complicated. We’ve discussed many different aspects of this process, and it might seem overwhelming, but it is doable for anyone. You just need to figure out the best route for you.
To make things simpler, I’ve put together a PDF that spells out the different options and the associated math. The PDF will step you through everything we talked about and help you determine the best route for you.
Any final tips or encouragement?
Tracy: Keep thinking of your writing career as both a creative endeavor and a business. Don’t be afraid of the business side—it can be intimidating, but it can also be really fun. There’s a lot to learn, and resources like this podcast and the Novel Marketing Podcast offer valuable information. Take it slow, absorb what you can, and enjoy the business aspects as much as the creative ones.
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