When selling your book on Amazon KDP, you’re probably going to want to set up Print on Demand (POD) print options for your book.
The way POD works, is you set your price, Amazon takes out the production cost of the book, as well as their cut of the royalties, and you’re left with a small percentage of what the reader pays for the book.
We can’t do anything about the royalties that Amazon takes, but we can take steps to reduce the print production costs. And in this article, that’s exactly what I’ll show you how to do.
In this article, you will learn:
Let’s dive right in.
There are a few different aspects of your print on demand book production that affect the cost. These include:
This is important to note, because many authors think that bleed settings or the cover finish (matte or glossy) affect the price of your book, and they do not. And trim size is only affected if you go above or below a 6″x9″ book. Above is more expensive, and below is cheaper.
But what about page count and ink type?
Well, there’s a system that Amazon has to calculate those numbers.
Basically, there is a fixed cost for books under 108 pages (for black and white) or under 40 pages (for color). If you go over those amounts, the fixed cost is lowered, but there’s an additional cost for each page, meaning the larger it is, the more it costs to produce.
Here is a table outlining how it works in the United States. See Amazon’s guide for more info on costs in other countries.
How do hardcovers compare to paperbacks when it comes to Amazon’s printing costs?
Well, as you can see from the chart above, it mainly comes down to the fixed cost. The “Additional Cost Per Page” remains the same for both paperback and hardcover, but since the actual covers are more expensive to produce, the hardcovers have a higher fixed cost (i.e. $5.65 compared to $1.00).
It’s actually easy to find your print cost in Amazon’s KDP dashboard.
Step 1: Open your KDP dashboard
Step 2: Find your book and hover over the right three dots. Then select “Edit print book content”. Make sure you are editing the book content of the paperback/hardcover and not the ebook.
Step 3: Scroll all the way down to the bottom of the Book Content page, and there you will find your printing costs.
And that’s it! Like I said, really easy to find.
So now that we’ve established how Amazon’s printing costs work and where to find the cost for your own books. Let’s discuss how to reduce costs.
Obviously, we can’t do anything to change Amazon’s system, but there are a few ways that we can optimize our book to be on the lower end.
The first way that we can reduce our printer fees is to reduce our page count by lowering the font and/or line height of our book.
(This is really easy to do in Atticus. Just press a few buttons, export and you’re done!)
Keep in mind that lowering the font or line height is not always a good thing. You don’t want your pages to seem overly crowded with text. Instead, you’ll want to make sure everything is still legible and won’t provide a poor reader experience.
That said, you may discover that your font or line height was way larger than it needed to be, so it’s always good to check and ensure you’re at a balanced level.
The second way to reduce your print costs is to make sure you’re using Black Ink instead of Color Ink.
Now, if you’re writing a children’s book or comic book, you’re probably going to need color ink (unless it’s a comic book like The Walking Dead, where black and white is part of the style). So if you absolutely need color, then go for it.
But if you only have one or two illustrations or graphs that need color, consider finding a way to make it work in black and white, because that will significantly reduce your costs.
Your trim size can affect your printing costs. Keeping your trim size at a lower size (like 5″x8″ or 5.5″x8.5″), will keep your costs generally low. Personally, I prefer these sizes anyway, as I don't enjoy bulky books. But the larger sizes can be better for certain genres, or for particularly lengthy books (like textbooks).
If you'd prefer larger books but still want the cheaper trim size, you can go with the largest one they have that's still considered “Regular”, which as of this writing is the 6″ x 9″ (15.24 x 22.86 cm) option.
If you’re purely interested in the lowest print costs possible, you’ll want to stick with paperback. Hardcovers have a much higher fixed printing cost.
However, thankfully, you can have both. So if you want to have a paperback AND a hardcover, you can do so. Just know that you will need to price your hardcover significantly higher than your paperback to cover the costs.
If you really want to get optimized for the minimum possible cost for your paperback printing. Try to get your book as close to (but not under) 110 pages long.
Note: these numbers are for black ink. For color it’s closer to 40 pages long.
Why?
Well if you look at the chart above, you’ll notice that any book that is under 110 pages long (40 for color), has a fixed cost that is higher than books that are over 110 pages long. But if you go too far over 110 pages, you’re variable costs per page add up.
That means that the lowest possible printing cost that you can have is if your paperback book is exactly 110 pages (again, 40 for color).
Therefore, if your book is close to that range, I recommend trying to adjust your settings just enough to get even closer. You’ll save yourself a lot in the print costs of your book.
Even though print costs are just a small factor in the royalties you receive through KDP print on demand, every little bit adds up. The purpose of this article was to show you how you could optimize this small area for maximum effect.
Let’s say you’re able to reduce your printing costs by $1. Assuming you keep your price the same, that’s $1 more for every paperback sold.
And little wins like that tend to add up.
If you liked this article, we also have one about how to decrease your ebook delivery fees by reducing ebook size. You might like that as well.
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If you’re self-publishing your work, you’ll likely be interested in how to print books cheaply. Every upfront cost, from bookbinding to cover design to marketing, ultimately eats into your bottom line. After all, you still have to market your book, and that’s a costly process too.
Cheap book printing services exist, and they can allow you to get your book into the hands of readers without destroying your bank account. To that end, what is the lowest-cost book printing you can trust? Let’s find out in this blog, along with tips to lower the cost of custom book printing.
Custom book printing costs anywhere from $2 for each copy of your book to as much as $10 or more. The lowest-cost book printing may be relatively no-frills, lacking assets such as full color or hardback covers, but you shouldn’t sacrifice quality book printing and binding services for quantity.
Keep in mind that these costs are only associated with printing a book. If you’re planning on self-publishing, there may be a host of other costs to take into account – from editing, proofreading, marketing, distributing, and more.
No matter which printing and binding services you consider, make sure they have a good reputation for making quality printed materials, and remember that you get what you pay for.
Springing for the lowest-cost book printing or bookbinding service can be tempting, but it may offer prints of a much lower quality than you’re looking for. Readers want to know that they’re picking up a high-quality book, or they may not be willing to buy it, so take the time to ensure the balance between the level of quality you want and the price you’re willing to pay.
It’s okay to be picky when you’re trying to find the lowest-cost book printing. It’s your reputation and your book on the line here. Though you can pursue digital-only publishing, consider whether you want to have a physical book to sell as well. Studies continue to show that people prefer to read physical books and retain information better when they do. Here are ways you can make publishing and printing your book a reality.
Many printers require a minimum number of copies, which is how they keep costs low for both themselves and the authors. Print-on-demand services are wonderful if you can afford them, but buying a large batch of prints all at once may hit you less heavily in the wallet — just make sure you can sell the books.
When it comes to printing materials, the size and weight of the paper can significantly impact the overall cost. For instance, if you’re printing trade paperbacks, you’ll find that the cost is far less compared to producing hardcover books. This is because hardcovers require durable and premium materials, driving up the expenses.
Choosing standard paper sizes and weights for your printing needs can also save you from incurring additional charges for custom specifications. Standard options are more cost-effective and readily available, making them a practical choice for most projects.
Consider the style of the bookbinding service you plan to use. Case bindings are traditional for hardbacks, and though they provide an air of quality, they involve a time-consuming process and cause books to be heavy. You can always charge more if you think people will be willing to splurge!
Perfect binding is used for paperbacks and softbacks, in which the cover is made from heavy cardstock and then laminated. The cover and pages are held together with strong glue, making perfect binding a much cheaper alternative to case binding.
Mass-market paperbacks are small: At just 4.25 inches x 6.87 inches, they are meant to fit in most backpacks and pockets. Trade paperbacks can measure either 5.5-inch x 8.5-inch digest size or 6-inch x 9-inch U.S. trade size. Hardcovers measure between 6 inches x 9 inches and 8.5 inches x 11 inches. In any case, the bigger you print, the more you spend.
Like with the book’s size, the higher the page count, the more money it will cost you. Remember that each page of a book takes up one side of the actual paper, so you get only two pages per piece of paper.
Also, keep in mind that you can only make the text so small before it becomes unreadable, so you’ll have to balance between text size and page count when you’re calculating what you’re willing to spend.
Big books take up more space and are heavier, which makes them expensive to ship, so keep this in mind when you’re finalizing your book’s design. Talk to your book printing and binding services about your specific book’s size and weight to make sure you get an exact number that will fit in a box. Even ordering one more book than what will fit will probably result in an entirely new box, with its shipping costs — all for one book.
One possible way to save on shipping costs is to bundle printing with shipping. Print Bind Ship, is a dedicated book printing service and a fulfillment company. When you place an order, we’ll not only print books but also ensure that they reach their final destination and customers in time. Learn how to cut down on print costs by combining book printing services with fulfillment for your brand here.
By obtaining quotes from multiple printing companies, you can easily compare their prices and services side by side. This helps you to make an informed decision and ensures that you get the best value for your money. Additionally, shopping around allows you to identify any hidden costs or fees that may not have been obvious at first glance.
Moreover, comparing quotes also gives you an insight into the quality of work offered by different printing companies. You can request samples or browse through their portfolios to assess their level of professionalism and attention to detail. This way, you can be confident in the print quality and the final product that you will be receiving.
For the highest quality book printing service that’s also affordable, we recommend Print Bind Ship. With decades of experience printing everything from comic books, paperback books, hardcovers, and more – we have all types of solutions at some of the best print costs on the market. Get a free quote for your project here!
The best way to find the lowest-cost book printing services is to talk to printers and fulfillment companies about their prices and get quotes in writing. Find out about all the services they offer, including whether they will ship the books and whether they can design covers.
If you work with a book printing and binding service like Print Bind Ship (PBS), you won’t have to worry about any of those questions, as we’ll handle every aspect of your book’s printing.
Working with a third-party logistics (3PL) fulfillment company like PBS also provides you with great flexibility. If your book becomes a success and you want to introduce a hardback version or start offering print-on-demand services, you can do that. You’ll also get the benefit of fast worldwide shipping to satisfy readers anywhere around the globe.
Many factors go into the cost of printing a book, which can be overwhelming for new authors. However, partnering with an experienced printing company like Print Bind Ship will ensure that your book is produced with quality, gets shipped to customers quickly, and comes at a price you’ll be happy with.
Plus, Print Bind Ship also offers much more than book printing. We’re a full-blown fulfillment partner that can help you print, store, pack, and ship your books to customers as orders come through. We work with all types of authors and publishers to ensure their work is presented in the best way and meets its final destination.
Get in touch for a free quote for your project here!
Costs can range dramatically based on the options chosen, but on the cheaper end, authors can spend as little as $500 in total or $3 per book. If you want to start adding in extras like dust jackets or you want to increase your book’s overall size, prices can creep toward $8 to $10 per book.
How can I get a book published for cheap?Shop around for printers that print large batches and offer reasonable shipping rates, and consider formatting and designing everything yourself so you don’t have to pay someone else to do it.
What is the cheapest price to publish a book?It’s possible to spend as little as $100, but you’ll have to weigh that price with the ramifications of the quality. Take the time to consider whether readers will be happy with the final product.
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