Amazon Print on Demand Publishing and Books Explained for Canadian Authors!
If you’re a new Canadian author just entering the self-publishing world, you’re probably wondering how it all works, and one of the most common questions we’re asked is how does Amazon print on demand publishing work, and what are the benefits?
In the following article we’ll cover:
- What Is Print On Demand and What Does POD Stand For?
- How Does Amazon Print On Demand Publishing Work?
- How Does Print On Demand Benefit Canadian Authors?
- How Is POD Different from Traditional Printing?
- 3 Popular POD Self-Publishing Platforms
If you’re still considering where to self-publish your book, Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) or IngramSpark Publishing, this article Why Publishing on Amazon KDP and IngramSpark Makes Sense for Canadian Authors covers everything you’ll need to know to make an informed decision about which self-publishing platform is best for you.
What Is Print On Demand and What Does POD Stand For?
Whenever you hear authors or publishers reference POD, they’re referring to print-on-demand.
POD stands for print-on-demand. It’s a common term used to describe which printing service is used to print books.
Print on demand is a straightforward and cost-effective way for self-published Canadian authors to enter the book market without a substantial investment into physical printed copies of their books.
Traditionally, when you publish a print version of your book, you would take your professionally formatted print interior file to a printing company, and they would print a certain number of copies. The more you printed, the lower the cost would be as you scaled up print runs.
Print on demand uses the same formatted interior file of your book. However, instead of taking it to a printer, you upload your interior file to a self-publishing platform website. When someone orders a copy of your book, the printing company prints a single copy and ships it directly to them.
How Does Amazon Print On Demand Publishing Work?
Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) is arguably the biggest self-publishing platform in the world. Amazon print on demand books was a game-changer for self-published Canadian authors looking to get their print books in the hands of readers. For many authors in Canada, Amazon print on demand publishing allowed them to put physical copies of their books in the hands of readers globally.
As an author, you upload a formatted copy of your paperback or hardback book interior via your Amazon KDP dashboard. Once that format has been approved by Amazon, it’s published and made live on Amazon’s store. You set the price of the book, considering printing and shipping costs, which are automatically calculated for you. You add your desired royalty and set the retail price for consumers.
When a customer goes to an Amazon store, typically the one located in their country or closest to their country, and buys a copy of your book, Amazon then prints and ships that copy to them. As the author, you don’t have to do anything with the POD model.
How Does Print On Demand Benefit Canadian Authors?
As with anything, there are pros and cons when you use POD services, and as a Canadian author, you’ll need to carefully consider if the benefits of POD are worth it with your business model.
The Advantages of Print On Demand:
- User-Friendly – POD is extremely user-friendly for self-published authors. Once your book interior is approved, pricing set, and published, you don’t have to do anything more related to printing or shipping.
- Affordable – Print on demand allows you to cheaply print and ship your book to customers in multiple countries rather than shipping directly from Canada.
- Versatile – You have the option of traditional paperback or hardcover formats for your print book.
- Hands-Off – As an author, POD facilities allow you to focus more time on marketing and writing your next book instead of dealing with orders, invoices, and shipping to customers.
- Less Liability – If you’ve made a mistake in your book or want to update it to add additional information, POD allows you to edit your source file without leaving you with a large stockpile of old books you’ve already printed.
The Disadvantages of Print On Demand:
- More Expensive – Printing one copy of your book will always be more expensive than printing 100. When you work with a printer directly, you’ll often get lower print-per-copy prices when ordering in bulk.
- Less Trim Size and Cover Options – Although you have a variety of choices in both book type, trim size, and covers with POD, you are still limited by the platform you’re working with. When you work with a printer directly, you have more print options to choose from, which are beneficial, especially for custom or niche books.
- Less Quality Control – When you order books from a printer, you can inspect them for quality before you ship them to customers. However, with POD printing, you don’t have that option, and unfortunately, the majority of customers don’t know what POD is or who’s printing and shipping them books. If they receive a low-quality book, as the author, you’ll be the one who’s left with a negative review.
How Is POD Different from Traditional Printing?
Print on demand allows authors an alternative to traditional printing. The most significant advantages of traditional printing are quality control and cost of scale. The more books you print, the cheaper they get, and as the author, you’ll have total control over quality. However, you’ll also be responsible for taking orders, packaging, and shipping to clients.
POD allows you to be hands-off with your publishing and doesn’t require a substantial up-front investment in a large order of printed books. It also eliminates any risks associated with storing physical copies of books, which can become damaged or outdated the longer you store them. However, it’s also more expensive compared to traditional printing and leaves you with less control over the finished product.
3 Popular POD Self-Publishing Platforms
Amazon print on demand books isn’t the only POD self-publishing platform, but they are definitely the biggest and the easiest for new authors to navigate. Other self-publishing platforms which offer POD services to Canadian authors include:
- IngramSpark Publishing – IngramSpark has global reach and printing facilities, with an extensive catalog of brick-and-mortar retailers, online retailers, libraries, and education facilities. For Canadian authors, IngramSpark is a must have as it allows you to get your book into the largest Canadian book retailer, Chapters Indigo.
- Bookvault – Based in the UK but with printing facilities in the US and UK, Bookvault is another POD option for authors looking to print their books in the UK and US.
- LuLu – LuLu is a popular self-publishing platform that offers many of the same self-publishing services as Amazon KDP and IngramSpark, and it also gives you access to the LuLu Bookstore.
If you’re still weighing up which is the best self-publishing platform for you, check out The Best Self-Publishing Platforms for Canadian Authors, where we breakdown in detail some of the best self-publishing platforms for authors in Canada, including what services they offer, royalties, and pricing.
Amazon Print On Demand Publishing Explained | Conclusion
Amazon print on demand publishing was indeed a game changer for self-published authors. Since it started in the early 2000s, it has allowed millions of authors worldwide to realize their dreams of becoming authors. If you’ve been considering using Amazon print on demand books, give it a look! It could be very beneficial, especially if you’re time or budget-limited as a new author.
At Indie Publishing Group, we’re proud to assist Canadian and North American authors in self-publishing their books, including assisting with the children’s book self-publishing process.
If you are writing a book and need any assistance with paperback or ebook formatting, cover design, professional editing, or uploading to self-publishing sites such as Amazon KDP and IngramSpark, please don’t hesitate to reach out and contact us. We also offer children’s book illustrations and children’s book formatting services.
Our experienced and professional self-publishing team is standing by to assist you with your self-publishing dreams. Do you have any additional writing or self-publishing questions? Don’t hesitate to reach out and contact us directly.
One of our friendly and professional team members will get back to you ASAP!
