Hi all!
This week I'm going to talk about indie authors printing paperback books. Is it necessary? Does it boost sales?
I chose to print in paperback as I wanted to be able to hold my work in my hands, my years of hard work contained in one book. I also did it for my Grandfather, as he was desperate to read my book and show it off to his friends but doesn't have a Kindle.
First off, is it necessary?
Short answer, no. You can publish a book without paperback and purely stick to ebook. Some authors choose to do this, some don't.
Does it boost sales?
I've found that although ebook pulls slightly ahead, a chunk of my sales are paperback. Some people, like my colleagues, prefer holding a book in their hands rather than reading it on a screen. Most of these sales have been friends and family, while readers I don't know tend to lean towards the ebook version.
Do I need a separate cover for paperback?
When I had Blood and Water designed, it was originally just ebook. Then a few months before publication I added it as paperback. You can still use the same cover, but you will have to go back to the designer to get the back matter and spine designed. For a paperback cover you will need the following information:
Trim Size.
Page count (including front matter and back matter).
Interior colour.
Mishka hijacking my paperback photo
Are paperbacks better for book signings?
Although I haven't held a book signing yet, I can imagine that readers would prefer to get the physical copy of the book signed.
Do I need to bulk buy a certain amount of copies?
I'm not sure about other publishing methods but with Amazon they use print on demand. That means they only print what's needed instead of printing off a certain number and making you buy them to resell.
Traditional authors have them, shouldn't indies too?
Again, it's up to the author. Most traditional publishers will publish ebook and paperback, but I have noticed a few in the past just doing ebook for their debut authors. Only the author themselves can decide whether they want to do paperback.
Is it worth it?
In my eyes, yes. I can reach a broader audience and it always makes me smile when I see a physical copy of Blood and Water and now, Venom and Earth. I am keeping a paperback copy of each of my books to put on my bookshelf.
That's it for this week, I hope you enjoyed reading. See you next week!
