How to Improve The Profit From A Self Published Book

Intro

In today’s saturated world, search engines and retailers are making it more difficult to succeed in publishing. Yet, this doesn’t mean self-publishing a book is no longer worth your time.

You can dramatically improve your self published book's profits by following some simple ideas that I have found to work.

Self publishing has never been easier. You can publish your book in a few clicks and have it available for sale on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other popular retailers.

But there is more to self publishing than just uploading your manuscript to the Kindle Store. To make a profit from a self published book, you need to do your research and understand how the process works. So what is a self published book? Generally speaking, it is an independent book that was not published by a publisher but by the author.

But self publishing can also include books traditionally published by many different houses and imprints.Self publishing has become more common in recent years, with independent authors and publishers moving away from traditional publishing to make their own way and be in control of their work.

Writing a book is a great achievement. It can be difficult to see through the process, but the reward is significant when you see your book come alive in print. Know that your time, money, and effort will not be wasted if you use publishing experts like us at Amazon Publishing Pros. Our talented team of book designers, marketers, and publicists are dedicated to helping you make the most of your self-publishing experience by ensuring that your book reaches as many readers as possible.

In order to optimize book profits, you have to work with a coach and bank on your existing network for promotions. As the game's stakes have changed, it is more important now than ever to work actively with people who have expertise in these digital marketing for book domains.

Quick Tip: Use Ranktracker to track your keywords ranking on the go

In order to reach your target audience, you must be ready and willing to invest in social media marketing campaigns. This kind of marketing allows you to grow your network and continue reaching out to new people.

We interviewed Patrick Hansen from Kvikbolig via HARO “The truth is that social media marketing costs a lot less than traditional advertising methods because the idea that they share will push people interested in your book towards it. In the long run, it pays off more for authors to spend time building their own networks rather than relying on others.”

There is no doubt that the book publishing industry has undergone many changes in recent years. It is important to practice frugality when marketing your books online, even if it means you spend less money in the long run, although there are other ways to offset that cost.

Self-publishing is an option for authors who want to maintain complete control over their work and distribution.

The first step in self-publishing is to find the best book editors. This person will be able to help the author improve their work by editing it and providing feedback on how to make it better.

Another important part of publishing a book is marketing it, which can be done through social media or by contacting newspapers for reviews.

Self-publishing has changed the world, with many new authors - and many without publishers. Even if they master the technical side (which can be complex and demanding for the POD printers), making a good profit can be tricky on a 350-page novel. Here are some hints on how to turn a profit. Indeed, is self-publishing very profitable? No, not always. Why so?

The variable costs can be much for a decent-sized novel using POD publishing. The fixed set-up costs are generally minimal, though a knockout book cover will cost a few hundred bucks from a professional designer. Let's look at the math a self-publisher faces, using a company such as LSI in the UK, round figures only, and short-run POD printing (though these costs are applicable in other currencies after conversion):

Quick Tip: Use Backlink Checker to track your Backlinks on the go

Self-Publishing Fixed Costs

ISBN - in the UK, you have to buy a block of 12, at about 120 (including tax), Book Cover 300, Cover Set up 21, Interior Set up 21, 1st proof copy 21. This makes a total of 483.

There will be other fixed costs, such as a professional editor (advisable), and the first-time self-publisher may need extra proof or two.

Self-Publishing Variable Costs (per copy)

Base cost 0.70, 350 pages @ .011 3.85. Total variable cost per copy 4.55

Now, if we want to get this ordered by the retail trade, we have to offer them a reasonable profit of 40%. So, the production cost of 4.55 is 60% of the final cost, and 3.04 is the 40% margin for the bookseller, making a total of 7.59. Most of the retail chains will only take books 'on consignment', and the author/self-publisher will have to take a risk in that regard.

Now, how much 'profit' does the self-publisher want to make on the book (ignoring the fixed costs recovery for now)? Is 40p reasonable? That would put the shelf price of the book at 7.99.

So, how can a self-publisher improve her profits?

Of course, if the author sells the books directly - say from their author's website- they will get the 40% trade margin. Although less likely to be small, volumes need developing a website and some internet and/or offline marketing - marketing will be required anyway.

Quick Tip: Use Backlink Monitor to Monitor your Backlinks on the go

Trim Size and Weight

Profit can be increased by choosing a large trim size (final book size), thereby decreasing page count. The format is critical. A book's thickness is important so buyers feel they get value for money. 12 or 13-point fonts, with lots of white space, suggest that a book is being padded, and for the self-publisher, it adds cost. How do you feel about buying a large format novel that is 'thin'?

A new author needs to build loyal readers who will return for more, so besides the quality of the writing, these other aspects must be considered.

If the author is squeezing the margins down, then a proof copy is essential - even a couple of proofs for the first-time self-publisher. People will quickly tire of reading a book that has no gutter and has to be prized open to read. LSI recommends 1.3 cm margins, which is close to the least that works, as they have a 2mm tolerance for trimming the pages to size.

Using a 216mm x 140mm trim size, it is possible to produce a 150,000-word novel, with a few illustrations, in a 10-point font that is comfortable to read, in 360 pages, and return a profit (excluding fixed cost recovery), of about 80 p a copy.

Gerrid Smith, Chief Marketing Officer at JoyOrganics adds “The best way to increase profit is to increase the sales volume and invest in an offset printing run, which can reduce the cost per copy to 1 or much less for a 350-page novel. This gives more flexibility to work at a lower cover price while making a 3-4 per copy profit. This will require an investment in maybe a couple of thousand copies.”

Other formats, layout variables, and other tricks can help the self-publisher improve profits. There are plenty of smaller POD printers, but using a major player means you can get better exposure through their existing trade links.

This helps the marketing of a new author. To make it easy, package deals are available from some publishers, including ISBN, cover design and editorial services, getting listed on Amazon and Barnes and Noble, marketing advice, and a whole lot more, taking the 'tech' out of the whole process. Authors just want to write, not fiddle with margins!

Silvia Hernandez, Founder of Momtivational sums it up by saying “There is a lot of competition out there! If you are going to market your book, you need a great product. But if you want to make money and build a business, you need much more than just a great product. You need to know how to promote your self published book and how to get reviews.

SUMMARY

In today’s saturated world, search engines and retailers are making it more difficult to succeed in publishing.

It is important to practice frugality when marketing your books online, even if it means you spend less money in the long run, although there are other ways to offset that cost.

Indeed, is self-publishing very profitable?

12 or 13-point fonts, with lots of white space, suggest that a book is being padded, and for the self-publisher, it adds cost.

The best way to increase profit is to increase the sales volume and invest in an offset printing run, which can reduce the cost per copy to 1 or much less for a 350-page novel.