Self-Publishing Your Book. A Concise Training Course. Part 6 of 9, Book Quantity and Price

How Many Books Will You Want Printed?

• The quantity of books you want printed is very important when considering costings.
• Also, you need to be realistic as to how many copies you think you can sell.
• If the book offers something unique and valuable the reader, the wider the market for you book, the more copies you can expect to sell.
• For first-time self publishers, probably 200 - 400 copies is a sensible option.
• Later, if you know the book sells, you can print in larger quantities to gain lower unit pricing.

Your Book Price:

To calculate your book price, consider the following guidelines:

• Compare how other, similar books are priced. Why: to get a feel for how much readers are prepared to pay for the kind of book you are writing.
• The price of your book needs to cover all of your expenses and make you a profit. Estimate the minimum number of copies you expect to sell to ensure you cover all of your expenses, in order to work out your break even cost.
• Remember to include in your expenses calculations: postage and packing, leaflets, flyers, and any brochures you may create, review copies, and any other expenses.
• Bookshops and online retailers expect a minimum discount, which can vary between about 35% - 50%. If a large book-chain agrees to sell your book, you may consider that even further discount is worthwhile, but consider further discounting carefully: after all, you are entitled to make a profit and you need to make a profit from your efforts.