You don’t need to be a professional writer or have a publishing contract to become an author. You can embark on a self-publishing journey by using a print-on-demand service.
Print-on-demand books are an excellent way to publish and sell your writing. Whether you have an existing readership or are looking to make your debut, print on demand is low cost and efficient.
In this post, explore 10 of the most popular on-demand book printing services. Learn about their production times, publishing options, and the additional services they provide.
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Why choose print-on-demand book publishing?
Print on demand is a great choice for both new and seasoned writers, due to its ease of use. Armed with a manuscript and some basic design software skills, you can produce professional-quality paperbacks or beautiful hardcover limited editions.
The main benefit of print on demand is it removes the need for a large upfront inventory investment, a common problem with self-publishing. Instead of buying boxes of books hoping they’ll sell, books are printed as orders come in and sent directly to the customer.
If you already have an audience, you can use print on demand to sell books online, directly to your followers on Instagram or your email list.
Learn more: What Is Print on Demand and How To Start a Business
Best print-on-demand book websites for self-publishing
Explore the following print-on-demand publishing services to find the best option for creating your own books, magazines, or pamphlets.
This list was curated with insights from content writer Braveen Kumar. After careful consideration, he chose Lulu Direct to self-publish his book.
- Lulu Direct
- Blurb
- Acutrack
- IngramSpark
- BookBaby
- Kindle Direct Publishing
- Barnes & Noble Press
- Contrado
- Gelato
- Printify
1. Lulu Direct
- Production time: Three to five days.
- Minimum order requirement: No.
- Book products available: Hardcovers, paperbacks, comic books, magazines, ebooks.
Lulu Direct specializes in print-on-demand self-publishing. With this service, you can print and sell your books in your own store, retaining all the revenue.
There’s a variety of book formats and options, including hardcover and paperback, black-and-white and color, along with a selection of paper types. Bindings include perfect bound, coil, saddle stitch, hardcover case wrap, and hardcover linen with dust jacket bindings.
Content writer Braveen Kumar used Lulu Direct to print his poetry book due to the available profit margins. His book cost $3 to print and $6 to $9 to ship, and sold for $20.
Lulu Direct also enabled Braveen to sell his book in his Shopify store, aligning with his long-term goal of building a brand and selling other products. By connecting his store to Instagram, he could tag his book in posts and give customers the option to buy directly while browsing social media.
2. Blurb
- Production time: Printing and binding takes four to five business days.
- Minimum order requirement: No.
- Book products available: Trade books, magazines, notebooks, photo books, ebooks.
Blurb is a book printing company that offers a dedicated print-on-demand service. It provides a wide selection of paper types and its own design software to assist you in laying out your product to meet the standards of booksellers.
If you’re planning sell your book to the mass market, you might find Blurb’s integrated bookstore and network of thousands of retailers beneficial. Retailers can choose to order and stock your books directly through Blurb.
Blurb integrates with Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop, and InDesign, simplifying the process of formatting and submitting your designs. While there’s no dedicated Shopify app, you can direct customers from your Shopify store to Blurb to place an order.
3. Acutrack
- Production time: Book are pre-produced and warehoused. Most orders ship within one business day.
- Minimum order requirement: Yes.
- Book products available: Paperback, hardcover, spiral bound, journals, coloring books.
Acutrack is a book printing and fulfillment service that prints and stores your books, ensuring immediate fulfillment upon order placement. It offers a variety of book types, including hardcover, paperbacks, and coloring books. Acutrack also accommodates different book sizes, allowing for custom creations like coffee-table books.
With a dedicated Shopify app and integration capabilities with more than 100 ecommerce platforms, Acutrack provides real-time shipping and tracking information for all your orders. Online reviews commend the company for its responsive customer support and speedy fulfillment times.
4. IngramSpark
- Production time: Custom quote required.
- Minimum order requirement: No.
- Book products available: Paperback, hardcover (with dust jacket), ebooks.
IngramSpark is a print-on-demand service offering lots of options for self-publishing a book. You can specify book size, paper type, finish (matte versus glossy), paper color, paper weight, and cover. It even offers a special textured hardcover cloth.
IngramSpark’s standout feature is its distribution network. It connects with more than 40,000 independent bookstores, chain stores, and libraries to help get your titles in front of readers.
While most users are satisfied with the quality of books printed by IngramSpark, some reviewers point out that the costs can be higher compared to other services.
5. BookBaby
- Production time: Three to five days for most orders of less than 500 books.
- Minimum order requirement: 25 books.
- Book products available: Perfect bound, paperback, hardback, ebooks, audiobooks.
BookBaby’s print-on-demand service provides black-and-white and full-color printing for both paperback and hardcover books, along with digital publication options. It even produces audiobooks using realistic AI voices, offering 60 different narrators and 96 different languages and dialects.
With BookBaby, you can list your print-on-demand book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and a variety of wholesale distributors. The platform also provides editing services, including line editing, proofreading, and synopsis writing.
6. Kindle Direct Publishing
- Production time: One to three days.
- Minimum order requirement: No.
- Book products available: Paperback, hardcover, ebook, ebook series.
If you’re planning to sell primarily through Amazon, you can use their service to print and ship your titles. Kindle Direct provides digital and print publishing and facilitates easy access to Amazon’s Kindle store.
Listing your products is free, though a commission is charged on every sale. You gain direct access to your book on Amazon, where you can create a product detail page.
If you’re looking to publish magazines, periodicals, or spiral-bound notebooks, you’ll need to use a different print-on-demand service. That said, you can repurpose your existing books into Amazon ebooks or paperbacks for extra visibility.
7. Barnes & Noble Press
- Production time: Printing takes five to 10 business days, depending on book type.
- Minimum order requirement: No.
- Book products available: Paperback, hardcover (with dust jacket).
Barnes & Noble Press offers a platform where you can create, publish, and track sales of your book in various formats. Your book will be accessible to readers on BN.com and through NOOK devices.
Whether you’re looking to produce short runs, individual books, or full runs of print-on-demand trade paperbacks, Barnes & Noble Press provides a flexible solution.
Other print-on-demand book services
8. Contrado
- Production time: Most products are printed and delivered in three to five business days.
- Minimum order requirement: No
- Book products available: Scrapbooks, portfolios, notebooks, guest books, photo albums.
Contrado is a custom printing Shopify app offering more than 470 print-on-demand products, including various paper and stationery items.
While Contrado doesn’t offer print-on-demand services for traditional hardcover books, it allows you to upload your own designs for notebooks, address books, and photo books, among other formats. You can also sell your art on Contrado.
Contrado ships internationally. Fees vary, but most orders arrive in three to five business days. There are also discounted rates for students.
9. Gelato
- Production time: Three to four business days.
- Minimum order requirement: No.
- Book products available: Photo books, notebooks.
Gelato partners with more than 50 manufacturers across more than 70 global locations. It provides fast, flat-rate shipping of printed products with discounted rates for additional items in the same order.
While it doesn’t offer traditional book printing, you can order softcover and hardcover photo books, notebooks, and even calendars. In addition to these, Gelato makes print-on-demand shirts, apparel, mugs, and other products, so you can offer your readers branded merchandise.
10. Printify
- Production time: Most orders ship in two to seven business days.
- Minimum order requirement: No.
- Book products available: Notebooks, custom journals.
Printify is another popular Shopify app that offers print-on-demand notebooks and journals, though not traditional books. Its large product catalog and established production and fulfillment services can support growing brands. All data syncs directly with your Shopify store, so you get continuous sales and order information.
Benefits of print on demand
The beauty of print-on-demand companies is the just-in-time approach to manufacturing. Most of the services above will only print a book when an order is placed. This eliminates the hassle and financial burden of purchasing a large number of books upfront when you don’t know how many will sell.
After printing your book, these services also handle order fulfillment—the process of receiving an order, packaging it, and organizing delivery to a customer or retailer. Fulfillment can be costly and time-consuming for small businesses and first-time entrepreneurs, so it’s beneficial to rely on the expertise of a print-on-demand publisher.
For those aspiring to write the next bestseller, some print-on-demand book services like Blurb and IngramSpark work directly with wholesalers and booksellers, making it easy for retailers to order larger quantities of your book for their inventory.
If you’re looking to print a smaller quantity of books for personal use, your local community, or a one-off purpose, print-on-demand is also a good option. You’ll likely find competitive rates and quality control services such as ordering proofs and (with some POD services) copyediting and proofreading.
Here are some other general benefits of working with a print-on-demand service:
- Flexibility. Print-on-demand offers the freedom to play around with designs. Switch up the cover or change the page layout in response to reader feedback.
- Efficiency. Starting with a small inventory, you can gradually increase your production volume as your reader base expands.
- Growth. If you have a loyal reader base, you could consider branching out beyond books. From merchandise to related products, there are many possibilities to expand your business using print on demand.
Print on demand vs. traditional publishing
Editors optional
With print-on-demand, there’s no publishing house gatekeeping your work. This means you have the freedom to write as you please and ensure all your words make it to print. However, this also means your work won’t be scrutinized by a team of experienced editors.
To overcome this, you can hire a freelance editor to review your book before sending it to the printer. Some print-on-demand book publishers, like BookBaby, even offer editing services.
Set your own prices
Unlike traditional publishing, self-publishing gives you the power to set your own prices. While some print-on-demand services may charge a commission on each order, almost all allow you to choose a retail price and determine your profit margin.
If you sell your books yourself in an online store, you’ll need to decide how much to charge customers. If you’re selling your books to retailers, you’ll also need to set a wholesale discount to incentivize them to stock your book. Most publishers offer a 40% to 60% wholesale discount, allowing booksellers to make their usual markup on each book they sell.
Sales channel flexibility
With print-on-demand, you have the flexibility to choose your distribution channels. Instead of a publishing house controlling where and when your book is sold, you can sell directly to your readers through your online store, or partner with retailers and wholesalers. Some print-on-demand services even have distribution networks, making your book available to a wider audience.
How to choose the best print-on-demand service
If you can’t decide between print-on-demand book publishers, try comparing them by these features:
Production times
Consider how quickly a service can print and deliver your books. Faster production times can lead to happier customers—and more positive reviews.
Order fulfillment services
Evaluate how long it takes the printer to pack and ship orders. Do they have partnerships with carriers to lower shipping costs? Can they distribute your books internationally?
Binding and cover options
Look at the variety of binding and cover options the service offers. If you have a specific sales channel in mind (e.g., retail bookstore), make sure your printer can create your books to the necessary specifications.
Production costs and fees
Some services have no upfront costs but charge a commission on each order. Others have initial fees but may allow you to keep all of your profits.
Distribution rights
Check if you are free to distribute your book via other channels, or if the service has an exclusivity clause.
Sales data
Choose a service that comes with analytics to monitor your book’s performance in real time.
Ebooks and audiobooks
Consider if your print-on-demand service offers digital formats like ebooks and audiobooks. These can help you reach a wider audience and increase your revenue from each title that you write.
Retailer networks
A large network of connected wholesalers and booksellers can mean an easier route to the shelves of your favorite bookstore.
Proof quality
High-quality, reasonably priced proofs help ensure the final product meets your expectations.
Integrations
Check if the service integrates with ecommerce platforms like Shopify and design tools like InDesign. These integrations can streamline your workflow.
User reviews
Read user reviews to get a sense of the service’s reputation and the experiences of other authors.
Share your words with the world
You don’t need to find a heavyweight publisher to share your writing with readers. A print-on-demand book is a popular and potentially profitable way to get your message out there, whatever it may be. When you launch a personal author website or bookstore with Shopify, you get access to thousands of apps to help you make sales and grow your readership.
Print-on-demand books FAQ
What is the best print-on-demand site for books?
The best print-on-demand site for books is Shopify. You can connect any compatible print-on-demand app to your Shopify store to print and sell your books.
Does Amazon print books on-demand?
How much does it cost to print books on demand?
Typically, there are few upfront costs to print books on demand. The printing and fulfillment costs are usually deducted from your sales when you receive an order. Those can vary based on the service provider and the retail price you set for your books.
Is print on demand still profitable?
Print on demand allows you to start your business with minimal upfront costs and scale up as demand grows. However, profitability depends on factors like your pricing strategy, marketing efforts, and the quality of your products.
Can I sell print-on-demand books worldwide?
Most print-on-demand services offer worldwide shipping and distribution. You can sell print-on-demand books directly to readers around the globe through an online store. Or, you can work with a print-on-demand service that connects to a global network of wholesalers and booksellers.
