Hot Off the Press
For the upcoming release of my book, Golden Ruin, I wanted to test out different print-on-demand (POD) services for myself. I’m going to go over my findings and how this experience has shaped my publishing strategy.
For consistency’s sake, I used the same files for each service. Every interior is the same, and for the services that offered it, I let them generate the back cover for me, meaning I only provided the front art. For Barnes & Noble and Ingram Spark, I uploaded a full cover (front and back) that I threw together in Canva. I also wanted to quickly note the cover used is the amazing title page art created by Theresa Chiechi. This is not the final cover. I wanted to test this process out with illustrative art, but since the cover is not done I used this instead.
For each stage, I am listing the services in the order of best to worst for how they rank in that particular section. The end of this post will have a more comprehensive ranking. There are a few things I’m looking for in particular when choosing the “best” service for me.
Image quality. I have a lot of art in the book (some of which is yet to be added) so I want the printing to be as crisp as possible. This extends to the cover as well since I have commissioned someone to do a very painterly style, and I want all the hand-painted details to come through.
Professionalism. POD is known for variable quality. It’s done at such a rapid pace and paid for per copy, so the margin of accepted error is wider. With all of this in mind, I want the most professional-looking book I can possibly produce.
Stage 1: Uploading
Barnes & Noble Press: The easiest uploading for both files. My files were approved within the same day with no issues. I chose a personal book with a random ISBN since these are just test copies. You first choose book details and can toggle the options around to get the pricing you want. Then there are guides to upload both the interior and the cover with an immediate eproof. That’s it!
Ingram Spark: It was fairly straightforward. They have more options than B&N and D2D despite apparently using the same printing facilities. I initially wanted duplex printing but my files kept getting errors, so I uploaded the same cover I made for B&N (unrelated to Ingram’s template) and had no issues. They approved it a day later once I got my cover files sorted out.
Amazon: Had the weirdest setup in my opinion. My files both timed out uploading on the first try but had no errors the second time. I used their cover generator and was able to order the book via a specific link emailed to me. It was ready the next day.
Draft 2 Digital: I went through four uploads tweaking things to get my files approved. You get an eproof and then the system goes through your submission. It took 3 days for final approval so I could order a copy.
Stage 2: Printing and Shipping
Amazon: 2 days to print, 1 day to ship. $5.07 book, $3.59 shipping (not eligible for prime) 82¢ tax. The tax seems too high. Came in a standard bubble mailer. Best pricing and arrived fastest.
Ingram: 5 days to print, 6 days to ship. $6.01 book, $3.49 shipping, 51¢ tax. Came in a cardboard box for media mail. Next best pricing and arrival time. Shipping cost was largely affected by the paper, which I will get into below.
B&N: 8 days to print, 6 days to ship (same location as Ingram). $6.56 book, $7 shipping, $1.25 tax (I ordered 2 copies). Came in the same cardboard media mail box. Shipping was decent considering I ordered two books.
D2D: 11 days to print, still not shipped as of this post. $5.75 book, $5.60 shipping, 55¢ tax. Longest wait times and shipping is a bit high considering the B&N copies were double the weight and almost cost the same. I'm wondering if they have some sort of wrapping or protection on the book itself to justify the cost difference. The other three books were just kind of free-wheeling in their packages.
Stage 3: The Books
B&N: Had the overall best print quality. The cover color is the most accurate, the images are the most crisp, and nothing got cut off. The binding was the tightest, so when I opened the map I could see most of it. The spine text is a bit off-center, but that could be my fault for misaligning it on the template.
Ingram: Had the most interesting options. They are the only place to use the groundwood paper, which they tout as being the most comparable to a traditional pub paperback. I LOVE groundwood so much. The book is thicker than the other versions but noticeably lighter. Unfortunately, I think because of the paper texture, this produced the lowest-quality images. The cover also ran a teensy bit warm, but that’s just if I’m being picky.
(in photo 2, left is IS copy with groundwood, right is B&N copy with creme 50lb. In photo 4, left is B&N and right is IS).
Amazon: I have beef with Amazon, and you definitely get what you pay for. The cover, especially compared to the other copies, looks so dull. I also hate how they generate the back cover with the drop shadow behind the text. This cover also picks up fingerprints way easier than the others, all of which are matte. This version also taught me I’m not a fan of bright white pages. The biggest complaint I have though, is that Amazon moved all of my files up. This didn’t show in the digital proof. So my full-page images are cut off on the top and have a white space at the bottom. This also makes the interior look weird and amateurish.
D2D: ??? As of writing this, the copy is still being prepared for shipment. If it blows me away I’ll make a follow-up post, but it is supposedly the same printer as B&N and Ingram, so I really just wanted to get a feel for the platform. For how much trouble I had getting my files approved, the copy should be pretty perfect.
My Thoughts
Based on the above information, I will be doing the following:
KU(Amazon) for ebook, then reevaluate after 90 days. If I do go wide I will use D2D based on the royalty share they offer.
For print books, I’ll be using Ingram Spark. Even for Amazon. It’s popular to upload straight to Amazon and then do the rest on Ingram, but based on my results I will not be doing that. Ingram’s print quality is the best (with the right paper), their times are decent, and if I do want to approach brick-and-mortar stores I kind of have to be on there.
I will be using crème 50lb paper for the paperbacks, but I will be using my one true love groundwood for large print versions. I feel like the thickness groundwood provides makes it easier to hold by the spine, it’s also way lighter. Someone with limited range or dexterity issues with their hands will have a much easier time holding the groundwood copy than the standard crème 50lb paper. It’s important to me to have an accessible copy, so I will have two paperback editions.
If I ever do special editions or hardcovers, I’ll be using B&N Press for my own DIY Barnes & Noble exclusive edition. I think it’s a cute idea (why should trad get all the fun), and overall I think their quality is best, even though they all apparently come from the same place. The colors are the truest, so I would go here for a hardcover, full-color version.
So, in a way, I will actually be using all of these services. Kind of crazy, huh? Is that the answer you were expecting? I definitely wasn't imagining using more than one service, let alone four!
If you’re a fellow indie author looking to print books, I hope this was helpful! This was all very subjective, these services are all incredibly popular for a reason. So I encourage you to still do your own testing, and always order a print proof before deciding on anything.
Until next time,
<3 Emma
