The 10 Best Places to Self-Publish Print Books

A Complete Breakdown of the Major Print-on-Demand Companies for Authors

Let's discuss the ten best places to publish print books, ranked according to the best royalty per sale. Keep in mind, I'm not focused as much on reach, though that'll play a factor in case of matching royalties.

Every company has unique trim sizes, print variations, distribution, and quality, so you'll have to be the judge of what print-on-demand company for books works best for your needs. You should also consider base print costs before jumping on the higher royalty, because in a lot of cases, your profit margin isn't that great unless you increase your retail price.

Let's get to it!

#10 Draft2Digital

Founded in 2012, Draft2Digital (D2D) started as an ebook distribution company that later partnered with Findaway Voices for managing audiobook distribution. In early-2023, Draft2Digital officially launched print-on-demand services to all account holders.

D2D offers six different trim sizes for paperback books, accommodating page counts ranging from 64 to 780, and provides options for glossy or matte covers.

Ingram Book Group fulfills D2D Print with 40,000 online retailers, stores, and beyond. If you're familiar with IngramSpark or Lightning Source, then you'll know that Ingram Book Group manages their print fulfillment too.

You get a royalty of 45% minus print fees for all print book sales. D2D allows you to set up pre-orders up to one year ahead so you’ll have a product page to send eager buyers willing to invest early for immediate access to your book on launch day.

D2D allows one free update for each title every ninety days, so if your manuscript needs more changes or corrections, you'll have to buy a $25 Change Token. My advice: get it right before you hit the publish button.

You can bring your own ISBN or use one of their ISBNs, but remember, you cannot use their ISBN on any other platform. And, you cannot use another company that leverages Ingram Book Group for distribution; meaning, once you publish through D2D, skip places like IngramSpark, Lulu, and KDP's Expanded Distribution.

One small gripe I had initially about D2D Print was the astronomical cost of a proof copy: $32! More recently, D2D announced more affordable options and regional support for print proof ordering, so if you're on a limited budget, you can still order a copy. You'll have to upload your manuscript or contact support if you want an accurate cost for a proof.

Draft2Digital has a sweet interior formatting tool for ebooks, so naturally, they have this option open for print books too. They even have a cover conversion tool where you can use your ebook cover to create a print-ready cover. No technical experience necessary, because they made it dead simple to use.

Last year, I compared D2D Print with five other print-on-demand services and was happy with the print quality. It's pretty much on-par with other platforms like IngramSpark or KDP.

I'd love to one day see D2D add a storefront or direct sales option. For now, D2D is a great platform for publishing paperback books.

Draft2Digital pays monthly, with a minimum payment threshold of $100 for checks, $20 for Payoneer, $10 for international direct deposit, and $0 for direct deposit or PayPal.

#9 BookBaby

BookBaby is an aggregate publishing company that publishes ebooks, audiobooks, and print books. Unlike any of the other entries on this list, BookBaby doesn't split revenue, instead opting for an upfront payment. Where the other platforms leave it up to you to handle all aspects of your book, BookBaby guides you with anything, including editing, formatting, cover design, book promotion, and more.

They have paperback, hardcover, and hardcover with dust jacket options with black and white or full color interiors. Though BookBaby has thirteen trim sizes, only five are available for global distribution.

Their paper type includes 60lb. “natural” paper (uncoated & off white), 60lb. “opaque” paper (uncoated & white), and 80lb. “gloss” paper (heaviest & white). The minimum to maximum page count is 24 to 840 and varies based on the type of book.

You can bring your own ISBN or BookBaby will provide you with an ISBN with any of their publishing packages.

For $399, you can publish through their Global Distribution Network which includes Amazon, Powell’s Books, Books-A-Million, Barnes & Noble, Ingram, Baker & Taylor, NACSCORP, Bookazine, Diamond Comic, BPDI, Christian Book Distributors, BookBaby BookShop, and over fifty others. However, that doesn't indicate you'll get a 100% royalty since the retailers are going to take their cut before you get yours.

In their words:

All printed books sold through your BookShop page will give you a 50% royalty. For other retailers, depending on the retail price of your title and the specs of the book, most titles will generate between 10% - 30% royalties.

Even though the print royalty isn't great through the Global Distribution Network, BookBaby's BookShop offers a fairly competitive royalty at 50%. If you want to bypass the heftier distribution fee and go right to the BookShop, it's only $149. You'll get paid for any sales made through Bookshop days after ordering, according to them.

For all other sales, BookBaby pays account holders about ninety days after a sale through check, PayPal, or direct deposit with a $10 minimum payment threshold. Checks have a $1.50 processing fee; direct deposit has an $0.85 processing fee in the U.S. and Canada; and international direct deposit has a $4 fee plus 2% foreign currency exchange rate fee. Get with a BookBaby rep for further details.

Sadly, I can't speak directly about the quality, but have heard positive marks from some BookBaby authors.

I know BookBaby's publishing model might seem foreign, maybe even sketchy to some of you. However, they're a reputable company that's been around since 2011. The Alliance of Independent Authors lists BookBaby as a partner with an excellent rating, even providing a detailed review of the platform.

Yes, BookBaby isn't for everyone, but it's certainly an option for authors who have the money but lack the time and patience to learn about this business. BookBaby takes out the guesswork, making it dead simple for even the newest authors.

#8 PublishDrive

PublishDrive is an aggregate publishing company that distributes ebooks, audiobooks, and paperback books. Their model is like BookBaby, except you pay a monthly subscription fee based on the number of books you publish through them. Unlike BookBaby, PublishDrive does none of the work for you and charges substantially less while giving you 100% of net profits.

Note the keyword: net profits.

Every aggregate publishing platform negotiates the best royalty agreement possible, but it's near impossible to get all the platforms to agree on the same royalty. That's why in theory, PublishDrive and BookBaby give you 100% of royalties, but in reality, they're giving you 100% of the net profits from each avenue based on the agreement set with each platform.

PublishDrive offers paperback distribution to four unique retailers in eight of Amazon regions, Ingram, China Print, and Repro India. You will be hard-pressed to find any other distributor with reach into China and India, so this is a HUGE win.

For any sales made through Amazon, China Print, and Repro India, you get a 50% royalty while Ingram provides a 45% royalty.

You can publish paperback books in sixteen trim sizes but the minimum to maximum page count varies based on distribution. For Amazon and Ingram, the page count ranges between 24 to 828, based on the print type you choose. Repro India has a wildly varied page count between 32 to 828, so I highly recommend you check out their print-on-demand requirements before settling on them.

Last, China Print is quite that opportunity that comes with some issues. Getting distribution requires oversight by the Chinese state based on their censorship guidelines. PublishDrive has little control over it and even state:

If you’ve waited for your book’s publication for more than 6 months, it is possible that the title was rejected. We also do not receive any explanation as to why a book gets rejected... there is no 100% guarantee that your book will be published.

You can publish your paperback in black ink, standard color, and premium color with matte or glossy cover finishes. The paper is  available in 50lb. white or creme paper. I'm really quite curious as to the quality of premium color ink on 50lb. paper, because it's been my experience that it tends to warp the pages.

PublishDrive will furnish you with a free ISBN or you can bring your own. As mentioned in any other platform, that free ISBN is to remain only with PublishDrive. Should you bring your own, you can go buck wild. Just as a heads up though, if you're already publishing through Amazon or Ingram, you won't be able to use that ISBN through PublishDrive since it's already in use there. The nice part about PublishDrive is you can deselect any avenue you do not want to reach.

Unfortunately, I can't speak on the quality of the print books, but hear good things from other authors. If you want a print proof, you will have to hit the publish button. I'd love to see proof ordering as an available option before publishing in the future.

The annual subscription plan for PublishDrive currently comes in four tiers:

• Starter = $14.19 per month

  • 1 ebook

  • 35 distribution channels

  • Sales analytics and reports

  • Marketing and promotion tools

  • Email and chat support

• Standard = $20.99 per month

  • 6 books (all iterations)

  • 54 distribution channels

  • Everything in the Starter plan

• Plus = $41.99 per month

  • 18 books

  • All features in the previous plans

• Pro = $83.99 per month

  • 48 books

  • Everything in the previous plans

  • Bulk import books

  • API integration

  • Priority Support

If you're looking to leverage PublishDrive for print books, then you'll have to skip the Starter plan since it only supports ebooks. This means you'll have to start with the Standard Plan at about $20.99 per month or roughly $251.88 per year. If you pay monthly dues, it's $4 more per month.

To be clear, PublishDrive isn't for everyone. In fact, PublishDrive doesn't simply want to take your money and leave you with nothing. That's why recently they launched the Book Sales Calculator, a comparison chart between PublishDrive, Draft2Digital, and IngramSpark. Sadly, it's only structured for ebooks, so I hope in due time they offer the same option for print books.

And, if you're still reluctant to plunk your money down, PublishDrive currently offers a fourteen-day free trial.

PublishDrive pays two months after a sale through wire transfer, local bank transfer, check, PayPal or Intercash with a minimum payment threshold of $5. You can set those thresholds to higher amounts if you'd rather  get much larger payments. That's especially helpful if you're using options like PayPal that charges fees.

Of all the self-publishing platforms, PublishDrive has my favorite dashboard. It's clean, easy-to-navigate, and if I'm ever lost, support is only a few clicks away.

#7 Barnes and Noble Press

Barnes and Noble Press publishes ebooks and print books through their online marketplace in the U.S. Not to be confused, you do not get immediate entry into Barnes and Noble brick-and-mortar stores, though I'll share a tip later for how to increase likelihood of placement on in-store bookshelves.

Sadly, access is only available to authors and publishers in the U.S., U.K., Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, The Netherlands, and Belgium. The account setup process is rather slow, so plan ahead if you want to leverage the platform for a future book launch.

They offer paperback, hardcover, and hardcover with dust jacket in twenty trim sizes. You can print in black and white, standard color, and premium color on 50lb. white or cream paper, and 70lb. white paper. The minimum to maximum page count is 18 to 800 pages, with one exception in the 11x8.5 size (400-page maximum). Glossy or matte finish are the two options for your full-color cover.

You can come with your own ISBN, or use a free one from Barnes and Noble. Just be mindful that you cannot use that free ISBN on any other platform.

Barnes and Noble Press offers a royalty of 55% minus print fees. The quality is on-par with platforms like IngramSpark and Draft2Digital for good reason. Lightning Source fulfills print orders, the same company owned by Ingram Content Group, the folks responsible for distribution of print for Draft2Digital Print and IngramSpark.

Since Ingram Book Group distributes print books to Barnes and Noble Press, you shouldn't use both. If you were to publish through Draft2Digital and Barnes and Noble Press, you might run into issues with duplicate listings or one service unable to list your book.

The dashboard is a little clunky and in need of an overhaul, but for the most part, it's fairly intuitive. My biggest gripe is their cover design specs and recommendations. They legitimately suggest using Microsoft Word to format your book cover. I tried it awhile ago and gave up after so many attempts.

My advice: leave cover design to the professionals.

Authors who use Barnes and Noble Press shouldn't assume they will automatically secure placement in physical bookstores. If you want in-store placement, visit DaleLinks.com/BNBookstore for the exact instructions provided by Barnes and Noble.

Barnes and Noble Press pays account holders thirty days after the close of a month through direct deposit with a $10 minimum payment threshold.

#6 Blurb

Blurb is a self-publishing platform that allows authors to create, publish, and sell print books and a host of other print-on-demand products. Authors can use Blurb to sell their books through the Blurb Bookstore or other online retailers with Ingram Book Group.

Yes, Blurb shares the same distribution as D2D and IngramSpark, so your book reaches over 40,000 online retailers and more.

Blurb offers trade books in three trim sizes (5x8, 6x9, and 8x10) for softcover (paperback), hardcover, and hardcover with dust jacket. They offer Standard Black and White printing on 50lb. white uncoated paper, and Economy Color and Standard Color printing on 70lb. white uncoated paper.

Their minimum to maximum page count is 24 to 480. You can come with your own ISBN, or Blurb will provide you with one. Just remember, you cannot use the Blurb-owned ISBN anywhere off their platform.

Blurb.com has an interesting royalty model in that you have three unique avenues:

1. Global Retail Network - distribution through Ingram Book Group.

2. Blurb Bookstore - distribution exclusive to Blurb's platform.

3. Don't distribute - this option is for ordering wholesale copies of your book without distribution.

For Global Retail Network distribution (via Ingram), you set the wholesale discount based on the reach. Broad provides a royalty of 60% minus print fees and Comprehensive gives a royalty of 45% minus print fees.

In their words:

The wholesale discount, when combined with the list price, tells retailers how much you as the author will allot them for their retailer fee... Some retailers will only accept books with a 55% discount so selecting a 55% discount will ensure the broadest exposure.

For the Blurb Bookstore, you set the profit per sale above the base cost. By far, you get the best profits through Blurb Bookstore sales. For my book The Amazon Self Publisher, the base print cost is $9.95, I set the profit at $15.04, making the retail value $24.99. That'd give a 61% royalty. Not bad, especially considering that most platforms say the royalty percentage minus print fees. For the Blurb Bookstore, the base cost is baked into the formula, making it absolutely clear what you'll receive for each sale.

When I produced the print-on-demand comparison video series, Blurb didn't score well because their base print costs are the highest of any platform out there. The quality is good, but not any better than any of their contemporaries.

Blurb stands out with a unique feature that sets them apart from most print-on-demand companies: the ability to make direct sales through their API Printing service. This functions much in the same way as the Blurb Bookstore in that you get all the profits beyond the base print costs. This option comes at a higher premium or a unique understanding of web design, so proceed with caution.

Currently, Blurb pays authors monthly with a minimum payment threshold of $25 for check or PayPal.

#5 KDP Print

Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) soft launched print books in late-2016, then absorbed sister company, CreateSpace, in late-2018. Since then, KDP expanded their print offerings from just paperback books to include hardcover books, too.

You can publish paperback books in sixteen trim sizes with a minimum to maximum page count around 24 to 828, though that varies based on the type of book printed. For hardcover, you have five trim sizes with a minimum to maximum page count around 75 to 550.

Paperbacks have four paper types in 50 to 61lb. white or cream paper, 50 to 61lb. standard color on white paper, and 60 to 71lb. premium color on white paper. Hardcover uses all the previous options but does not have the standard color print option. The base print costs increase from good to best, with black and white being the cheapest, standard color being more expensive, and premium color as the most expensive option.

Both print book types have matte or glossy full-color cover finishes. And you can come with your own ISBN or use KDP's free ISBN. Much like mentioned before, you can't use that free ISBN anywhere away from your KDP account.

You get a royalty of 60% minus print fees with paperback distribution hitting twelve Amazon regions plus Expanded Distribution and hardcover distribution reaching ten Amazon regions.

Currently exclusive to paperback books, Expanded Distribution offers access to thousands of online retailers in the US and UK, made possible by Ingram Book Group. You get a royalty of 40% minus print fees while leveraging only a portion of Ingram's vast distribution network. I'm not sure why KDP arranged limited distribution through Ingram, because their predecessor CreateSpace leveraged all of Ingram Book Group's reach.

My advice: Avoid Expanded Distribution. Instead, go right to the source: IngramSpark. You get wider reach, more control of your metadata, and better royalties (versus Expanded Distribution).

KDP pays account holders sixty days after the close of the month through direct deposit, wire transfer, and check. You'll have to consult with KDP Support for the minimum payment threshold based in your region.

#4 StreetLib

Founded in 2006, StreetLib is an aggregate publishing platform base out of Italy that distributes ebooks, audiobooks, and, to a limited extent, print books. This company publishes paperback books in thirteen trim sizes with a onetime €49 setup fee. They have white paper in 80 gsm (~54lb.), cream paper in 70gsm (~47lb.), and high-quality white paper in 135gsm (~91lb.).

For full color books, Streetlib offers two paper types:

1. 115gsm (~77lb.) - This is ideal for books with mainly text, but also images, especially graphics and illustrations.

2. 135gsm (~91lb.) - They recommend this thick paper for printing image-heavy books.

Streetlib's paperback books have a minimum to maximum page count of 55 to 828, so it may not be ideal for lighter books like kid's books, short stories, or essays. You can have a matte or glossy cover finish in full color.

Streetlib recommends using their ISBN instead of bringing your own because their ISBN allows access to the national distribution channel that is not available for books with privately owned ISBNs.

They distribute print books through eight Amazon regions, and seven other Italy-based print-on-demand retailers. In their words:

When selling a (paperback) book through print-on-demand, the purchase is made at the cover price set by the author. For each copy sold, the author or publisher's earnings are calculated net of these costs:

• Sales commission: This ranges from 45% to 51% of the cover price, excluding VAT, depending on the distribution channel (online store, wholesaler, physical library).

• StreetLib distribution commission: This starts from 10% of the cover price, excluding VAT.

• Printing cost: This varies and depends on the characteristics of the book.

Admittedly, I'm lost on their royalty breakdown, but I can surmise that 45% goes to retail commissions, 10% goes to Streetlib for distribution fees, another percentage goes to print costs, then you're left with the remaining cut for net royalties.

To get a better understanding of Streetlib's projected royalty per book sale, visit their calculator. You'll have to select the trim size and all the options you want, followed by the retail price. Click the Calculate costs button and Streetlib will present you with a full cost breakdown and quote. You'll get the Store, Print cost, Your earnings, Retail fees and distribution fees, as well as a percentage breakdown for each option.

The greatest payout you'll get is through the Streetlib Storefront. I played with the pricing and found the Streetlib Store drew a royalty of over 60%. Wow!

Streetlib pays account holders thirty to sixty days after the close of a month through bank transfer, Payoneer, or PayPal. You will need to meet a minimum payment threshold of $30 for bank transfers, and $10 for Payoneer or PayPal.

Right now, Streetlib only caters print book distribution to their Italian market, but the CEO of StreetLib, Giacomo D'Angelo, shared in a recent video comment that they're looking into opening distribution to the US. Join the Streetlib community to stay abreast of all the upcoming changes, feature rollouts, and to network with their team and other authors.

Unfortunately, since I'm stateside, I can't speak about the quality of the print books. If you've ordered a print proof from StreetLib, I'd love to hear your candid thoughts and comparisons to the nine other companies on this list.

A Brief Commercial Interruption

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#3 IngramSpark

IngramSpark publishes ebooks and print books through the widest reach available, Ingram Book Group. In fact, Ingram's reach includes:

• United States & Canada - Retailers, Libraries, Schools, E-commerce companies, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Independent bookstores, Walmart.com, Target.com, Chapters / Indigo (Canada) and other well-known book retailers and wholesalers across North America.

• United Kingdom & Europe - Adlibris, Agapea, Amazon.co.uk, Aphrohead, Blackwell, Books Express, Coutts Information Services Ltd, Designarta Books, Eden Interactive Ltd, Foyles, Gardners, Trust Media Distribution (formerly STL), Mallory International, Paperback Shop Ltd, Superbookdeals, The Book Community Ltd, Waterstones, and Wrap Distribution.

• Australia & New Zealand - Amazon AU, Booktopia, Fishpond, The Nile, James Bennett, ALS, and Peter Pal.

Something many authors and video creators fail to mention is the wide reach isn’t always passively accessible. Just because you make your book available through Ingram doesn't assure you a spot on all virtual and physical bookshelves.

A variety of factors go into placement based on reader demand, your wholesale discount, and if you've enabled returns.

Side note: Do not enable returns unless you're prepared to pay for any quantity of returned books. I've heard a few horror stories about authors footing a rather hefty bill, some into the thousands.

IngramSpark publishes a variety of print books including paperback, hardcover, hardcover with dust jacket, and hardcover case laminate with dust jacket. However, unlike the list of retail distribution, I would need the next ten minutes to share every trim size and option for books. Instead, I'll summarize what you can find on their Trim Size Matrix.

They have thirty-two trim sizes in four print options:

1. B&W

2. Standard

3. Premium

4. Ultra Premium

Much like all the other options, you get glossy or matte covers. The types of paper include 50lb. white or crème paper, 70lb. white paper, and a unique option no other platform offers, 38lb. groundwood paper. The minimum to maximum page count is roughly 18 to 1,200 pages, based on the variation you choose.

IngramSpark provides a free ISBN for U.S. account holders or they can bring their own. Any account holders outside of the U.S. must furnish their own ISBN.

While IngramSpark no longer has an upload fee, you still have to pay a $25 fee for updates made sixty days after publishing. For the rest of 2024, use the code DALE2024 to waive one upload fee. I'm a member of the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) where I get one free update code per month. If you want more details about an ALLi membership, visit my affiliate link at DaleLinks.com/ALLi. You'll want to look into the Author or Authorpreneur plans to get the best deals and discounts.

Also, IngramSpark now charges a 1% distribution fee on all books sold through their wholesale global distribution network. It's not a lot, but it's still something to account for when thinking about your royalty.

Account holders get to choose the wholesale discount for their print book in five different markets. In their words:

The wholesale discount you offer is what the distribution partners and wholesalers such as Ingram receive for selling your book and is not the discount the booksellers or consumers receive.

Essentially, you're wheeling and dealing with retailers, so it's always a good idea to offer the best bargain, so you increase the likelihood of merchandising. The five markets allow you to price and discount separately. The discount range and your royalty percentage for each include:

• United States = 40 to 55% wholesale discount = 45 to 60% royalty

• United Kingdom, European Union, & Australia = 35 to 55% wholesale discount = 45 to 65% royalty

• Canada & Global Connect = 30 to 55% wholesale discount = 45 to 70% royalty

Don't forget about the 1% distribution fee and print fees. If you want an estimate of what you'll receive in royalties, use their Publisher Compensation Calculator.

IngramSpark's print quality is pretty good and is only marginally more expensive than Amazon KDP.

IngramSpark's Share & Sell Program lets US-based account holders sell print books directly to readers through social media or a website. You can create shareable purchase links for your books and share these links on social media, your author website, your email newsletter, and more. The tool is fairly flexible, but it currently limits you to one book per page.

The folks at IngramSpark informed me they're working hard to expand this feature globally; they just need time to iron everything out. As per usual, subscribe to this channel if you want to keep in the loop about all things self-publishing.

IngramSpark pays account holders sixty days after the close of a month for direct deposit or PayPal. There are various minimum payment thresholds, so get with support for clarification.

#2 Lulu

Lulu is one of the longest running self-publishing print-on-demand companies on this list, having started in 2002. They distribute ebooks and excel in print books, especially in quality and variety of print options.

Paperback, hardcover, and hardcover with dust jacket are only a few print options on Lulu. You can do photo books, comic books, magazines, yearbooks, and calendars too. For brevity's sake, we'll just focus on the print books.

Print books come in sixteen trim sizes with Standard Black & White, Premium Black & White, Standard Color, and Premium Color. Paper comes in 60lb. cream or white, and 80lb. white. The cover finish comes in glossy or matte, much like the other platforms.

Even though Lulu offers five types of bookbinding, only Paperback Perfect Bound, Hardcover Casewrap and Hardcover Linen Wrap with Dust Jacket are available for Global Distribution. Paperback Coil Bound and Saddle Stitch have limited distribution.

You can come with your own ISBN or use a free-assigned ISBN from Lulu. As per usual, you cannot use the free ISBN anywhere away from Lulu.

I cannot speak highly enough about Lulu's print quality. Every order and comparison I've made with Lulu has come near impeccable. They've rated high on all my comparisons against big hitters like KDP, IngramSpark, or Barnes & Noble Press. But their base print costs are significantly higher than most print on demand companies, but cheaper than Blurb.com.

Print distribution includes the Lulu Bookstore, Lulu Direct, and Global Distribution (fulfilled by Ingram). The royalty breakdown varies based on the avenue you select.

The Lulu Bookstore gives 80% of gross profits (the amount after print fees). Global Distribution gives you a much lower royalty since Ingram takes out print fees and an astounding 50% of your list price. This leaves you with 80% of gross profits.

The royalty for Global Distribution is absurdly low compared to going through IngramSpark. For a 200-page novella priced at $19.99, you get a paltry $2.86 while Lulu collects $0.72. That's a 14% royalty; yikes!

To make matters worse, you cannot get Global Distribution unless you order a print proof. I'm not sure that's worthwhile considering you can go directly to IngramSpark and not worry about the loss in royalties or having to order print proofs to get distribution.

If you don't like Global Distribution, you can avoid it altogether when publishing your book through Lulu.

For however bad the payout is for Global Distribution, Lulu makes up for it in the Lulu Bookstore royalties and even more so in Lulu Direct. Authors can directly sell their books on their websites through ecommerce platforms like Shopify, Wix, or WooCommerce using Lulu Direct. This integration links Lulu's print-on-demand services to your website, granting you access to their full range of printing choices.

When you publish a book using Lulu Direct, your customers buy directly from you, and Lulu  handles the printing and shipping fulfilment. You get 100% of gross profits, the only thing removed are the printing and shipping fees. The best part? You get the money right away.

Sadly, that's not the case for the other distribution options.

Lulu pays account holders forty-five days following the end of the quarter (Feb. 15, May 15, Aug. 15, Nov. 15) through PayPal or check with a minimum payment threshold of $5 and $20, respectively. I'm not the biggest fan of this payout method and would love to see them switch to a monthly payment system to match other self-publishing platforms.

#1 Bookvault

Bookvault is a U.K.-based publishing company that distributes print books with plans to expand into ebook and audiobook distribution. They distribute a variety of print books through Amazon, Gardners, Alibris, and Bookvault's Great British Book Shop. You can also do direct sales with Bookvault using ecommerce platforms.

Much like IngramSpark, I can't even begin to share every book iteration they have available, so I'll boil it down to the need-to-know info. They offer eleven standard trim sizes and a custom option for more discerning authors. You get six types of binding in perfect bound, case bound—aka hardcover—with or without a dust jacket, case bound with cloth with or without dust jacket, as well as foil blocking, wire-o bound notebooks, saddle stitch, and spiral bound.

Sadly, most of the options are limited to U.K. distribution, whereas paperback and case wrap (aka hardcover) are open to global distribution.

Similar to IngramSpark, you offer a wholesale discount for each title that ranges from 20 to 60%, but Bookvault takes a 5% distribution fee. This leaves you with roughly 35 to 75% royalty minus print fees. The biggest payout option is with The Great British Book Shop  with a 5% distribution fee and 5% retailer fee. So, that means you get 90% minus print fees.

Through Bookvault’s direct sales integration with platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix, Payhip, and Bookvault API, you get 100% of profits after printing and shipping fees. Unlike Lulu, the base print cost is substantially cheaper, and the quality comes out pretty darned good.

Bookvault has three account types, all with increasing perks and costs.

The MyBookVault free plan has a onetime setup fee per title of £19.95, a 3 to 10% bulk discount for print orders, they plant a tree with every order, and access to a wide array of automation tools.

For £24.95 per month, the Bookvault Indie plan offers all the same perks as the free plan, but the title setup fee is £4.95. This option is perfect for authors publishing several books per month.

At £89.95 per month, Bookvault Pro is suitable for large businesses. You have no title setup fee, a 3 to 15% bulk discount for print orders, discounted rush services, plus the perks included in the free plan.

Pro Tip: Use coupon code BVDALE to waive the next three uploads. Or become a member of ALLi where Bookvault waives all upload fees. Yet another great reason to join ALLi.

You must come with your own ISBN or pay Bookvault about $33 for one through Nielsen.

The quality of print books through Bookvault UK is unparalleled, possibly one of my absolute favorites. Recently, they opened distribution to the U.S., but the print quality is not as good as the U.K.-printed books. Though the quality is still pretty good, on-par with their competitors.

Bookvault pays account holders through direct deposit about ninety days after the point of sale through the retail network. Any sales made through The Great British Book Shop comes into your account mid-month.

I recommend checking out my deep dive review of Bookvault on YouTube; you'll get many other interesting insights about the platform.

Final Thoughts

Where do you think is the best to place to publish print books? Drop your candid thoughts in the comments. While we're talking about the best places to publish books, find out where you get the best royalty for ebooks in this previous post. Or, watch this video series where I compare the various print books from every major self-publishing company. Thanks so much for tuning in and subscribe so you don’t miss more posts like this one!