Frequently Asked Questions About Print-On-Demand
Can I use Print-On-Demand (POD) to sell on Amazon? Can you help?
What you are probably asking is whether we will list your book on Amazon, print a copy when it is sold, and dispatch that copy to the buyer (i.e. whether we will print on demand). Yes we do that and not just for Amazon, but also for Flipkart and The Dogears Bookshop, as well as other platforms where we list your book.
How does Print-On-Demand offer a better alternative?
Print-On-Demand helps authors and small publishers because they can now print books on an as-needed basis instead of printing a large number of books all at once. This also helps small businesses save money, for instance, on printing manuals and reports. Similarly, print-on-demand makes it possible for publishers to offer older books (back lists) without having to print a large number of copies.
Is POD not expensive?
For details on how print-on-demand, in particular, and self-publishing, in general, might be of use to you, see which publishing solution may be applicable to you.
POD implies a higher cost per book, but to appreciate POD, a little knowledge of the economics behind it might help.
Imagine you have written a book and have decided to take the self-publishing route i.e. you have decided to publish the book yourself. You get your book edited, lay out your text, design your cover and approach the printers. You see a market for only 100 copies (for argument’s sake) but your printer says you must print a minimum of a thousand copies (they too can’t help it as small quantities are expensive for them too).
The cost of each copy is small, say Rs. 40 per book, but having to print a thousand copies means you have to invest a total of Rs. 40,000/- upfront. You are not sure if all the copies will sell but that is a gamble you are forced to take.
Or, imagine you choose to work with us at CinnamonTeal Publishing. Your book is made available for sale on a few online bookstores. When a book is sold on these platforms, the book is printed and dispatched to the buyer using the POD option.
Because the buyer has already paid for the book, you, the author, do not have to spend on its printing. In this case, the same book that cost Rs. 40 when printed in bulk might cost around Rs. 120/- when just one copy is printed (using POD technology), but because 1000 copies have not been printed, the author has to spend lesser (Rs. 120 instead of Rs. 40,000/-) and not have to worry about shipping and storage costs, or about whether or not the remaining copies will get sold.
Similarly, if you wish to have a few copies of your book for yourself, you do the same – order only as many as required. So if you need just 20 copies, assuming the same cost per unit, you pay only Rs. 2400/-.
How does the quality of a book printed on demand compare to that printed via the offset method?
Print-On-Demand technology has continually been refined during the past ten years, and book quality has improved tremendously. Print-on-demand books are indistinguishable from other books printed in large quantities using an offset press. CinnamonTeal books feature colour covers, clean graphics, and easy-to-read text. While the quality remains the same, print-on-demand methods costs much lesser than an investment in offset printing (when total costs are compared and small quantities are printed).
What if I need more copies printed?
Simply email us and we will have the required number of copies delivered. Please note that all orders will be processed only after they are paid for in full. The amount will be invoiced to you before the order is processed.
In case of third party orders (such as books dispatched to distributors), the books must be paid for in full before they are printed and dispatched.
We also provide bulk printing services.
We have several extensive FAQ pages covering a variety of subjects and answering questions you may have about us and our services.