How to create your own paperback books
Alex Smith of Bookvault tells us how by-pass the publishers and bring your work to life in physical book form. Plus...the power of premium editions and how to create superfans.
Call me a book nerd but I regularly go to publishing conferences to keep up with the trends and talking points in the industry. Over the years I’ve noticed how various developments in the trade become the hot talking points at these gathering places.
Ten years ago it was the rise of indie publishing - how anyone could by-pass the gatekeepers and get their book to market via the likes of Amazon KDP or Kobo. Five years ago everyone was talking about audio, last year books on the blockchain had a moment, although I’m still none the wiser about what that actually is!
This year ‘direct to consumer’ have been the words on many people lips.
You can just write your book, format it (if it’s an ebook) or have it printed, then sell it on your own website or shop for maximum profit. Petersham Nurseries is just one luxury brand by-passing the big publishers and selling their coffee table book through their stores, and just look at it - gorgeous.
But the problem with publishing yourself is the financial burden of having lots of books printed if you want to offer a physical edition of your work.
Many printers offer low print runs - but in reality, that ‘low number’ is often 100/200 copies which can cost upwards of £600 - £1000.
Print on Demand solves a lot of problems. Your book is only printed once an order comes in which means less upfront investment, less waste (‘returns’ are a big problems in publishing,) and saves a lot of trees.
But I’ve found that the quality of print on demand books can’t quite match what you see in the bookshops. Until I discovered Peterborough-based printer Bookvault.
Left: My traditionally published thriller. Right: A book I’ve independently published and had printed through Bookvault.
Premium print on demand printers are a game changer for anyone who wants to produce a beautiful hardback or paperback edition of their work without going through a traditional publisher.
I thought I’d speak to Bookvault’s technical lead Alex Smith to see how to do it and why you should think about it…