DISTRIBUTION

 Creating your book is one thing. Getting it distributed to bookstores and on Amazon.com is a separate challenge. Mission Point Press can make sure that your book is available on these distribution channels, depending on which printing method you choose.

 Distribution to bookstores and other retailers:

 Print-on-demand (POD) printing: For authors who use the print-on-demand services of IngramSpark and/or Kindle Direct Publishing, your book will automatically be available to bookstores and other retailers via Ingram’s wholesale catalog. Any store in the country can order your book through this private, online catalog. Ingram also has international marketing partners, so you would have the option of making your book available outside the United States. Ingram in turn would pay you royalties for sales of your book to retailers.

Traditional offset printing: For authors who print their books on a traditional offset press, you have a more complicated job of making your books available to bookstores. It is extremely difficult to get a self-published book into the Ingram catalog, which is why so many authors choose print-on-demand printing. But sometimes authors require the high-level quality of an offset press, especially for photography, coffee-table-style, or children’s books.

All is not lost. Mission Point Press can warehouse some of your books and manage wholesale distribution through www.MPPDistribution.com. Contact Doug Weaver to learn more about this service.

Distribution on Amazon.com:

Print-on-demand printing: The other advantage of POD is the ease with which your book is added to Amazon.com’s online store. Both IngramSpark and Kindle Direct Publishing can distribute your book on Amazon without you lifting a finger. In turn, IngramSpark or Kindle Direct Publishing will pay you royalties for every book that sells on the online site. We can explain in detail how the process works.

Traditional offset printing: Authors face a greater challenge in getting traditionally printed books up on Amazon. First, the author must warehouse the book. Then the author must open either an Amazon Sellers or Amazon Advantage account with Amazon. Those programs are mainly designed for third-part resellers of a vast variety of goods, not just a single book. So, they can get quite complicated. We can advise you, though, on the best course to take.

Authors interested in bypassing Amazon.com might consider creating a Shopify store site, or adding an ecommerce component to their SquareSpace website. Either would allow the author to sell directly to customers online. Mission Point Press can help you create those personal store sites. Rates vary by the complexity of the store site.