Distribution
Now that your book is published the hard work begins!.
Your book has probably already received much interest and enthusiasm among family and friends - the next step is to sell it to the rest of the world.
Promoting your book will require hard work and inspiration which will hopefully result in demand. Once people have heard about your book, they need to be able to purchase it quickly and easily.
Download Self Distribution Guide from YPS Publishing (322 Kb) helpful notes and practical advice. Both have self published with YPS, although their books are very different, the promotion and marketing principles are the same.
The next step - distribution
Once people know about your book, and decide to buy it, you will need to efficiently invoice and fulfil the orders. This can be a daunting task, and this is where we can help.
For a number of years YPS has been providing Distribution services for mainstream publishers. We are now able to offer these services to self publishers, whether or not we have printed your book.
YPS' Distribution Service for self publishers includes:
Order processing
Orders are be received by post, telephone, fax and email. They are promptly processed. Orders are supplied to the book trade, educational organisations or individuals.
Knowledgeable handling of customer queries
We respond efficiently to requests and enquiries regarding price and availability and the status of orders placed.
Pick pack and despatch
Orders are speedily picked, packed and despatched to customers using the most cost-effective carrier. Orders are usually despatched within 2 working days.
Warehousing and stock management
All stock is stored in our customised heated warehouse. Stock and stock levels are closely monitored and controlled by the order processing system.
Payment processing and credit control
We handle all aspects of payment processing. We accept payments by cheque, credit and debit card and BACS. We have stringent credit control procedures for the chasing of unpaid invoices and accounts.
Sales stock and dues reporting
We provide regular reports to clients so that they have all the information needed to manage their organisation effectively. These cover all aspects of stock, volume and value sales, dues and outstanding debts.
Mailing service
For publishers of newsletters or journals we offer speedy and economical mailing.
Many bookshops, particularly major bookshop chains, are reluctant to deal with small publishers. They place orders with wholesalers rather than ordering direct.
YPS is an established book distributor for mainstream publishers, and we have accounts with the book wholesalers and bookshops. Every day we process and supply orders to UK bookshops (including Waterstones), wholesalers, libraries and library suppliers.
You can sell your book through your local bookshop, through bookstores such as Waterstones, through wholesalers, Amazon, and directly online with the - YPD Bookshop . Although bookstores are essential, we recommend direct selling whenever possible.
Why sell direct?
Booksellers expect a discount when placing orders. The minimum discount is around 35% for wholesalers and Amazon 60%. You will have to pay for the freight/postage. This will not leave you with much to pay all the other costs, never mind make a profit!
Selling direct, on the other hand, means you do not have to give a discount, and you can charge the purchaser for packing and postage.
Sell direct, online, with www.ypd-books.com – open 24 hours a day!
YPD-books.com specialises in selling books directly from independent authors and small publishers. You can display your book in our online bookshop, where it can be ordered online. We will take care of the paperwork and all the hassles of distribution. If you have a website, you can link directly to your listing on the bookshop to make use of the YPD-books shopping cart and fulfilment service.
Benefits of selling direct online with YPD-books.com:
The online bookshop allows your customers to purchase your books directly from YPS, at any time, day or night.
- YPS would fulfil these orders within 24 hours
- You can charge for postage
- You can easily link to our online bookshop from your own website
- YPS will hold stocks of your book for immediate despatch from our warehouse
- You will avoid having to pay the 35%-60% booksellers' discounts
Amazon Marketplace
As you have an ISBN you are automatically listed on Amazon. However this does not mean Amazon will hold stocks of your book. Initially they are likely to indicate an order lead time of 4 to 6 weeks! When they receive an order, they will order copies from you, expecting their 60% discount. The long delivery time usually deters sales, and if you have to give 60% discount it is unlikely you will make a profit on Amazon sales.
The YPS Amazon Marketplace account provides a cost effective alternative. YPS have an Amazon Marketplace account and will be listed as an alternative supplier, with a delivery time of 2 days. If customers choose to order from YPS, Amazon will forward the order to us. They will take 17.5% commission, but this is better than 60%!.
How York Publishing Services can work for you
Our system is easy and straightforward. YPS would hold stock of your book in our warehouse in York; we would receive orders by mail, fax or phone, then speedily process and supply them. At the end of each month we would send you the revenue from sales.
What will it cost?
For the full distribution service and for a listing on YPD-books.com:
- Fixed charge: £30 per month for the first title and £10 per month for additional titles.
- Commission: 10% of sales.
- Postage: postage would be charged at cost on trade orders. Postage on orders placed on YPD-books.com would be paid by the customers.
- Packing: no charge
- Storage: £6 per pallet per month. We can consolidate stock of several titles on a single pallet to minimise the storage cost. If we only store a few boxes, storage would be free.