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Explanation of Printing Costs through Lightning Source by Ron Kurtus - Succeed as an Independent Publisher: From Self-Publishing to Global Publishing. Also refer to setup fees, discount, wholesaler, distributors, retailers, School for Champions. Copyright © Restrictions
Printing Costs through Lightning Source
by Ron Kurtus (14 August 2011)
Lightning Source (LSI) is the premier print-on-demand (POD) source. The cost of printing your books through Lightning Source starts with their setup fees. Then their printing charge depends on whether the books are for your publishing business or as part of an order from wholesalers, retailers, and distributors to sell to their customers.
Questions you may have include:
- What are the Lightning Source setup fees?
- How much are the printing charges for the publisher?
- How much are the printing charges for ordered books?
This lesson will answer those questions.
Setup fees
LSI charges a one-time setup fee of $37.50 for uploading cover files and another $37.50 for uploading interior files. If you want a proof copy of your book, they charge another $30, and if there are any changes to the content, it is another $30.
Printing charges for publisher
The fees for printing standard trade paperback books 6 X 9 inches or smaller are:
$0.90 + $0.015/page
You will also be charged a $1.50 per order handling fee plus shipping costs.
Thus, ordering a 200-page book will cost you:
$0.90 + $3.00 + $1.50 = $5.40
Your profit on a full-price sale would be:
$15.00 − $5.40 = $9.60
However, this does not count your expenses in promoting or advertising your books, as well as the requirement to have stock on hand.
Printing charges for ordered books
The printing fees for books that are ordered by wholesalers, retailers, and distributors are:
$0.90 + $0.013/page
Printing a 200-page book will cost:
$0.90 + $2.60 = $3.50
You need to take this into account when you set your selling or list price of the book, as well as your discount.
If the list price of the book was $15.00, and you discounted it 55%, the distributor would pay $6.75 for the book ($15.00 − $8.25 discount = $6.75 cost). Your profit on a book sale would be:
$6.75 − $3.50 = $4.75
Summary
The cost of printing your books through Lightning Source starts with a minimum of $75 setup fees. Books you order will cost $0.90 + $0.015 per page, with an additional $1.50 handling charge. Books that wholesalers, retailers, and distributors order cost you $0.90 + $0.013 per page. The amount of your discount on the list price will determine how much they pay for the book.
Know your numbers
Resources and references
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