Being a writer is difficult. There are weeks of research that you need to do to write good materials. You spend agonizing months trying to put together the right words to get your ideas across. And then there is the tedious process of editing to make sure that there are no mistakes and that your work is perfect.
And after all that, you need to work on the publishing side. If you want people to read your work and make sales, you would need to publish your book. And the tasks involved in this are time-consuming, too, especially if you choose to self-publish. Because numerous platforms aim to make the process easier for self-publishers, choosing one can be daunting.
One of such platforms is The Barnes and Noble Press. It is a platform that wants to make self-publishing a more streamlined process so that authors can quickly go back to what they do and enjoy best – writing their next book. We will take a look at what this platform has to offer and find out if it is better than other existing self-publishing tools.
What is Barnes and Noble Press?
If you are in the self-publishing business, you'd probably know about Kindle Direct Publishing, IngramSpark, or even Drafts2 Digital. These are publishing platforms that help authors post and sell their works online. Barnes & Noble Press is another prestigious name in this field.
Formerly known as Nook Press, Barnes & Nobles Press provides publishing services that are fast and easy to use. More importantly, it allows authors to sell their works, whether in print or ebook form, for free! It is the third-largest platform that millions of readers trust.
How does Barnes and Nobles Book Printing Work?
Have you ever uploaded your work to Amazon KDP or any other online bookstore? If you have, then you will be happy to know that the basic process of publishing your work on The Barnes & Nobles platform is essentially the same.
Once you have your book print-ready, you can make it go live on the Barnes& Noble Press website in three simple steps. The first one is to decide if you want to offer your title in eBook or print form. You can sell your work in either or both versions. Successful self-publishers state that it is best to distribute your work in all formats.
It is important to check if the book printing service works in your location. There are some places that the website doesn't service, and you don't want to waste your time going through the process only to discover that certain readers won't be able to buy your book's printed copies.
Once you've decided on what format you are going to sell your book, the next step is to upload the file for the interior of your book. You can upload your manuscript in doc, docx, html, epub, or txt file types for eBook. Meanwhile, only doc, docx, and pdf formats are the accepted formats if you are selling printed copies of your book.
The last step is to enter all of the necessary information regarding your book. Once this is done, you just need to hit the publish button. Once Barnes and Noble Press approves your book, it will automatically appear live in the platform's store. The review process can take a while.
There are cases when the book submitted gets rejected. If this occurs, Barnes and Noble will provide you with some guidance on how to fix the issues with your work so that it will pass the review the next time you submit it. Follow this guide and resubmit your work until it gets approved and listed on the retailer's site.
When a reader chooses to buy your work in its printed form, that is when Barnes and Noble Book Printing service comes into play. Also known as print-on-demand, this process is when the service provider prints a copy of your book only upon the receipt of payment from the customer. This means the retailer doesn’t keep stocks of the book.
Once the printed book is ready, the copy is shipped to the buyer’s delivery address. The author then gets a percentage of that sale minus the cost of printing. In connection with this, B&N has a calculator that authors can use to find out how much it costs to get their books printed. Knowing this cost will help in deciding how much to price each title.
Where is Barnes and Noble Press available?
If you want to make it big in the self-publishing industry, you need to be able to reach as many readers as possible. That is why international self-publishing is growing exponentially right now. However, some retailers are not available to all locations.
Barnes and Noble Press only allow authors from these countries to upload their works onto their platform:
· Unites States
· United Kingdom
· Australia
· Belgium
· Canada
· France
· Germany
· Ireland
· Italy
· New Zealand
· Spain
· The Netherlands
Additionally, as mentioned above, even if you reside in these locations, B&N can only print and ship copies of your titles within the United States. If you want to sell your printed books elsewhere, you will need to partner with another retailer.
How Much Do You Need to Pay?
There are so many scams out there looking to fool unsuspecting self-publishers. Some are vanity presses while others overcharge writers for printing services. Is Barnes and Noble Press one of these? Do you need to pay to get your book listed on their website?
It is important to note that uploading your book to its site and availing of the services that the company offers are free. There is zero upfront cost. You also get the freedom to determine your titles' list price. As mentioned above, authors receive 70% royalties no matter how much their eBooks are.
The only time that you would need to pay is when your readers buy a printed copy of your work. The pricing gets a little complicated. Barnes and Noble Press established a minimum retail list price. This is dependent on the length of your work, the color options you choose, and whether it is softcover or hardcover.
Nevertheless, the author still receives 55% of the sales of the printed books. This rate is applied to the amount after the deduction of the printing cost. Payouts are sent out 30 days after the last day of the month. The minimum payment is $10. This is from the combined sales of your eBooks and print books.
Pros of Publishing with Barnes and Noble Press
If you are looking for a good platform to help you list and sell your books, Barnes and Noble has a lot of advantages to offer. First is its easy-to-follow process of uploading your book on its platform. You can list your titles in just a few clicks.
Next, it offers higher royalty rates than other retailers. Authors receive 55% royalties from their printed book sales. While you still need to cover the printing costs, the rate is still considerable. As for eBooks, authors are given a whopping 70% royalty rate.
If you are new in the business and need to get your titles and name out there, Barnes and Noble offers promotional opportunities. You can be featured in their marketing programs including in their press emails.
With their millions of readers on NOOK devices and BN.com, it is impossible to remain unnoticed once you get featured in any of their marketing activities. This is a good start that you can build on as you establish your own fanbase.
This platform is known for producing high-quality, professional-looking paperback and hardcover books. If your readers appreciate owning a beautifully made copy of your work, then it is a great idea to partner with Barnes and Noble Press.
You can expect to receive payments within 30 days. Plus, this comes with a financial report as well as order tracking. This way, you can keep a good eye on the business side of self-publishing and make necessary adjustments based on this information.
Finally, when you publish your work with it, you'd still be able to list and sell your titles on other platforms. Barnes and Noble Press does not have an exclusivity agreement with authors. This is a huge advantage since the Book Printing service it offers does not cover locations outside the US. You can partner with another platform that does.
Cons of Publishing with Barnes & Noble Press
One of the most common complaints made by authors using the Barnes and Noble Book Printing service is the long wait for getting books approved and printed. While many comments that they offer a much better print quality than other platforms, it is balanced by the somewhat slow approvals and customer service.
Some authors also mentioned that getting edits approved for your titles can take weeks. Even then, the changes may not be approved. So, if you are and your readers are willing to wait for printing in exchange for better color fidelity for your books, expect to have about twice the longer wait compared to Amazon.
Besides the slow processes, another common complaint against the platforms is the limited reach. Since BN.com only serves the United States region, it is not suitable for authors who want to sell their books internationally.
Lastly, Barnes and Noble Press does not offer audiobook publishing. And since this is one of the fastest-growing segments in online publishing nowadays, it might be one of the biggest reasons why authors explore other options. Multi-format publishing is a huge deal, knowing that one in every five individuals prefers listening to audiobooks.
Conclusion
Using Barnes and Noble Press and Barnes and Noble Book Printing services is ideal if you want to work with multiple retailers and strive to provide your readers with better quality printed copies of your book. This company offers authors the highest royalty rate compared to other existing retailers out there.
It also provides free marketing services that authors cannot get from other platforms. Since you won't be shelling out cash to list your titles on its website, it is a good option to consider especially if you are just starting.
