These figures may surprise some people, but what will shock pretty much everyone is that these sales are not just coming from top titles pushed by giant publishers using the biggest book printers: self-publishing print sales are growing. The even better news is that smaller printers can capitalise.
The fact print sales for self-published titles are increasing is surprising as the common perception is that self-publishers don’t ‘do’ printed books. These authors fall loosely into two categories: authors writing for a small group or even just themselves; or those aspiring authors that can’t get a publishing deal so go it alone in the hope of solo glory. Whatever the motivation, you would assume an e-book would be the natural route to publication: it’s almost free and it is very easy to distribute. Yet that’s not the case: print is booming in the self-publishing sector.
“CPI has been working with self-publishers and authors since 1983, when Antony Rowe set up his company to print short-run books,” says Martin Collyer, head of digital at CPI UK. “The self-publisher market has grown enormously since then, particularly in recent years, mainly due to changes in technology. Today it is much easier for self-publishers to prepare their own PDF and to get their books into print using our Quantum digital inkjet technology or even our print-on-demand service.”
Oliver Kleinman, commercial manager at Orbital Print in Kent, agrees. The company has been in the self-publishing market for many years.
“We are increasingly dealing with individuals who wish to publish their own material. Some are promoting their books to local communities and others are trying get themselves noticed to be picked up by a publishing house for mainstream publishing,” he says.
Growing awareness
This demand is something the press manufacturers are beginning to notice. Konica Minolta, for example, is specifically targeting the market.
“We have multiple clients in the UK and across Europe who use our technology for self-publishing or for linking our devices to e-commerce platforms where customers can order a book of one and get it printed and dispatched,” says Mark Hinder, Konica Minolta UK’s market development manager. “As the market grows in this area, Konica Minolta is developing technology and solutions to capture the growing business in self-publishing and will make further announcements as we lead up to Drupa in 2016.”
HP has similarly touted the benefits of its presses for self-publishing work: one Dutch customer uses four HP Indigo W7200 Digital Presses for that very job.
And the finishing kit manufacturers are targeting the sector, too.
“We’re often asked, ‘can your systems help us produce books directly?’, and the answer is a resounding yes!” says Sarah Crumpler, marketing manager at Duplo UK. “Our systems have helped numerous clients get into the self-publishing market, which is definitely a growing area.”
Bryan Godwyn, joint managing director at IFS, says his company also offers kit to cater for the market.
“Whether it is for runs of one or runs of 1,000, for self-publishing or publishing houses, fast, efficient turnaround for book production is essential and can make all the difference to profitability,” he explains. “Horizon has addressed this need with its broad portfolio of perfect binders that combine automated production with simple, intuitive touchscreen set-up.”
So there is clearly demand for the product and the kit manufacturers are offering the equipment to do the job, but is this really a sector you want to get into? And if so, what do you need to invest in and what extra might you need to offer?
In answer to the first question, Kleinman says the sector is fun, but tough.
“It’s an enjoyable market to work in, but very competitive: there are lots of book printers out there,” he explains. “If printers have the kit already and want to explore the market, then it might be a useful area to look at. If they don’t and need to invest, this investment can be quite significant, so they would need a clear and focused plan to ensure it’ll work and that they can be confident to generate the business to maximise their ROI.”
What might put off some printers is the fact self-publishing authors can often be challenging clients.
“They can be quite precious and understandably so – it’s their passion! You need to expect a level of hand-holding as most don’t quite know what they are doing. But this can be an enjoyable part of the service we offer. You get to learn about your customers and that helps build a relationship,” says Kleinman.
Collyer agrees, and says your customer service has to be exceptional as a result. “Characters abound in the self-publishing world. Always remember that many authors have devoted a huge amount of time and effort to their writing work. We offer a personal service irrespective of the value of the title placed with us,” he says.
If you are more of a just get the job and print it kind of business, then, this is clearly not the sector for you. But if you do have extensive customer service skills in place, it should not be a challenge to adapt to self-publishing clients.
Yet what exactly does the hand-holding entail? Well for some self-publishers it means the printer becoming the publisher: distribution, book design, marketing and even copy editing can all fall within the remit. Authors wanting quite that level of service are rare, however.
“More often than not, they want the design and print only,” says Collyer. “When self-publishers ask for help with editing, marketing or sales, we put them in contact with specialists in publishing services. We do offer a popular distribution service via our CPIbookdelivery.com website, though, including warehousing.”
Kleinman, however, says you can often get away with just the printing.
“We usually just print the books,” he says. “But we occasionally distribute, where customers generate the sales and we store, pick, pack and despatch on their behalf.”
Despite the sometimes-necessary extras, though, the focus on the print is what is key in this market: the client wants quality and will shop around to get it. That makes the kit choice key.
Shorter runs
Typically, you will be dealing with orders of between 1 and 1,000, but most will come at the lower end. So we’re firmly in the realm of digital presses. Orbital Print uses a Xerox Nuvera 288 EA and a Xerox 700.
Kleinman says you will then need a laminator, perfect binder and a guillotine: he uses a Vivid Matrix SH-460, a Horizon BQ 270 and a Duplo Programmatic 660.
John Cracknell, managing director at Ibis Bindery Systems, stresses that a finishing system that can quickly adapt to different specifications is key to success.
“The key feature for any binder undertaking very short-run work is the ability to automatically and continually adjust to different book thicknesses in just a few seconds,” he explains. “Both the Ibis PB-600 and Ibis PB-2000 can do this, meaning that different books may contain a varying number of pages without lengthy stops for adjustment.”
It should be noted that we are predominantly talking about paperbacks. Hardback is more expensive, both for the client and the printer, so paperback tends to be more popular. Hardback is still an option, however, and one printers should offer, but it is more difficult, according to Cracknell.
“The requirement for hardback book production adds a whole different level of complexity and cost. The Ibis perfect-binders may be adapted to include end-sheet feeding and also gauzing (or back lining) applicator instead of cover feeder. This allows them to produce bound book-blocks of varying thicknesses which can then proceed to the separate casing-in process.
Whether very short-run hardback production in this way is economically viable depends on the sell price for such books.”
Godwyn agrees: “Most printers start by offering soft-cover paperback books for self-publishing and, as demand and volumes grow, they then begin to offer very short-run hard-cover books. Horizon can provide a light production and compact solution for producing very high quality hard-cover case-bound books with its HCB-2 Case Binder.”
The potential for hardback is there, then, but you need to tread carefully.
The same could be said for the sector as a whole: self-publishing is clearly a growing market and the capability to have success in this area is within the grasp of the majority of digital printers; but that does not necessarily mean it is the right move for all. It’s competitive, customer service has to be exceptional and additional services may become essential as more printers join the fray and try to stand-out. This will all require investment, but if it results in success, it will have been well worth it, says Kleinman, and, you never know, you might have the next JK Rowling through the door.
“Many people we work with are local self-publishers and so are famous in their small communities, but not on a national or international scale,” says Kleinman. “One day perhaps we will get lucky!”
CASE STUDY Gordon Bloor
Gordon Bloor writes under the pseudonym Douglas Westcott and self-published his first novel, Go Swift and Far, with CPI.
“CPI came by recommendation from another self-publishing author and also had the great advantage of being local at Chippenham. I used them for the whole production purpose, including proof reading and e-book conversion. I had a separate editorial team,” Bloor explains. “I needed someone I could trust and to show me how to produce the books. I needed a printer that was honest, helpful, reliable, experienced and capable of producing a first-class quality product at the most economic price.
“Sales of the book over the past 15 months (including the e-book edition) now exceed 5,000, and I am about to go to a fourth edition, ready for the Bath tourist market in 2015.”
