Publishing in Print

A physical book you can hold, sign and sell at events — printed one copy at a time, on demand, with no inventory. But the right route depends a lot on where your readers are.

How print-on-demand (POD) works

Modern self-published paperbacks are print-on-demand: a copy is printed and shipped only when someone orders it. No upfront print run, no boxes in your garage — the printing cost is simply deducted from each sale.

Your print royalty is roughly: (list price × royalty rate) − printing cost. Printing cost scales with page count and whether it's black-and-white or colour, so longer and colour books earn less per copy. Always run your specific book through the platform's royalty calculator before you price it.

The one thing that trips up Indian authors

KDP Print works fully in the US, UK, Europe, Japan and Australia — Amazon prints and ships the paperback to readers in those marketplaces.

But KDP has no print centre in India. A KDP paperback prints abroad and reaches Indian buyers only as a slow, expensive import — so it's not a real option for selling print to Indian readers. For physical books in India, use a local POD service (below) and keep KDP for the Kindle ebook.

Your print options

KDP Print (global)

Free to use, prints and ships in the US/UK/EU/JP/AU, and sits right next to your Kindle edition on Amazon. The default for reaching readers in those countries.

IngramSpark (wide)

Reaches 39,000+ retailers, bookstores and libraries worldwide. Setup is now free (a per-title revision fee applies). Best once you have print-ready files and want bookstore distribution beyond Amazon.

Pothi (India)

An India-based print-on-demand service — a low-cost way to sell physical copies to Indian readers and fulfil locally.

Notion Press (India)

A popular India full-service / POD route that handles print and distribution for Indian authors who want more hand-holding.

eBook or print — which should you start with?

Start with the eBook if…

  • You want the fastest, lowest-cost route to market
  • Your readers are global, or in India
  • You're testing demand before investing in print
  • Higher royalties (up to 70%) matter most

How to publish a Kindle ebook →

Add print when…

  • You'll sell or sign copies in person
  • Readers expect a paperback (many non-fiction buyers do)
  • You want bookstore or library reach
  • A physical book strengthens your author brand

Most authors do both — ebook first, print alongside.