(Expired) Free Bookvault Uploads for Cyber Monday

While Novel Marketing Patrons always get free Bookvault uploads, Bookvault it offering this deal to everyone for Cyber Monday. Just use coupon code BVBF25.

While this is not an affiliate link, Bookvault is a sponsor of the Novel Marketing Conference, and will have a booth there.

You can hear my interview with them here.

Here is more from AI Thomas.

Bookvault is a print-on-demand (POD) service that offers high-quality book printing, including specialty hardbacks, and fulfillment services. It is part of Print on Demand Worldwide, a company that has been a digital printer in the UK for nearly 30 years, primarily working with larger academic publishers. Bookvault was developed to provide a hands-off platform for publishers to manage orders and distribution, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, it expanded its services to a wider market, including individual authors. Bookvault has recently expanded its services to America.

What Makes Bookvault Special?

Bookvault stands out from other print-on-demand services like Amazon and IngramSpark in several key areas:

High-Quality Hardbacks and Specialty Options

Offset-Quality Hardbacks Bookvault offers high-quality hardbacks, including cloth-bound options with foil and embossing, which feel like offset print books. Traditionally, offset printing was the only way to achieve such quality for hardbacks.
Variety of Bindings and Papers Bookvault provides six different bindings, various types of paper, and a wide range of sizes, allowing for more customization than typical POD services.
Children's Books Unlike KDP and IngramSpark, which often fall short with children's books, Bookvault can handle low-page-count children's books (minimum 28 pages on 150 paper) and even print on the inside of the cover.
Cost-Effective Color Printing For books with a mix of color and black-and-white pages, Bookvault charges for color printing only on the pages that contain color, saving authors money compared to other printers that might charge full color for the entire book.

Direct Sales and Fulfillment

E-commerce Integration Bookvault offers an API that allows authors to connect their websites (using platforms like Payhip, WooCommerce, or Shopify) so that when a reader places an order, Bookvault handles the printing and shipping directly to the customer. This allows authors to sell directly from their website, retain more profit, control pricing, and gain customer data.
Kickstarter Fulfillment Authors running Kickstarter campaigns can provide Bookvault with a CSV list of backers' names and addresses, and Bookvault will print and ship the books to fulfill the rewards. This saves authors time and money by avoiding the need to pay for shipping twice.
Author Copies Authors can also order author copies from Bookvault for events or personal use, allowing for special editions with features like color chapter headings and full-color maps not available elsewhere.

Flexibility and Service

Direct Interaction Bookvault emphasizes working directly with individual authors, focusing on creating a quality product and providing good service.
Quick Turnaround In the US, Bookvault's printing lead time is typically three to five days, with rush and priority services available for faster delivery, such as same-day printing for paperbacks and two to three days for hardbacks.
Proof Copies Bookvault strongly recommends ordering a single proof copy to ensure the book prints as desired before placing larger orders.

Cost Structure

One-Time Upload Fee Bookvault charges a one-off upload fee per title (£19.95 or $24.95) to prevent misuse of the platform. However, they offer free title uploads to members of organizations like The Alliance of Independent Authors and Novelists Incorporated.
Competitive Pricing Bookvault's pricing generally sits on par with or just below Ingram for author copies in the US and UK. While print-on-demand costs are always higher per unit than offset printing, it eliminates expensive upfront costs, making it accessible for independent authors.

Pitfalls

Signed Copies If you plan to offer signed copies, Bookvault will need to mail the books to you first for signing, and then you would be responsible for the second shipment to your readers.
Amazon Prime Distribution While Bookvault can distribute to Amazon marketplaces as a third-party seller, books sold this way may not be eligible for Prime shipping, and customers might have to pay shipping. For seamless Amazon sales, KDP is generally recommended due to its ease of use and existing integration with Amazon's ecosystem.
No Monthly Fees Bookvault does not have monthly fees, which is advantageous for authors with lower sales volumes.

What My Guests Had to Say

Alex Smith, Technical Lead at Bookvault: "Bookvault is part of a larger company called Print on Demand Worldwide. We’ve been in the UK as a digital printer for nearly 30 years. Primarily we’ve always worked with larger academic publishers in the UK such as Taylor and Francis and Oxford University Press. Generally, we’ve always been a print-on-demand (POD) printer for single copies or very low-run quantities. Bookvault has been around for about ten years and was built to service those companies and make it a hands-off platform where they could manage their orders and deal with distribution."

Joanna Penn, author: "With Bookvault I can print hardbacks with color printing, gold foil, and ribbons. And I can integrate with Shopify." She also noted that Bookvault's print-on-demand and shipping capabilities were "the missing link for Shopify," making it almost as painless as selling on Amazon, but allowing her to keep most of the money.

Live long and prosper, 🖖🏻