How many books should you print? In the cost-conscious world of business, more and more small press publishers are deciding on smaller runs of books. They know that the unit cost of a book becomes lower the more books they print, but they also are painfully aware that if the book does not sell, no matter how cheap the book is to produce, they will still lose money. Therefore, print the largest, but most practical amount of books you can, knowing that you always reprint quickly if the orders start pouring in. More about quantity

The key word here is practicality. Balance the cost of the book against any pre-orders. Know exactly how many books you must sell to make your money back for your run.

If you choose a run of 1,000 copies and the book costs you $3.50 a book to produce, you might price it at $14.95. You would have to sell at least 235 books at full cost to make your money back (original cost of $3,500 and income of $3,513.25).

When you set your price, remember that very few books are sold at full price, since distributors, wholesalers, and bookstores all expect large discounts. Try to factor this in and make the price you set higher than the price you expect to receive.

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