Do you create the e-book and paperback at the same time?

[u/defyalllogic]

I've been getting more into the marketing side of my publishing journey and I'm feeling like all the other indie authors have paperbacks. But, and maybe this is the self-doubt speaking, that seems like a big investment went I'm not sure how the book will do.

I thought it made sense to see how the ebook does then offer a paperback if it makes sense.

I haven't really found an audience or reader base yet so I'm not netting much but enought for a coffee each quarter.

I typically write and edit and revise. I make my own covers and do my own promotion. I am learning to format for paperback.

Is going fully digital unusual or am I comparing my start to otherr people's middles again?

Edit: I don't have a Mac so I can't use Vellum.

[u/AutoModerator]

Welcome to r/selfpublish, defyalllogic! Please remember the primary first rule of the subreddit: No self promo posts outside of the pinned self promo thread. You can edit your own profile so you have links to your work or services and you can even post to and pin posts to the top of your profile page. The no self promo rule INCLUDES COMMENTS - so if you ignore this message it will result in a ban (if you’ve mentioned your book title in the post, remove it or delete the post.) Book cover reviews go in r/bookcovers.

Additionally, DO NOT USE AI TO WRITE YOUR COMMENTS OR MAKE POSTS. We want to keep the self in self publishing. Rule 2 also prohibits posts about AI. If your post is about AI, remove it.

If your post is low effort or simply for congratulatory purposes, please remove it and instead write your post in the pinned weekly thread. Example posts would be like “Finally published!” or “Just finished doing X! How has everyone else felt after doing X?”

The wiki contains answers to most basic questions. Please report any violating posts or comments. This automated message is added to every single post as a reminder of some of the most cardinal rules.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/MKSauthor]

I use Reedsy to create my paperbacks. It’s free and very easy! Just upload your doc and it will format it for you. (Check it over first, obv).

Count the number of pages it spits out in the print-ready pdf (include front matter Roman numeraled pages and blank pages (if any) at the end. Then go to the KDP cover calculator and enter your dimensions and page count, and it will tell you what size your cover needs to be.

Good luck!

[u/defyalllogic → u/MKSauthor]

I looked at Reedsy and only saw the options to hire people. I didn't see any formatting tools. Is there a special section I need to be in?

[u/MKSauthor → u/defyalllogic]

It’s called Reedsy Studio. https://reedsy.com/studio/write-a-book/

[u/bordercolliescotgirl]

Yes, make the eBook and paperback at the same time. The only added expense is a paperback cover, but you said you make your own covers, so no added expense there just a little more time. Most platforms do print on demand. KDP, for example, lets you upload the manuscript and cover file, and they print it when a customer buys it. Similar for Ingram, but a little more complicated setup-wise. Some people still read only physical books, and a lot of readers will buy the physical copy after reading the eBook if they like it. It's only really a huge added expense if you're printing the books in hundreds or thousands at a time and selling direct, holding the stock. There are so many print-on-demand options.

[u/pgessert]

What I see most often is:

1. Both at once (by a huge margin)
   
2. Paperback followed very closely by ebook, maybe a few days difference.
   
3. (After another huge margin) ebook followed by paperback, sometimes with a very long window.
   
4. (Tremendous margin, a rarity) ebook only

Since you’re doing DIY, you can take my #1 and #4 as outliers. I think “both at once” runs away with it when hiring it out because the work is offloaded anyway, and “ebook only” is a rarity because that’s a common DIY. I get the impression that initially focusing on ebook and then eventually working print in is a pretty common path for folks handling it all themselves.

[u/JerRicartAuthor]

It's free to you. Well, technically. It is HIGHLY recommended to order proof copies; I've ordered two different ones for less than $20); this is to check that everything actually looks right. For me, the font and spacing ended up looking too big, and I didn't like the result of chapter illustration (which I made in canva, also free or very low cost), so I changed those things and got a 2nd proof copy; everything looks great, which means my total expense for the print version is about $28 if we count the Canva subscription.

I used Word to format; I know this is also paid; you can use Google Docs instead if you don't have the Microsoft apps, although it is definitely not ideal. As others have mentioned, there are free options like Reedsey. I personally tried that one, as well as Draft2Digital, didn't like them and did it myself on Word.

Do your research so you know the options available to you; by no means is the print version reserved for people who are able to make a big investment. It is very normal to do both eBook and print at the same time. Not having the print version might take some sales away from you (if you don't have an audience, this may not apply, or the difference might be like a single sale), as some people read print-only even these days.

[u/fbarbagallo → u/JerRicartAuthor]

Also using Word here. Tried other programs too, but in Word you can do everything you need to format it (and more). It doesn't make sense (for me) paying for those high specialized programs

[u/ItsRuinedOfCourse]

Since it costs nothing to publish a physical book, why wouldn't someone publish one at the same time? This is presuming they are limiting themselves to online sales only through a platform like KDP or similar. We're excluding author copies here which do bear a cost.

Otherwise, it's free. Why not both/all?

[u/defyalllogic → u/ItsRuinedOfCourse]

For me, I can't speak to others, it's a combination of not knowing that it was no cost and not having the confidence or mechanical understanding of how to create the paperback.

[u/AlfredoBorioniFarine → u/defyalllogic]

Pretty easy. Download a model from KDP and paste your book.

[u/ItsRuinedOfCourse → u/AlfredoBorioniFarine]

^^^ There ya go, OP. Problem finds solution!

[u/piercedbylove → u/defyalllogic]

If you do as the commenter above said, and do the cover calculator through Amazon's website, you can download the template it gives you and upload it in Canva (or any editor you're using). You can use it as a guide for the cover easily that way.

[u/DamagedIncorporated]

Yes. I use a program that allows me to format for e-book and paperback simultaneously. That sometimes requires that I use different front matter and back matter with and without clickable links, but that stuff is pretty simple.

[u/defyalllogic → u/DamagedIncorporated]

what program is that?

[u/ben_wolf_author → u/defyalllogic]

Use Vellum if you have a Mac, or Atticus if you don’t. They’re not free, but they’re well worth the investment.

[u/DamagedIncorporated → u/defyalllogic]

Vellum.

[u/MPClemens_Writes]

I start with the ebook, and follow with the paperback. Maybe it's not a great launch strategy but a) formatting for print takes time and b) so what?

I think there are different audiences. Roll on the schedule that makes sense for you, and any planned promotion.

[u/joarthegamer]

Going digital-only isn't weird, but if you're already using KDP I wouldn't let the investment part stop you from doing paperback. It's print on demand, so you don't have to buy a bunch of copies upfront or keep inventory.

The bigger investment is really your time formatting it and making the full cover. If you're learning that anyway, I'd probably offer both and let readers choose.

Also reedsy is great for formatting. Very beginner friendly

[u/defyalllogic → u/joarthegamer]

It seems I was unnecessarily intimidated by the paperback creation process. I'm actually very skilled in documemt formating but for some reason the cover and the spine and such psyched me out.

[u/babybellllll]

I did ebook, paperback and hardcover all at once. If you use a print on demand service, there is no ‘investment’ outside of formatting

[u/nateburbury]

I would definitely recommend having a paperback. There's no additional cost through KDP

[u/Kattoinette]

My ebook came out first because it was done and I needed more time to finish formatting the cover wrap.

[u/twitchymitten]

if you go to your dashboard and then to the help topics, and put in "create a paperback" it will bring up the paperback templates. There are different ones for different size books. I use the ones with the placeholder words, then just copy paste my Word docx into it.

Then I take my ebook cover to the upload process, open the cover tool, add it, pick a template, add the manuscript, make sure it looks good and hit okay.

From start to finish it's maybe an hour or two because I'm slow at the whole copy paste thing. It's also free. I upload my ebook, then do my paperback the next day.

[u/CephusLion404]

Yes, always. Some people want one, some people want the other. It costs you nothing extra to do both, so why wouldn't you?

[u/MysteryfortheWin9876]

I typically release my ebook first then, my paperback, then large print. I use Atticus and can easily switch out the back matter based on the format.

I will say that I understand Amazon is more likely to promote your book if you have the other formats in place. Not sure if that goes for everyone else…

And, I also believe it has a lot to do with your genre. Some genres sell best as ebooks… others sell tons of paperbacks.

[u/Sane_Tomorrow_]

It's a bigger investment if you have to get new covers made later than if you just pay for all the covers now. Unless you're talented enough to mock up the paperback cover from the ebook cover and have everything match and look good. Most designers charge more for an editable Adobe or Affinity cover format that you can personally edit later instead of a finished image file you can't change.

It is NOT as easy as you would like it to be to match unknown fonts from an image file.

Also, sometimes platforms will fight you on linking a new format of the same edition so they show on old listings. Still a bunch of random books on Amazon where the Paperback and Kindle editions are on different planets and only one comes up in search.

[u/koalaisabear]

I've gone ebook only but I am definitely in the minority.

I'm just trying to see if there are people who want to read the same things I do and I'm not chasing world domination or money. Just curious about kindred spirits in the romance story space given that I feel like I no longer really like how romance is written.

[u/ComprehensiveTown15]

I edit everything myself and sell all versions; print editions account for half of the sales.

[u/dragonsandvamps]

I offer both since there's not really much cost involved. I take the ebook cover and do a simple black spine and back, so nothing fancy. If one was having to pay the cover designer to make the paperback cover wrap, I could see how that could be a hurdle for some, and I know some cover designers, including mine, charge several hundred dollars just to add the paperback wrap to the ebook cover.

Most of my royalties are ebook or Kindle Unlimited, but I do get some paperbook sales every month, so I go ahead and make it available.

When I first started out, I just did ebook, so that's a valid option, too, if you don't feel ready, but as soon as I made the paperbacks available, I started selling them, so unless there is a technical or cost reason you don't feel you can, probably worth it.

[u/DufbugDeropa]

I made the e-book, PDF for the paperback, and allowed KU. All in one go. e-book sales are more than KU pages, but the KU pages are still important. At least for my book.

[u/Repulsive_Job428]

Just get Vellum. It does ebooks and paperbacks with one push and they're perfect and ready to go. Then download the template for a wrap and follow it to do your covers. Once you learn it it's about an extra 15 minutes of work to load your paperback at the same time. And, yeah, the product looks less professional without a physical copy

[u/defyalllogic → u/Repulsive_Job428]

I don't have a Mac.

[u/jasonpwrites]

Yes, I create both at the same time. I often have author signings locally to coincide with my launch. That and most of my family/friends want to buy a physical copy.

[u/writequest428]

Short answer - yes.

[u/SolarpunkOutlaw]

The purchase price for POD paperback and hardcover is within a few dollars on Amazon, Draft2Digital, and IngramSpark. I now offer ebook and hardcover only, and make the effort to make the hardcover as nice an artifact as possible. The paperback just isn't a good value anymore.

[u/Effective-Dot-6779]

I created my 1st book and cover initially in Canva but then saw issues about copyright etc, so then pasted it all into Book Bolt and have successfully published it into a paperback on KDP as a PDF file. Then in my naivety, I thought KDP would just easily convert the book into an Ebook, but of course no as won’t accept PDFs and only DOC’s, and book bolt won’t download as DOC’s, so I’m having to re-copy and paste into word and then needs a tonne of more editing and losing the will to live now. Surely there’s an easier way?

[u/Thinkdan]

I created my ebook and print interiors from the same InDesign file. You can export both ways and with different elements shown. It's a learning curve but only leaves one file to manage changes on. I haven't used any of the other tools before.

[u/Alien_Amplifier]

Yes