Getting ready to print books on demand can be daunting, no matter how much printing experience you have. But when you’ve worked tirelessly to bring your project together, you need all the information you can get to make your prints the best they can be.
If you’re not familiar with print-on-demand, let us give you a little introduction. Mixam’s print-on-demand (POD) service is changing how you print and earn income online. POD takes away the often laborious, expensive and time-consuming tasks of packaging, shipping and quality control, meaning you’ll have no inventory. Customers can order copies of your publication direct to their door, and you can control how many pages viewers can preview - display a sneak preview or reveal the whole story in stunning definition. You’ll also be in control of your pricing, so there’s no limit to your earning potential! Plus, every order includes a free virtual preview you can share anywhere online so friends, family and customers can see your print-on-demand ideas come to life before their copy even arrives.
You can read more about the benefits here, and we’ve devised a comprehensive list of the most common questions to help you get started.
What can I print?
Items available, but are not limited to: Booklets, Catalogs, Magazines, Zines, Activity Books, Art Books, Children's Books, Coffee Table Books, Coloring Books, Comic Books, Cookbooks, Family History Books, Graphic Novels, Hardcover Books, Lookbooks, Memoirs, Paperback Books, Photography Books, Wedding Books, Yearbooks.
Print-on-demand is an excellent opportunity to share personal projects with your nearest and dearest without having to do all the organization! You can publicly or privately share a link with as many people as you want. Users can view your publication online and bookmark it forever so long as the link remains active, or they can head to our website and purchase a printed copy and order it directly to their home address.
POD is also a practical option for professionals looking to make their mark. You could be a self-publisher ready to turn your manuscript into professionally bound books or a creative who wants to showcase their best work as a portfolio piece. You can share the link on your website, social media accounts or anywhere else to drum up interest and get people buying. From there, anyone can order copies to an address of their choosing.
How do I make money from my prints?
Mixam will pay you monthly via the secure, third-party payment platform Stripe. You can access an overview of processing payments, total earnings and transactions. You can also view individual sales transactions when you log into your Mixam account.
Printing on demand is an effective way to get passive income - meaning you exert minimal effort and earn money automatically while we carry out the labor. When setting up an order, choose a dynamic pricing strategy which you can adjust anytime. You’ll either set a fixed amount or percentage, and we’ll add this to the item cost. You’ll always earn the same amount for each sale, but the buyer price can fluctuate depending on production costs. If this occurs, we will notify you by email, and the price change will take immediate effect.
Furthermore, you can grow your earnings by selling books simultaneously, making creating a series of related titles easy. With the ‘Add to Cart’ button, readers can add all your books to their cart in one go, increasing potential sales per transaction. The carousel feature showcases every publication you’ve created, giving your audience more opportunities to discover and buy your books, boosting visibility and enhancing your chances of making additional sales. Read up on how to sell more books on our blog.
Can I set up a print-on-demand publication via a previous order?
Print-on-demand isn’t just for new orders. Every past and present order in your Mixam account will indicate whether you can convert it into a POD order. You just need to ensure you connect your bank account with Stripe so you can get paid directly from us.
Why are my print specifications unavailable?
We offer specific printing options because no matter whether your customers order one copy or hundreds, our production facilities need to batch orders with specifications in common with other items in the production queue to give you the most economical prints as efficiently as possible.
Suppose you want to set up a previous, existing order but your original print specifications are unavailable. In that case, we’ll offer alternatives as close to the originals as possible without compromising quality. If you want to set up a new order but some print specifications are unavailable, we’ll also offer you alternative specifications, such as paper types and weights.
Do I need to include an ISBN or barcode on my publication?
Unlike other print-on-demand companies, you don’t have to include an ISBN or barcode each time you print with us. You only need to add them to your projects if you intend to sell your publications via online retailers or bookstores. You can read more about these features on our dedicated Support page.
Print-on-demand opens up a world of possibilities, and our service will continue to grow and improve with your help. To get started, log in to your account and see if your previous orders are eligible. Alternatively, you can get your quote for your publications on our website, and if you can’t find the answer you’re looking for, please don’t hesitate to contact our team of print experts. Learn more about book printing and print-on-demand in Mixam’s Knowledge Base.
Image Credits: Unsplash and Freepik
