Glossary
Print on demand
Also called POD
Print on demand means a printer makes each copy of a book only after a reader orders it, so the author never buys or stores a stack of stock.
What it means
With print on demand, you upload a print-ready interior file and a cover once. When an order comes in, the printer prints that one copy, binds it and posts it to the reader. Nobody prints a thousand copies up front.
A fantasy author can offer a paperback and a hardcover of every book in a series without filling the garage with boxes. A cookbook author can keep a full-color paperback in print for years, even if it sells three copies a month. A poet can offer a small run of a chapbook and never worry about unsold stock.
The trade-off is price per copy. Each POD copy costs more to make than a copy from a large offset print run, and color pages cost more than black and white. Your print cost depends on the page count, the trim size, the paper and the binding.
Why it matters when you sell direct
When you sell a paperback on your own store, someone has to print and post it. POD means you can take that order without touching it: the order goes to the printer and the printer ships it to the reader.
Because you set the price, you also choose your margin. You know the print cost, the shipping and the price, so you can see what you earn on each copy.
How Lanternbee handles it
In Lanternbee you choose BookVault or Lulu for each print edition and upload the interior and cover once. Sending each paid order to the printer automatically is being built now. You can also sell copies you hold yourself: Lanternbee keeps count of your stock, and you set shipping zones and rates for where you post to. Packing slips and shipping labels are coming.