From Business Wire:
Barnes & Noble, Inc., the world’s largest retail bookseller, today announced the launch of Barnes & Noble Press, an enhanced and more user-friendly version of the Company’s self-publishing platform that makes it easy to publish eBooks or print books in one integrated platform. The redesigned site replaces the formerly-named NOOK Press.
The new Barnes & Noble Press enhances the self-publishing experience in many ways, including increased royalty rates for eBooks priced at $10.00 and above.
. . . .
Barnes & Noble Press also continues to give qualified authors the opportunity to apply for signings and events at Barnes & Noble bookstores, as well as giving select authors the opportunity to sell their books in stores.
. . . .
Barnes & Noble Press has a number of exciting new features, including:
- Improved user experience and new visual design
- Sign in to a single website to create and manage print and eBooks all in one place
- Increased royalty rate of 65% for eBooks priced $10.00+
- Additional print book trim sizes, glossy cover and color printing options
- 12 month pre-order capability for all authors for all eBooks
- Author tools & tips
Link to the rest at Business Wire
They’re trying to artificially prop up expensive ebook prices because they’re beholden to the Big 5. They’re going to keep dying a slow death if they don’t learn from what Amazon has done right. Too much pride I guess.
I have my doubts here…
“The new Barnes & Noble Press enhances the self-publishing experience in many ways, including increased royalty rates for eBooks priced at $10.00 and above.”
So I see they are trying to cut their own throats? Price that e-book at 100% of what it would go for on Amazon for an increase royalty? Sure, that’s going to work well.
I think they are perhaps aiming at things like boxed sets which are sometimes not offered in that form at Amazon due to Amazon’s poorer royalty rates above 9.99.
I could definitely see myself putting up a boxed set containing a whole series (which I’d want to price well above 9.99) at retailers who’d give me a good rate on it and leaving it off Amazon entirely (until/unless they give the same higher rate). So if B&N’s goal with that is to offer books/collections Amazon won’t have, that sounds like one good way to do it.
Or technical manuals, computer books, other limited sales books that have a high dollar price, etc. Less than half of the industry is fiction.
My brother wanted to self-pub through B and N as well as other sources, and it took them six weeks to get his stuff up on the site. He used all their tools, and that’s what he got.
And that was for an ebook.
So yeah, if you submit anything through them, I would not hold my breath.
Are they still using scammy Author Solutions for “self publishing services”?
The fact that they seem to offer hardback editions in POD interests me. I’d love to hear from someone who has used their service to create a hardback. Was the process straight forward and easy to use? Was the quality of the book high? Was the service expensive?
There is a cost calculator at the bottom of the page. Interesting. I need to investigate more.
Printing Costs
https://press.barnesandnoble.com/print-on-demand
I entered:
300 pages, 6 x 9
B&W
Hardcover w/Dust Jacket
Matte
Cream
and they list the cost at $11.61
Thank you, allynh. That’s helpful!
Self-publishers can already do this at IngramSpark, or Lightning Source. I’d imagine B&N is just using that service. Although that B&N price is about a dollar cheaper.
Hardback PODs would be a great thing, and I really want a good way to produce those, but Barnes & Noble? They’ve screwed up just about everything under the sun.
Might be nice if they fixed their dang current site problems. Their “nook on the web” features is totally a mess, mostly doesn’t work. Could they invest in fixing THAT….stopped me from buying a Nookbook with leftover gift certificate credit. A mess.