Publishing Learning Center
Use Your Store to Create & Sell Books
The discussion below — and links found in the left-hand margin — comprise all the information you'll need to successfully publish and sell your book using CafePress.com. If you have a question that cannot be answered with the information provided or have additional feedback or suggestions, please contact our Customer Service department.
Some people who publish with CafePress.com are interested in having their content printed in bound format, but not necessarily distributed through traditional bookstores. In such cases, the information described in the sections listed below — and possibly parts of others — may not apply:
SELECT BOOK GENRE OR MARKET
FINALIZE BOOK MANUSCRIPT
For example, if your publication is a dissertation, training manual, or family history, something you do not intend to be sold in bookstores (or even to the world at large through your CafePress.com shop), feel free to organize your content without regard to traditional book publishing conventions. In such cases, skip directly ahead to the "How-To" sections:
BOOK LAYOUT, MARGINS, IMAGES
SELECT BOOK SIZE & BINDING
CREATE PDF FILE
DESIGN BOOK COVERS
UPLOAD PDF & COVERS
Use Store to Create & Sell Books
CafePress.com enables individuals, organizations, and companies to create and sell a wide variety of products online with zero upfront costs. We provide all the necessary tools and services for you to design your own products and build an online shop without investing in any inventory or software! This includes books!How it works
When your customer orders a book from your store, we will produce it, charge your customer, ship the book, and handle the customer service. You receive a check monthly for your sales commission (which is the dollar amount you set over our base price).
Making money is easy with CafePress.com! Each item has a base price. For example, the base price for a 100-page perfect-bound book is $10.00 each. When you set up your store, you decide the "retail" price. It works like this:
Base Price = $10.00
Your Price = $15.99
Your Profit = $5.99
Whatever you enter in "Your Price" is what the customer is charged (it must be equal to or greater than the base price). Every month we check your accumulated earnings. When it reaches the minimum threshold that you have selected (on the "Payee Information" page), we mail you a check (within 30-45 days).
Marketing techniques
You also control how your book is marketed and sold. Use the newsletter function to let your organization, friends, and family know when your book is published. And take advantage of targeted keywords for search engine listings to drive traffic to your store.
The unique part about having a CafePress.com shop to sell your book is the ability to create and sell related merchandise, like t-shirts, posters, or mouse pads displaying your book's cover (or other graphics). Check out the comic books and related merchandise found in the iLL Will Press store. Another fine shop that combines books and merchandise is Eclectica Press.
If you already have a Web site, so much the better! Align your CafePress.com premium shop with your site and drive traffic to both.
CafePress.com's online tools make it easy to become a successful book publisher and book seller!
