Self-publishing services without the do-it-yourself workload

Print-on-demand means a copy of your book is printed only after someone orders it, so you never pay for a warehouse of inventory. KDP Print and IngramSpark both work this way, printing and shipping each copy as orders arrive. It is the default for most self-published books because it removes upfront printing risk. The tradeoff is a higher cost per copy. Authors who need many books at once, for speaking events, client gifts, or launch parties, often compare print-on-demand pricing with offset printing.

Offset printing produces books in large batches on a printing press, which lowers the cost per copy as quantity rises. You pay upfront and store the inventory, so it fits authors who know they will distribute large numbers of books, such as for keynote audiences or corporate orders. Book manufacturers such as Cushing-Malloy specialize in this kind of run. Many business authors use both: print-on-demand for retail orders and an offset run for events.