Would you also like to offer a print edition of your book? Print-on-demand services such as Amazon KDP can provide this without the overheads of traditional printing. Books are printed when ordered, so there’s no minimum run or inventory concerns.
Print-on-Demand (POD)
POD services such as Amazon KDP work just like standard printing, except the books aren’t printed in advance, then stored. Instead, the books remain in digital format, waiting to be printed as orders come in. Books are designed as normal using industry-standard tools such as Adobe InDesign so as long as professional quality files are supplied, the final items are just as good as anything you’d get from a traditional publisher.
Print-on-Demand book example
To provide an example of designing for POD services, I downloaded a copy of Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka from the Project Gutenberg library. I used this plain text manuscript to create a fully designed book, complete with cover. I then created a press-ready PDF which could be delivered to a POD service such as KDP, or a traditional publisher. I also used the same master file to create an ebook version. The PDF version of the print design, and the EPUB format ebook are available for download. (Please note the cover image quality has been reduced to minimise file size.)