7 Best Companies for Producing Print on Demand Books in 2024

Vendors of print on demand books offer a convenient way for authors and creators to publish content affordably for their readers. The print on demand business model has grown increasingly attractive in the last few ways, offering an accessible way to start a company fast.

With print on demand suppliers, you don’t need to make a huge initial investment in inventory, or warehouses to store your products. Instead, you can simply order books as and when you receive purchase requests from customers.

Outsourced printing and fulfillment allows you to focus on the business side of things, as well as authoring new content, rather than worrying about logistics.

What are the Best Publishers for POD Books?

There are a range of fantastic publishers for POD books today, each with their own distinct pros and cons to consider. We’ve rounded up some of the top contenders to bring you this list of fantastic options for your store.

1. Lulu xPress

Lulu xPress promises one of the fastest ways to print books on demand. The solution comes with a straightforward user interface, where you can rapidly upload files, create a book, and get back to doing what you love. Production time is anywhere between three to five business days.

You can create everything from hardcovers and paperbacks to magazines and comic books. There are also various color options and paper types too. The great thing about Lulu xPress is its dedicated to high-quality products every time. There are absolutely no minimums to worry about, and you can even adjust your book layout according to your needs.

With a global fulfilment solution which covers more than 150 countries, you can rapidly and effectively increase your footprint in the publishing market. The award-winning support team is also on-hand to answer any questions you might have along the way.

Pricing

There aren’t any subscription costs to worry about with Lulu xPress, but you will need to pay for the cost of printing your products. The exact amount you spend will depend on whether you’re printing a book or magazine, the size of your project, and so on.

You’ll be able to add up all the costs of printing and shipping your book with the calculator included on the Lulu xPress website.

Who is it Best For?

If you want a quick and convenient way to bring your books to life, Lulu xPress offers one of the most cost-effective and reliable options.

2. Printify

Printify is one of the most popular POD solutions in the world today. More than just a tool for publishing books and custom journals, Printify will allow you to create a huge range of products, from pillowcases and blankets to t-shirts and home décor. This makes it easier to scale your business over time and offer a wider range of items.

Printfy handles the full production and fulfillment process for you, with a range of ways to customize your creations via a white labelling service. The solution integrates with Shopify, so you don’t have to build a new website from scratch. Additionally, you can access a range of tracking and analytics tools to keep a close eye on your company’s growth.

Most of the products created with Printify ship within 2 to 7 business days. You can also access a useful shipping calculator to get an insight into how much everything is going to cost when you’re creating your first books.

Pricing

Printify doesn’t charge anything in terms of a monthly subscription. Instead, you can pay the costs associated with stocking the products you want to sell and sending them to customers. However, there is a premium package available for volume sellers at $29 per month. This offers access to a range of pre-existing designs, and a 20% discount on products.

Who is it Best For?

Printify is likely to be the best solution for you if you want to create basic books and have the option to produce a wide range of other products.

3. Contrado

Contrado is an artist-focused solution for printing on demand. Most products are printed and delivered within three to five business days, making it excellent for getting items to your customers fast. The solution also integrates directly with Shopify, so you can connect your POD system to your existing website in a matter of moments.

Contrado goes above and beyond the functionality of most book printing solutions, with a range of additional products to choose from, including book cases and wallpaper. What’s more, all products are produced according to premium quality standards, with sustainable development in the UK. This means you can set yourself apart from the competitors.

A fantastic feature of Contrado is how much help you can get with bringing your book to life. If you don’t have an existing design for the front cover of your book for instance, you can choose from a range of pre-made templates and patterns.

Pricing

The pricing structure with Contrado is a little different to some POD providers. Instead of charging you for the cost of making your items, Contrado will give you a portion of the profits earned from every sale. You’ll earn somewhere between 20-40% of every sale, depending on the products you’re producing. You can also get the funds within around 48 hours.

Who is it Best For?

Contrado is a great way to create a sustainable business where you can publish multiple books without having a negative impact on the planet.

👉 Read our Contrado review.

4. Blurb

Blurb is one of the better-known publishing and POD companies in America for those looking to produce their own books as affordably as possible. The solution comes with an excellent mock-up generator, where you can see exactly what your creations are going to look like. There are also a range of formatting options for your books.

You can design products that “lay flat”, which are ideal for wedding and travel albums. Or you might create photo books or magazines. The Bookwright free design tool will give you a comprehensive environment where you can play with your layout options.

Blurb integrates with InDesign, Photoshop, and Lightroom, so you can bring your designs from other state-of-the-art design programs into the system instantly. You can also publish and sell digital copies of your books through Amazon Kindle, the Blurb bookstore, and Apple Books.

Pricing

The exact cost of making a book with Blurb will depend on the kind of design you want to access. You can calculate the full prices on the Blurb website, and some products will naturally cost more than others. eBooks, for instance, are some of the cheapest options, and require no shipping. There’s also a custom logo fee which increases the price of your book by 25% if you want to remove the Blurb logo from your design.

Who is it Best For?

Blurb is ideal if you want to create more visually focused books, like photo albums and lay flat books, or even magazines.

5. Ingram Spark

Defined as a self-publishing book company, Ingram spark makes it easy to share your creations with the world with high-quality book development. You can create all kinds of hardcovers, paperbacks, and eBooks, depending on your needs, and even get assistance understanding the nuances of self-publishing along the way.

There are lots of options to bring your content to life, with a variety of printing options for paper type, size, and finish. You’ll also be able to get a special digital cloth for a textured hardcover. Ingram Spark has a Global book distribution network, so you can reach customers all around the world. What’s more, you’ll also get access to online sales reporting to help you grow your business.

There’s a comprehensive book building tool, to give you a behind the scenes look at what your creations are going to look like. You can also unlock free publishing tools and resources like a weekly blog and podcast to expand your knowledge.

Pricing

The costs associated with creating a book through Ingram spark start at around $25 for an eBook only, which includes access to major retailers like Nook, Kobo, Amazon, and iBooks. If you want to create a print book, or a print book and eBook, you can pay $49 per title. There are 30 trim sizes to choose from, various finish options, and a great platform for managing your publications.

Who is it Best For?

Ideal for creating a range of eBooks and physical books at once, Ingram Spark can help you to reach a wider variety of customers.

6. Gelato

One of the better-known global print on demand platforms available today, Gelato helps you produce and sell items for a range of over 34 countries. There are tons of customized items to choose from here, including a range of photobooks and notebooks.

Gelato is an all-around dropshipping brand with access to a comprehensive network of printers in locations all over the world. Some orders can even be delivered within 72 hours. Although you can’t access a traditional book publication option here, you can order hardcover and soft cover photobooks. There are also tools for creating accompanying items like mugs and apparel.

The end-to-end solution from Gelato brings together everything you need to produce, sell, and deliver custom printed products to customers everywhere. Gelato helps companies navigate everything from cross-border invoicing to tax and vat issues and customs too.

Pricing

There are a few ways to access Gelato. You can start by simply using the system and paying for the costs of publishing and selling your books. However, there’s also a Gelato+ Gold membership for $599 per year, which allows you to automate your production process, access extensive support, and get 3 months of free global shipping.

7. Amazon KDP

Perhaps the best-known tool for book publishing print on demand services in this list, Amazon KDP is ideal for publishing eBooks and paperbacks fast. The solution allows business owners and would-be writers to take their book to stores worldwide in 2 days or less.

If you want to sell books with minimal upfront costs and no distributor concerns, then Amazon KDP could be a great choice. You can create eBooks with minimal effort and share them with a huge global audience of potential readers. You also don’t have to worry about the print quality of hardcover books, or choosing a book design this way.

Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing is easy to use, with the option to upload your children’s book, novel, or other written project in five minutes. The on demand book publishing solution is popular among indie authors and new writers sharing eBooks and paperback books on a budget.

Pricing

It doesn’t cost anything to use Amazon KDP to create your ePub file for the Kindle store, or upload a PDF file for kindle. You’ll also be able to create paperback books for free, but in all cases, Amazon will take a cut of the profits you make.

On average, this publishing platform will give you a 70% royalty on sales to customers across the UK, Canada, US and various other countries.

Choosing the Best Print on Demand Companies for Books

If you’ve always wanted to publish your own book, but you’re not sure how to get your piece sold by a retailer like Barnes & Noble, a POD solution could be the perfect choice. Vendors like Blurb and Bookbaby will give you the freedom to create your own book in a range of formats. You can create photobooks with a matte book cover, classic novels, trade books, yearbooks and magazines.

Of course, different vendors and publishing companies do have different features to offer. Some vendors specialize in ebook publishing, like Amazon KDP, while others offer more freedom to customize your books, like Lulu Xpress.

It’s worth looking at all the print on demand book services available carefully, and considering your options in depth. Do you want color printing, access to traditional bookshop distributors, or integrations to your ecommerce website?

It might even be a good idea to look for a publisher which allows you to get a single copy of your book delivered to your home, so you can check the quality before sharing it with customers.