When it comes to publishing a book, one of the toughest decisions is determining the right price. How do you strike a balance between making your work accessible to readers while ensuring you cover costs and, ideally, make a profit? As we embarked on our journey with Captain Pillowbelly and his bedtime adventures, we found ourselves facing these exact questions.

This blog post will walk you through the process we went through to set the pricing for the Captain Pillowbelly books, the different considerations we had to weigh between ebook and print versions, and the various fees and costs that affect our margins. We’ll also share how any potential profits will go towards a very special cause—our daughters’ college fund. And as we’re still at the beginning of this adventure, we’re open to adjusting prices as we learn more and gain further insights into this new market.

The Ebook vs. Print Dilemma

One of the first decisions we faced was whether to focus primarily on digital or print versions of the Captain Pillowbelly books. As it turns out, the pricing dynamics between ebooks and physical books are quite different.

Ebooks: When pricing an ebook, there are fewer production costs compared to a physical book. You don’t need to worry about printing, shipping, or storage. However, the value perception of ebooks is generally lower, as people expect to pay less for digital content. This meant we had to strike a careful balance—pricing the ebook affordably while ensuring we cover various distribution fees.

Print Books: For the printed versions, the costs are higher, and the process more complex. Printing children’s books, especially those with high-quality illustrations and color pages, is not cheap. On top of that, there are shipping and distribution fees, particularly if you’re working with print-on-demand services. For this reason, print books typically carry a higher price tag to cover these additional costs.

Breaking Down the Costs and Fees

Let’s dive into the numbers. When you purchase an ebook or a print book, it might seem like most of the money is going to the author. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Various platforms and services take their share, leaving relatively small profit margins. Here’s a rough breakdown of the typical costs associated with publishing the Captain Pillowbelly books:

1. Platform Fees (Ebooks): If you sell through major platforms like Amazon’s Kindle Store, Apple Books, or Google Play, they take a significant percentage of the sale. Amazon, for example, charges a 30% fee on books priced between $2.99 and $9.99. This means that if we price an ebook at $4.99, we only receive around $3.49.
2. Delivery Fees (Ebooks): Some platforms, like Amazon, also charge for delivery of ebooks based on file size. While this isn’t a huge amount, it’s another factor that slightly reduces the profit per book.
3. Print-on-Demand Fees (Physical Books): For print versions, we’re likely to use a print-on-demand service, which means we only pay for the books as they’re printed. However, this convenience comes at a cost. A typical children’s book, with color illustrations, can cost anywhere from $7 to $12 per book to print, depending on the number of pages. If we price a book at $14.99, the printing cost alone takes up the majority of that, and we’re left with a small margin once distribution fees are added.
4. Distribution Fees (Print Books): Platforms like Amazon also take a percentage of print book sales. For example, Amazon can take up to 40% of the retail price, which further reduces the final amount we receive from each sale.
5. Additional Costs: We also have to consider other expenses like paying for high-quality illustrations, professional formatting, and any marketing efforts we might undertake to promote the books. These are one-time costs, but they add up and further eat into the initial profits.

Limited Profit Margins

With all these fees in mind, the actual profit we make per book is quite small. For a $4.99 ebook, we may only see $2 to $3 after platform and delivery fees are deducted. For a $14.99 print book, after printing, distribution, and shipping costs, we could be left with just $2 to $3 in profit as well.

Given these tight margins, it’s clear that creating and selling books, particularly physical ones, is far from a get-rich-quick scheme. However, this project was never about making money for ourselves. We have a very specific goal for any potential profits from Captain Pillowbelly’s adventures.

The Captain Pillowbelly College Fund

From the outset, we decided that any money made from this project would go directly toward our daughters’ college fund. This project is a labor of love—not just for the joy of creating stories that families can enjoy together, but also for the future of our own family.

We know that the journey of Captain Pillowbelly is still in its early stages, and we have no illusions that we’ll be rolling in profits anytime soon. But if, over time, we’re able to build a small community of readers who love the character and want to support the project, any proceeds will have a clear and meaningful purpose: helping our daughters pursue their educational dreams.

Adjusting Pricing As We Learn

As we’re still at the beginning of this journey, the pricing of the Captain Pillowbelly books is something we may adjust as we gather more information and insights. We’re paying close attention to what works for our readers and what makes sense in terms of costs and profit margins.

We understand that pricing is a sensitive issue, especially in a world where travel and living costs are rising, making it harder for families to justify spending on non-essentials. That said, we’re committed to finding a balance between fair pricing and ensuring the project remains financially sustainable, even if the margins are tight.

Keeping You Posted

As we continue to work on Captain Pillowbelly and grow this project, we’ll be sure to keep our audience updated on any changes to our pricing model or other important updates. Transparency is key, and we want you to feel informed every step of the way.

In the meantime, we appreciate every single reader who supports our journey and Captain Pillowbelly’s adventures. Whether you’re purchasing an ebook or a print version, know that your contribution is helping fuel both our family’s dreams and, hopefully, bringing joy to yours.

Thank you for being part of this adventure with us!