How many books should I print?

Often, we are asked by our clients, what is the best quantity to order. The simple answer is, we don’t know. We can do the hard sell and tell you like some publishers, that you should order more because it’s cheaper per unit, or even worse, that you should order a two year supply. The cost per unit is not based on how many you get printed. It’s based on how many you sell.

The simple truth is that many people order hundreds of books and find out when they arrive that there is an error in the book, or that they don’t have adequate storage to store hundreds of books. Paper if not stored properly will deteriorate quickly if exposed to a damp environment.

We strongly recommend printing only enough books to supply you for approximately 6 months. You can always get more printed if the books sell well. Most of the orders we receive from experienced authors are under 250 books and in most instances for self publishing authors 50-75 books.

Please don’t fall into the trap of believing that any third party knows how many of your books will sell. Quiet honestly, no one can predict how well your book will sell.


  • Jeynelle

    GRThomas Books
    I cannot express how superb your service was. I was in an extreme bind due to another printer failing to deliver quality goods at the last minute before an event. I was very stressed and Donna went above and beyond to help me get reprints done in an impressively quick turn around even delivering them to my hotel. Quality was fabulous, service exemplary. Thank you
  • Matt Ranawake

    Fully recommended
    This is to recommend The Book Printing Company and Donna for excellent service “above and beyond the call of duty”. We wanted to get a book written by my Mum printed in a hurry. It was a small batch (50 copies) and the assistance we received from Donna was exceptional including delivery of the books ahead of time. Fully recommended Matt Ranawake Sydney