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New Self-Publisher’s FAQ
Pack That Book!
A Shipping Primer
•How much should I
charge customers for shipping?
•How much should I charge bookstores for
shipping?
•How should I ship my books?
Should I use tracking?
•What type of material should I use
to ship my books?
•How should I include the invoice in a
package?
Check that P.O. carefully!
•What address should I use?
•What does STOP mean?
•What does F.O.B. mean?
Much of what is covered here can be found in the following book:
• Book Design and Production: A Guide by Authors and Publishers by Pete Masterson (Aeonix Press)
How much should I charge my customers for shipping?
Post your shipping and handling rates
on your site on the "buy now" page. I charge $3.50 s/h for USPS
Media Mail;
$5.50 for FedEx
ground for each book. Some folks do it as a dollar amount ($24.95, add
$3.50 shipping, etc). Customers must call for express service (I use
FedEx)
or overseas (USPS Global
Priority is $9.50 for one of their envelopes and it gets there in 3
days. Overnight, use FedEx
(though in point of fact,
USPS
and FedEx
overseas are one and the same)).
How much
do I charge bookstores for shipping?
I've found that "Free Freight" gets some attention from booksellers. It doesn't cost you that much to send a book or even several books, in relation to the price you are getting for the sale.
If you plan to charge booksellers, you may want to use a sliding scale similar to what you would use for customers.
Our rule of thumb is anything under $50 value (cover price) goes USPS Media Mail with Delivery Confirmation. During the holidays (Thanksgiving to Christmas) we don’t use this service as the Post Office is overwhelmed and Media Mail can take as long as 3 weeks (it normally takes up to 7 days).
Over $50 value, we ship
FedEx
or DHL Ground. You can set up an
account so that you can print labels right in your office. All you have to
do then is drop them off. You can arrange for driver pick-up, but this is
an extra fee. Note that rural addresses may incur extra fees. This is
particularly an issue for
DHL.
Note that
Amazon
will no longer accept USPS
on-line tracking as proof of delivery (despite with the U.S. Postmaster
asserts). So you must send shipments to them via
FedEx,
DHL or UPS.
This will up your costs, so either hold shipments until you have $35
minimum to ship, or work out a quarterly shipping deal with your buyer.
Baker & Taylor are also being somewhat fussy about delivery confirmations. So we have gone to all FedEx (or DHL, or UPS) for Baker & Taylor and Ingram shipments.
Some warnings
We don’t recommend UPS. They charge more than any other delivery service. Don’t take our word for it: check their websites for differences in rates between FedEx, DHL and UPS for your average shipment.
FedEx Ground is a subcontracted division of FedEx, meaning this isn't actually FedEx. Some fairly strange things can happen with FedEx Ground. We've heard of packages being dropped off in post boxes in the north west, and dropped deliveries (and by this I mean, just thrown on someone's doorstep ho had no relation and not the same address) in New York City.
In all cases, we advise you use tracking: if sending it through USPS, whether Media Mail, Priority or Express, pay for the extra tracking; it's not that much. All of the package services (UPS, FedEx and DHL) offer automatic tracking.
Once, I had to call a bookstore customer, because their invoice was overdue (see the discussion about collections). She said, "You know, I never received those books, so I won't be paying for them!" I went into our files and found the relevant invoice, then the USPS tracking number. On-line, I could verify (4 months later) that the books were delivered. I called the bookseller back up and she apologized. She paid within a week. (I like to think she wasn't trying to "get away" with anything. Assume everyone is an angel, but make sure you are prepared for the devils!)
What type of material should I use to ship my books?
I've seen all sorts of schemes to get a book to the customer—from bubble-wrap to toilet paper to cut-up cardboard. Take a deep breath. This is a book—made of paper, not glass.
Bubble-wrap is terribly expensive. Avoid. No one likes those "packing peanuts." Skip 'em. Toilet paper sends the wrong message to your customer. 'Nuf said.
A lot of people like to ship one book,
(to customers; to bookstores or wholesalers,
these are called STOP orders)
in "Jiffy" bags. The padding is either rag
duff or bubble wrap. They aren't cheap. You can get them cheaper than from the office supply
store from these suppliers, (as well as many others).
U-line
Paper Mart
However, if it is going through the tender hands of the
USPS, it’s not going to get to it’s destination in pristine
shape.
We recommend using a small box, just the size of the book. Use blank newsprint (which you can buy in bulk from the above vendors, from your local U-Haul store, or check with your local paper) to fill the box. Again, the above vendors can help you find just the right box for your book.
You may want to order a box size that can hold 3-6 copies, as well, if you are working with a wholesaler.
Don't be shy about reusing dunnage from packages you receive. Amazon uses those spiffy air bags. Try not to re-use boxes that have printing on them. This sends the wrong message (your book is about sobriety and you ship a bunch in a Jim Beam box). The Post Office is very picky now about re-used boxes—particularly those with writing or bar codes on them.
Steve Carlson of Upper Access Press—who used to own what's become Book Clearing House (book fulfillment)—wraps each book in clean newsprint as if it is a Christmas present. That certainly makes the book arrive neat and clean—and customers like it. I'm usually in a hurry, so I fold up a sheet of blank newsprint and put it in the bottom of the box (so the book won't scuff. If your book has a black cover you will have to guard against scuffing) (This step isn't necessary if your books are shrink-wrapped). I place the book on top of the paper, then fill the rest of the box with wadded-up blank newsprint. Make sure the box is firmly filled (the top doesn't push down when you press down moderately). Tape with wide packing tape (clear is fine—don't use that strapping stuff).
Use a printed label on the package with your company logo and return address above, the customer's below. For Wholesale shipments, you'll want a box on the label where you can display the invoice number (almost all wholesalers require this). We use a thermal printer. Be careful with ink-jet printers, as they can run or smear when wet (think rain and snow).
How should I include the invoice in a package?
For your customers, it's probably fine to slip the
packing list (not the
invoice since they've already paid) into the book in the box. But for wholesale
customers, you'll want to put the packing slip (most will only
want a packing slip, but check their
P.O. carefully. They may, indeed, want the
invoice with the shipment) in an envelope or blister
pack outside of the box. Check the above suppliers for these at a very
reasonable per unit cost.
Please see the section on Accounting if you are uncertain how to write invoices and read Purchase Orders (P.O.s).
Be careful with big companies' P.O.s. Note that there is a difference where you will send the books (with a packing list). Ingram, Baker & Taylor and Amazon all require you to send invoices to one address and the books to another—which means that the P.O. will have 2-3 addresses on it—a situation just waiting to cause problems! You can double check yourself with the list below:
Baker & Taylor uses city codes for each of their warehouses. If the P.O. number shows these letters at the start of the order number, be sure you are shipping the books to that city:
COM—Commerce,
GA (for instance, COM15893)
MOM—Momence, IL
REN—Reno, NV
SOM—Bridgewater, NJ (must be in Somerset County)
Ingram has
their own "letter + Z" prefix to P.O. numbers
CZ—Chambersburg, PA (for example, CZ123BJN)
DZ—Ft. Wayne, IN
EZ—Roseburg, OR
NZ—Lexington, TN
Amazon
uses a letter prefix but it doesn't seem to correspond to any particular
warehouse.
Make sure that when you receive a
P.O., you read and
understand what terms,
what discounts are
requested, who pays shipping
(you, or the buyer: we have
Follett
paying for FedEx Ground and
Brodart
paying
UPS Ground, you
might end up with different deals), whether the buyer requires a
packing list or
invoice with
the shipment, what to do if the title is not available and all the
little variables that go into this business.
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As always, this depends on your preferences and business models. In a perfect world, you’d post your office address for the world to see. But it’s unlikely you have an office if you’re just starting out (and an office isn’t necessary until you need it).
I’ve seen arguments pro and con for using one’s home address. If security is a concern, this isn’t the option for you.
A USPS Post Office Box is a possible solution. Some people (your customers) are made nervous when there isn’t a physical address to which they can send checks, etc.
Private Mail Boxes signal everyone that you are a small company trying to appear bigger. Don’t bother with these. Besides, they are generally more expensive that the USPS.
Single Title Order Program. This is something that you do with bookstores. Because everyone recognizes that it is more expensive to send a "onesie" than to send multiples, the discount expected is less. How much less depends on your marketing plan. Some people don’t give any discount. Some give a regular trade discount (40%). Some give a "short discount" of 20%.
Free On Board—which tells you exactly nothing except an archaic term that doesn't apply. Here's how it works for you: If I send you a load of books, and I'm paying shipping, I send it "F.O.B. Reno." I am responsible for the shipment until it reaches your door. If a printer is sending you books, their invoice to you reads "F.O.B. Hong Kong" (or whatever).
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