Is Lightning Source Inc. (LSI) the answer to the conundrum faced by self-publishers (or other small publishers)?
Well, that depends on exactly what the question is. And what your goals are. And the specifics of your book project.
What does LSI do for the little guys (aka indies)? Quite a bit, actually. For example:
- True print-on-demand publishing (one copy or hundreds, or even thousands) at affordable unit costs (affordable meaning you can manage to offer reasonable discounts and still make a profit)
- A side-door entry into the Ingram Book catalog (making your books readily available to retailers and libraries)
- Instant availability on Amazon.com (so far, Amazon has not tried to remove buy buttons from self- or micro-published books despite their recent attacks on the subsidy press businesses)
However, merely being in Ingram’s catalog with a reasonable discount may not be enough. You probably need to make your books returnable. And, as Shakespeare put it, “There’s the rub.”
Scenario: You gloat over multi-book orders from some bookstores and ship them right out. Your LSI account shows those sales and your profit on them. Three months later, LSI puts that money in your checking account. Great, right? Run right out and spend it supplies and such, right?
Not so fast, bubba. Three, or six or more, months after that money hits your bank account, bookstores may start returning the ones that didn’t sell. And your LSI account will start showing chargebacks. As Ron Pramschufer notes in his Bookstore Distribution—Self Publishing Dream come true or The Emperor’s New Clothes? article, “Books are returnable FOREVER.”
So, is LSI the answer? Well, it can certainly be part of the answer, but you have to carefully weigh all the variables and options (learning as much as you can about how the industry really works and how your decisions may affect your business).
Besides, LSI need not be considered instead of other printing options. It can just as easily be used in addition to them. For instance, you might use LSI for printing books destined for Amazon and libraries (and some bookstores who prefer to order through Ingram), while printing some copies with an offset printer for direct-to-consumer, back-of-the-room, and/or distributor sales. You don’t have to treat the decision as an either-or one, but rather as an either-or-both decision.
Evaluate the options carefully. Consider how much you can risk (i.e., afford to lose). Run the numbers with as many what-if scenarios as you can think of.
Then decide. Not before.
5 Comments
August 25, 2008 at 9:43 pm
Do you know what percentage LSI takes of each book. Is there a formula of much there cost is. That is the big the question for me, and I can’t seem to find the answer on their website or in cyberspace.
August 26, 2008 at 8:17 am
Your question leads me to think there is a basic misunderstanding here.
LSI is NOT a publisher. They are a printer with some great distribution partners of value to self- and micro-publishers (Ingram Book, Amazon, Baker & Taylor, etc.).
As a printer, LSI only charges you the printing cost. You determine the wholesale discount paid by those distribution partners. LSI will pay you the difference between the wholesale price and the printing charge. LSI’s printing charges are slightly higher for books you buy for yourself (for resale) and those purchased through the distribution partners.
Why doesn’t LSI post their pricing data on the public portion of their website? You’d have to ask them.
However, LSI is one of the lowest-price digital printers in the U.S.
Maybe I will write a new blog post to clarify this and, I hope, eliminate the confusion.
March 12, 2010 at 9:45 pm
Hello sir I located your blog on the following site:
http://www.selfpublishingreview.com/blog/2009/05/29/getting-an-account-with-lightning-source/
you had some informative and interesting things to say i`m a aspiring writer currently doing some research before about publishers and how the game works. Is there any advice you could ofer to us novices on the matter such as where to start, best route, thinsg we’ll need to know and have before hand…ect Hopefully I did’nt bother you and your response would be greatly appreciated.
March 13, 2010 at 9:04 am
There are no shortcuts in this business, if you are serious about it. If you’re just dabbling, it probably makes little difference how you get your book published.
Here are some links to relevant articles on this blog:
Here’s a link to some excellent resources on book marketing that I strongly recommend novices buy (or borrow from your local library) BEFORE spending any money on actual publishing:
And by all means, buy a copy of Dan Poynter’s excellent The Self-Publishing Manual, which I believe is now in its 16th edition.
I also recommend that you join the Self-Publishing group on Yahoo, which is sponsored by the Small Publishers Association of North America. . I recommend that you spend a week or two just lurking and reading the posts. You can also research the archives for specific questions.
Once you have read a couple of the books and a week or two of Self-Publishing posts, only then ask the questions you may still have.
Whatever you do, don’t jump into this with blazing checkbook until you’ve educated yourself on what’s involved. Skipping the step can prove very costly and usually disheartening.
And please to read the collection of blog posts on my “ISBNS” page: . Understanding ISBN is crucial to anyone jumping into this business.
March 13, 2010 at 8:06 pm
Book marking those links (thanks) cureently reading Author 101 and the everything gets published book 2nd edition. Education of any venture is most important which is why I desided to send a comment, afrer reading a few threads.
Definately want to get it done properly of course without breaking the bank or my heart in the process.
thanks again for all the info