How To Create Beautiful Print Books And Sell Direct With Alex Smith From Bookvault

How can you create more beautiful print books - and make more money with your products by selling direct? 28:54 - Interview starts
Alex Smith explains how BookVault can help with various options as well as helpful resources.
In the intro, audiobooks and AI [Frankfurt Bookmesse]; Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, and Virtual Worlds by Joanna Penn - creativepennbooks.com/collect...
Google's woke AI Gemini [The Verge]; AI solving humanity's hardest problems [NY Times]; Demis Hassabis on Hard Fork [NY Times]; Finding my voice in the AI wars [Talena Winters - www.talenawinters.com/winters... ].
Plus, Author Blueprint (2024) is now in print creativepennbooks.com/collect... (or get the ebook here - www.thecreativepenn.com/bluep... ); Spear of Destiny prelaunch page - www.jfpenn.com/destiny
Today's show is sponsored by ProWritingAid, writing and editing software that goes way beyond just grammar and typo checking. With its detailed reports on how to improve your writing and integration with Scrivener, ProWritingAid will help you improve your book before you send it to an editor, agent or publisher. Check it out for free or get 25% off the premium edition at www.ProWritingAid.com/joanna
Alex Smith is the technical lead of Bookvault.app, the independent printer that I use for the books I sell direct on Shopify, as well as for my Kickstarters.
Services that Bookvault offers authors in order to make beautiful books and make more money selling direct
Common issues to avoid when uploading files
Special edition books-ribbons, sprayed edges, foiling options, and more
Options for photo books or art books
Working with Bookvault to create and fulfill a Kickstarter campaign
How to get more help if you need it
How the payment and fulfillment process works
Connecting Bookvault to your direct online store
Find out more about Bookvault at www.Bookvault.app which fulfils the print editions of my books at www.CreativePennBooks.com and www.JFPennBooks.com
You can find the transcript and show notes in the podcast backlist: www.thecreativepenn.com/podca...
Buy writing books directly from me: www.CreativePennBooks.com
Buy my fiction and memoir at www.JFPennBooks.com
Join my community at / thecreativepenn

[@Dez30005]

I'm gonna post you on my writing Facebook community to help grow your channel. I've been watch you for years, oh how time flies. Lol.

[@GladysStrickland]

Thank you Joanna and Alex for this episode. I am excited that there is now a US printer with Bookvault, and that there are foil and endpaper options coming. So many ideas for me to use with my book!

[@stephenconnor8229]

Yes, but note that while it might be coming there is no coated ('glossy') paper option via BV in the US at the moment. Coated-paper orders are currently shipped to the US from the UK.

[@thecreativepenn]

I get the 'special' options shipped from the UK, and BV have a shipping option that still makes it affordable.

[@christinabranham7117]

This has me so fired up to design my book! I had a general idea in my head for the look, but now I've got so many possibilities swimming in my head. Thanks for the great content--I'll be revisiting this one for sure!

[@thecreativepenn]

I'm so glad you enjoyed it!

[@sxsxpl]

I'm setting up Shopify and direct sales, any ideas how to handle returns if I don't live in the customer's country? Any good services to handle that maybe?

[@thecreativepenn]

I don't do returns. I just refund people if they have a problem.

[@sxsxpl]

@@thecreativepenn Thank you for fast reply! That's what I was thinking I'll do as well.

[@chesterdavis27]

The diverse Nazis were funny. I learned about them last week. And, apparently, there were Black women and Native Americans at our Constitutional Convention too!