Print Book vs. Ebook: Should You Offer Both?
Omar Bailey the shoe designer behind Heart & Sole, the book Long Overdue published earlier this year had his book available in print and on Kindle.
The print version sold at events. Signed copies. Direct sales to people who wanted something physical to hold, to gift, to display. The Kindle version reached people who found it through Amazon's recommendation engine at 11pm on a Tuesday.
Same book. Two completely different audiences. Two completely different paths to the reader.
That's the argument for offering both. And in my experience, six years running a publishing company, working with authors across every genre it's almost always the right call.
Print Readers and Ebook Readers Are Not the Same People
The Economics Honest Version
Print book revenue
When you print with DiggyPOD and sell directly at events, through your website, or on consignment you keep 100% of the sale price. A print book priced at $20–$25 generates significantly more per-unit revenue than an ebook, even after printing costs.
The constraint is distribution. Getting your print book into broad retail requires additional steps. Most self-published authors do best with a hybrid approach: direct sales for the bulk of print revenue, plus limited retail presence.
Ebook revenue
Amazon KDP pays 70% royalties on ebooks priced between $2.99 and $9.99. On a $9.99 ebook, that's $6.99 per sale with zero printing or shipping cost. Lower per-unit than print, but the volume potential through Amazon's discovery engine and especially through Kindle Unlimited, where you're paid per page read can more than offset it.
The two revenue streams don't compete with each other. They come from different places entirely.
Metadata: The Part Authors Usually Rush
Print tends to outperform for:
- Business books and thought leadership titles used as credibility tools at events
- Cookbooks, craft books, and visually rich books where the design matters
- Children's books
- Poetry collections
- Memoirs and local-interest titles sold within a community
- Gift books of any kind
Ebooks tend to outperform for:
- Fiction in commercially active genres romance, thriller, mystery, sci-fi, fantasy
- Self-help and how-to books with broad professional audiences
- Shorter works where print unit economics don't work well
- Books by authors with existing online audiences built through social media or email
- Anything targeting Kindle Unlimited readers specifically
The Real Argument for Doing Both
Simple version: readers who want your book should be able to get it in the format they prefer. Limiting yourself to one format means turning away readers who would have bought the other.
Slightly less simple version: print and ebook reach completely different audiences through completely different channels. Your print book reaches people through your network and events. Your ebook reaches people through Amazon's algorithm and digital platforms. These channels barely overlap.
Running both simultaneously isn't twice the work. It's the same book, working two separate audiences at once.
What's the Actual Workload of Adding an Ebook?
If you've already produced a print book, adding an ebook edition is not starting over. Your manuscript is done. Your editing is done. Your cover design is done.
The additional work is the conversion itself taking your print file and reformatting it for digital delivery. Depending on the complexity of your book, professional ebook conversion takes less time and costs significantly less than the original print production. It's an incremental investment for access to an entirely different market.
Pricing Strategy
The approach that works for most self-published authors: price the ebook at $2.99–$9.99 to stay in the Amazon 70% royalty tier and maximize discoverability. Price the print book at $15–$25 depending on length and audience.
The ebook becomes a low-friction entry point the way readers discover you and decide if they want more. The print book commands a premium for readers who want the physical experience. Different price points, different buyers, the same book doing double duty.
If you're printing with DiggyPOD, your files are already on file. Adding an ebook conversion is a natural next step that starts from the same source material. You end up with a consistent reading experience across formats, a cover that works for both print and digital, and files ready for upload to Amazon KDP, Apple Books, Kobo, and beyond.
You wrote the book once. Make it work as hard as possible.
FAQ’s
Do I need a separate ISBN for my ebook and print book?
Yes. ISBNs are format-specific print and ebook are considered separate editions. Kindle ebooks don’t require an ISBN (Amazon assigns an ASIN), but other ebook platforms may require one.
Can I do Kindle Unlimited if I also have a print book?
Yes. KDP Select enrollment applies only to the ebook edition. Your print book is unaffected. The restriction is that while enrolled in KDP Select, you can’t sell the ebook through other digital retailers like Apple Books or Kobo.
Is it cheaper to publish an ebook or a print book?
Ebooks have lower upfront production costs no printing, no shipping. But professional conversion is still an investment. For authors selling direct in volume, print margins are often higher per unit. For authors building discovery through Amazon, ebooks have a lower barrier to entry. Ideally, you do both.
What's the best file format for Amazon Kindle?
A properly structured EPUB. Amazon converts it to Kindle format during processing. EPUB also works on every other major ebook platform, so you’re covered either way.