FAQ –

Why should I sign Up for Xlibris' Returnability Program?

We have learned that having your books returnable is extremely important to bookstores. Returnability reduces the risk to the bookstore because they can return the book if it doesn't sell. Bookstores typically use a consignment approach to managing inventory. That means they can order books, even best sellers from well known authors, but have the privilege to return them to wholesalers for refunds.

Why is it important to be listed as returnable with Ingram Book Company?

Ingram Book Company is recognized as the leading book wholesaler in the publishing industry. They ship to almost every bookstore, library and chain in the United States. Most bookstores purchase hundreds of books weekly covering every genre from Ingram. It's a matter of convenience to them. When the book is listed returnable at Ingram, the book status is fed into most chains through their system interfaces. For example, most books sold through Amazon are shipped to their locations from Ingram warehouses.

When I select the returnability program, how long will it take for my book to be listed as returnable with the wholesalers?

The process to make a book fully returnable via the wholesalers takes 30 to 45 days. The beginning of your coverage only begins when it is listed as returnable at Ingram. This process will begin once your book is available for sale.

Is the subscription mandatory?

No, not at all. Xlibris offers this as a value added optional service for authors committed to marketing their book. We appreciate your selection of Xlibris to assist publishing your book.

Is the subscription included in the publishing packages?

I have a hardback edition of my book. Do I have to spend $699 / year, per ISBN?

No, the subscription price fee is $699 for 12 months for your first ISBN and $199 for a subsequent ISBN for the same title. If you have another title published with Xlibris, it would be subject to a separate fee and contract.

If I purchase this program, how long will my book be listed as returnable?

The initial period is 1 year, for $699 once listed at Ingram. If you want to opt in to the program for more than one year, you can choose the 24-month rate of $999 or the 36-month rate of only $1299.

My book was published last year. Is this program available to me?

The potential for you to sell more books with the support of this program is applicable for all titles regardless of date published. The only exception is if you really feel that you have sold your book to its maximum potential. If so, then this program is not for you.

Will my royalties be affected?

Xlibris sees this as a value added service. To further enhance our commitment to authors, there will be no change in our royalty program.

Why is Xlibris providing this service?

Being one of the leaders in publishing, we are striving to sustain our competitive position. Not only is the industry growing, our authors have given us feedback that returnability is necessary for them to enhance placements in bookstores and makes it easier to conduct more book signings. We want to continue to grow and to help our authors as much as possible. The Bookstore Returnability program enables us to cater to our author's needs while continuing to grow and improve as a company.

Why should I purchase SYOP?

Purchasing SYOP will allow you to control the retail price of your book to a much greater degree than was ever previously possible. In many cases, authors with SYOP will enjoy much lower retail prices than Xlibris has ever offered in the past.

Authors will also be able to set their royalty amounts to any dollar amount they desire, starting at one dollar. There is no limit to the dollar amount you may set your royalty amount to.

Can anyone take advantage of SYOP?

Yes! All authors may opt into the SYOP program. Picture book and Short book authors may want to note that doing so though may result in higher retail prices of their existing titles.

How does the service work?

SYOP pricing works on three main factors, Your book's final page count, the type of book - Black & White or Full-Color, and finally whether it is a paperback or hardcover version of your book. If you do not know how many pages your book is that is ok. Based on the number of pages within your manuscript, we should be able to estimate your book's final page count. Before a book is published, someone will contact you to confirm the final number of pages, retail price and royalty amount.

Royalties will always start at 1 dollar earned per book sale. This is true no matter where the book sale is made, whether it be through the Xlibris bookstore or online in the "channels" such as Amazon or Borders. For each extra dollar you want to earn per sale, the retail price goes up by two dollars.

For example: You have just ordered a Premium Package for a Black & White book and it is determined that your book is going to be 299 pages long. A 299 page paperback with SYOP will retail for $15.99 and the hard cover for $22.99 with base royalties of one dollar. If you wish to raise the royalty amount to two dollars for each book sold, the new retail prices would be $17.99 for paperback and $24.99 for each hardcover.

SYOP is included in my publishing package, do I have to take advantage of this service?

Not at all. Set Your Own Price is included in the Executive and Platinum Packages as an option. You have until you sign the final approval for your

How often can I change my SYOP book price and or royalty amounts?

As often as you like. One very important thing to note though is that each change will immediately reflect on the Xlibris book store. It will however take up to 6 weeks for any updates to books available through online retailers such as Amazon or Borders to reflect on their websites, this is because of their processing and upload time. As such, it is not recommended that you change your pricing more than once every 6 weeks to guarantee that your book is always being bought at its desired price.

Do my hardcover and paperback royalties have to be the same amount?

No. You are completely free to set royalties earned for each book type independently of one another. If you want to earn $5 for each paperback sold and $3 for each hard cover. Then feel free to set the royalties for these amounts.

How does the 'Add-On' list work?

Xlibris has designed a comprehensive range of book publishing packages to make your choices easier and to include everything you need to publish the book of your dreams. The Add-On services are designed to give you even more flexibility and truly customize your publishing experience. Simply choose the package that best fits you, and then if you would like to add features that are not included in your publishing package, then you can select them from the Add-Ons list. For example, you may like the Premium Package but would like to make your book returnable. In this case, you can simply add the Bookstore Returnability Program to your Premium service. It's that easy to design the perfect publishing experience. We even have experienced publishing consultants standing by to answer your questions and provide you with a free consultation to help you choose the package and services that are right for you.

Will my books be registered for a copyright certificate?

When you wrote your book, you are automatically asserted copyright ownership. Registering with the U.S. Congress Copyright Office, which records this ownership more formally, gives you better recourse in case of infringement. Registering your book with the U.S. Copyright Office involves providing a fee and requires you to supply two copies of the best edition of your book. Simply contact the Copyright Office for instructions, forms and a fee schedule. Xlibris can provide this service for you as an Add-On with our U.S. Copyright Office Registration service. This service is included in certain publishing packages, so please don't hesitate to ask your publishing consultant.

Will my book have a Library of Congress Card Catalog Number?

With the purchase of our Add-On service for the Library of Congress Card Catalog Number, Xlibris will contact the Library of Congress to obtain a unique catalog number for your text. Xlibris will also supply the copy to be placed in the library's collection. Please note that the Library of Congress does not supply a number if the book is less than 50 pages unless it is a children's book. They also reserve the right to refuse cataloguing.