Ebook vs print: which should I prioritize?
- Ebook offers higher margins, easy updates, and global reach.
- Print suits certain genres, gifting, bookstores, and libraries.
- Some readers strongly prefer print.
- Print-on-demand makes offering print low-risk.
- Most authors publish both, with priorities by genre.
For most indie authors, ebook is the priority: higher royalties, instant global distribution, easy updates, and lower production effort, and it dominates sales in many genres (romance, thrillers, science fiction). Print still matters — for genres and readers who prefer physical books, for gifting, for bookstore and library presence, and for some nonfiction and children's books where print leads. Because print-on-demand makes offering a paperback low-risk, most authors publish both, prioritizing ebook for marketing and sales while keeping print available.
Chapter i·Why it matters
Authors must decide where to focus effort and which formats to offer, and the ebook-versus-print balance varies by genre, audience, and goals. Understanding that ebook generally leads for indie reach and margins, while print serves specific genres and reader preferences (and is low-risk via POD), helps writers prioritize sensibly. Knowing that "both, with ebook as the priority" is the common answer for most indie authors clarifies a decision that can otherwise cause unnecessary deliberation.
Chapter ii·What to include
- Ebook's margins, reach, and ease.
- Print's role in certain genres and gifting.
- Reader print preferences.
- Bookstore and library print presence.
- POD making print low-risk.
- Most authors doing both, ebook prioritized.
Chapter iii·Example
A thriller author prioritizes ebook — where her genre's sales and margins are — while offering a print-on-demand paperback for the readers who want it, at no upfront cost. A children's author instead leads with print, where her format lives. Each prioritized by genre, and both offer the other format because POD makes it low-risk.
WriteLoom keeps your ebook and print editions organized, so prioritizing one while offering both stays simple.
Take the tour