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by mtaber 4065 days ago
I tried to offer a physical book with every order during the pre-launch several weeks ago, but international shipping was brutal. It was nearly $900 for shipping alone, plus the cost of the books themselves. The book is 327 pages long and since it's print on demand, it's a bit more expensive than the run of the mill printed book.

I'd like to find a solution to this long term, but in the short term I don't have one yet.

2 comments

Great that you are trying! I understand that the international shipping is pain. Just wanted to take it to my vacation next week, but I will wait!

Thanks for the response. I hope you will get good reviews and feedback!

I appreciate the understanding. The book is 1 lb, 4oz and a bit over 3/4" thick. USPS has a tiered pricing structure that puts the book into another tier. Shipping costs jumped from under $5 to nearly $20 to virtually all international locations. I thought shipping was going to be straightforward but it really wasn't at all.
Looks like there is a need for a "print on demand + shipping" geographically distributed network.
Amazon does exactly that. (I'm guessing selling on Amazon doesn't fit into the author's sales model)
Amazon already offers this https://www.createspace.com/
So are you shipping via USPS? I'm about to buy. I use a PO box for receiving most parcels, but only the postal service can ship there. 10x the hassle to accept via courier.

The landing page didn't say if PO boxes work.

The 4SttE book, as I understand, is printed on demand as well (at least it looks like it), I'm fine (as well as a lot of people) with paying shipping corresponding to my geographical location.