Print cautiously, your first run is a juggling act to get enough produced ready for demand, but not too much that you are either sitting with boxes in the spare room or spending what little profit there might have been into warehousing. It really depends on how you plan to sell the books, budget considerations, and last but not least, the lead time of reorders.
Start with your sales channels. Small runs are generally safer if you sell mostly online (on your website, Etsy, in person, or direct to customers). Pre-orders, if you have them (most people do), set that as your baseline and add a buffer for marketing/PR/sales staff requests, reviewers, etc. This way, you are able to put some space between the pre-orders and overcommitting. For advice from Book Printers Stroud, visit https://wheatleyprinters.co.uk/printing-services/marketing-materials/book-printers/stroud/
Next, think about unit cost. Any larger runs save on cost per book, but only if you can actually sell them. There is no use printing 500 if they are not going to sell. Also, think about storage and fulfillment – do you have space to store books, and how will they be dispatched?
Consider lead times, too. Here are some ways that you can order smaller print runs: If your printer is nimble and quick with turnaround times, consider ordering less up front and reordering more as needed. This is less risky than making just enough for a launch period if lead times are longer (or you’re ready to print near launch).
If you have no clue, many authors begin by printing a small run (usually in the few hundred) or printing on demand to test. Monitor sales by location and hassle-free reorder times.
