Extended Online Distribution Service

Note: This is applicable only for POD books. If you want to sell and distribute pre-printed books through us, please see the relevant information here.

What is it?

Does anything change for me if I am not interested in Extended Online Distribution?

No, if you are not interested, nothing changes for you. You can ignore all the information here.

What are the advantages of Extended Online Distribution?

  • Availability of the book through more channels
  • Benefit from Discounts and Free shipping provided by these stores
  • Readers are already comfortable transacting on these sites
  • We expect to add more partners in future to expand the reach further

How does the pricing and royalty work?

Note: This is applicable only for POD books. If you are selling pre-printed books through us, see the notes at the end of the page.

  • MRP of the Book is set
    • With Sale on Pothi.com: Profit = MRP - Production Cost, which is split 50:50 between Pothi.com and Author (It remains the same as earlier)
    • With Sale on Partner Site: Profit = MRP - Partner's Share - Production, which is split 20:80 with Pothi.com and Author (80 to the Author)
  • Due to retailer margin, minimum price will go up
  • Estimate minimum MRP and royalty at http://pothi.com/pothi/estimate-price/distribution

Pothi.com Advantage

Note: This is applicable only for POD books. If you are selling pre-printed books through us, see the notes at the end of the page.

  • To minimize the impact to the extent possible, we have made the following arrangements
    • We have negotiated with the channel partners a relatively lower margin that industry standard of 40-60%
    • The profit from retail sales is split in 20:80 ratio (80% to the author) as opposed to 50:50 in case of sales through Pothi.com
    • We will keep a small inventory of the books in our office so that the logistic costs are minimized and do not need to be added to the book price.
  • Anciliary Benefit
    • The books which are under distribution will are eligible for free participation in Bangalore Book Fesitval this year.

Understanding Price Advantage
Assume a 200 Pages 5"x8" b&w book.

  • Option 1: You buy the book at Author's Price and sell through a retailer with 45% retailer margin. You keep Rs. 25 for yourself.
    • MRP = (174+25)/.55 = Rs. 362
    • You also pay for the shipping!
  • Option 2: Sell through Pothi.com's Extended Online Distribution
    • MRP = Rs. 270
    • You don't worry about shipping and logistics costs.

What is the cost?

  • Rs. 1500 one time set up cost
  • Rs. 1000 yearly renewal cost (waived for the first year currently)

Are all books eligible to go into distribution?

Note: This is applicable only for POD books. If you are selling pre-printed books through us, see the notes at the end of the page.

There are some restrictions for the book to go into distribution

  1. Production: Black & White books should be on 80 GSM normal white paper. If it is on coated paper or any other specially requested paper, it will need to be changed to this standard paper. Color books can be on any type of paper.
  2. Language: Currently only books in English and Hindi are eligible for distribution.
  3. Quality: When you apply for distribution, your book will go through a basic quality check for design and language. If it is not up to the mark we will ask you to address the specific issues before it goes into distribution. Please note that it will not be a rigorous check for quality of content, nor an assessment on book's sellability. But the basic check that there are no obvious language problems or design issues. If you do not wish to address these issues, you can ask for a refund of distribution charges within one week.

Is ISBN required for the book to go into distribution?

We have arranged with the current partners to include even the books without an ISBN. However, it is strongly recommended that you get an ISBN for your book. If we add more partners in future, some of them may not be able to work without ISBN. Getting and ISBN from Indian ISBN agency is free and the process is outlined here - http://pothi.com/pothi/isbn

Also, if you are planning to get an ISBN, please get it before applying for the distribution. Because changing the ISBN once the books are listed is not possible.

What is the process?

The process is outlined below. However, reading the steps may make it seem like complicated, which is it not! You can just start by going to the 'Distribution' tab on your book page and ordering distribution. For the rest you will receive notifications and instructions.

  • Order Distribution
    • Log in to your account on Pothi.com
    • Go to your book page (If you do not have the direct URL of your book, you can go to Author Dashboard->My Public Books and click on the book link)
    • You will see a tab titled 'Distribution' on the page (only available when you are logged in from your account).
    • You will see a button called "Order Distribution". Click on it and complete the purchase process as usual. Make the payment.
  • Pothi.com Approval
    • Once we receive the payment (instant in case of Credit Card/Debit Card/Paypal payment), we will review the book and you will receive a mail if the book has been approved or not approved. If the book is not approved you will need to correct the issues and send us an e-mail about it for us to proceed. If you do not wish to correct the issue, you can click the link on the "Distribution" tab for requesting refund.
  • Author Approval
    • If the book is approved by us, you need to go back to the "Distribution" tab and approve the book for distribution from your side. Two conditions need to be fulfilled at this stage
      • Price of your book should be at least the minimum required for distribution. You should set the final price at this stage because the price will freeze after this and you will not be able to change the price.
      • You must have bought at least one print copy of the book. This is to ensure that you have seen the book in print and are satisfied with how it has come out before it goes into further distribution.If you already have bought at least one copy of your book, you will not have to do anything.
    • Once the minimum price and print copy ordering criteria is satisfied, you will see a button "Approve for distribution". At this stage make sure that your "About the book", "About the author" and other information is updated as the book may go in to distribution any time. Although you will be able to update these fields on Pothi.com later also, once the data goes to the retailer updating it with them may not be possible. Once you finish this step, the process is complete form your side.
  • Next Steps
    • We send your book data to the partners (Data is sent at the starting of every calendar month)
    • The listing will go live in 2-3 weeks
    • Sales data will appear in your dashboard with a lag of 6-8 weeks from the time of sales

For any queries, send an e-mail to writer@pothi.com