Fullfillment: How to Get Your Books to Your Customers

by Moira Allen

When you become a self-publisher, you soon learn that "fulfillment" is not the happy feeling you get when your books arrive from the printer, or when you make that first sale (though those are wonderful moments). Fulfillment refers to the process of getting the books to the customers.

Fulfillment can be one of the most time-consuming and mind-numbing tasks of self-publishing. It's simple drudgery, devoid of any spark of creativity -- and it's also one of the most important parts of your business.

Here's an overview of what's involved:

• Checking orders for accuracy and completeness
• Preparing any necessary invoices
• Preparing labels and packing slips
• Packaging books securely
• Weighing books and affixing appropriate postage, or taking books to post office

Sounds simple, doesn't it? You'll be amazed, however, at how time-consuming the process can become. Here's a closer look at what's involved in each task, and how to handle it effectively.

Step 1: Checking the Order

You'll find that many orders arrive incomplete or incorrect. When an order arrives, check the following:

• Is the address complete? Can you read it? (Many orders sent by mail are handwritten and difficult to decipher.)
• Is the order quantity clear?
• Is the price for the product correct? (If you offer discounts, have appropriate discounts been taken?)
• Has the correct sales tax been applied?
• Has the correct shipping been applied? (In many cases, customers will overlook your shipping discounts for multiple books; in other cases, customers will "forget" shipping entirely -- see "Setting Shipping Fees" at the end of this article.)
• Is payment included? If payment is not included, is this a customer you're willing to invoice?

To encourage customers to fill out order forms completely and accurately, make sure that you have created an order form that shows all necessary fields clearly. If you have an online order form, try to create one that "bounces back" to the customer if necessary fields aren't filled in. If, however, you're willing to ship books to international customers (which is a good idea), make sure that this feature doesn't preclude those customers from placing an order (their address format will be different).

Step 2: Invoices and Refunds

Most business and retail customers (including bookstores, libraries, professional organizations, and specialty stores) will expect to be invoiced. (Invoicing this type of customer is described in more detail in Invoicing Customers.) You may have to make decisions about whether to invoice "regular" (i.e., "direct") customers as well, however.

If, for example, a customer has forgotten to include sales tax or the right shipping amount, or has miscalculated the amount due by a few dollars, you don't want to risk losing the sale by refusing to fill the order until full payment is made. Most customers are honest, and will send in the extra amount if you send them an invoice. If they don't, you've still lost very little by filling the order (especially as you're getting paid "full retail" for the book instead of the discounted price you'd receive if you sold that same book through a bookstore or other outlet).

While you can send such customers a "formal" invoice, I preferred to use a simple "fill-in-the-blanks" form that I designed and printed from my computer (three to a page). It looked something like this:

In other cases, a customer may have paid too much. For example, many customers fail to notice that there is (or should be!) a discount on shipping for multiple books, and pay the same flat amount for each book. Others fail to calculate multiple-book discounts.

If the amount of the refund is small (under $3), it's usually simplest to issue a refund when sending the book(s). A variation on the form above can be used to accompany and explain your refund check. If the amount is large, however, you might wish to send the customer a letter offering them a choice of a refund or credit on another purchase. This is particularly effective if you have more than one product, or if your book makes a good gift item.

Technically, you should not send a refund with the book itself, at least if you are shipping books via "media mail". The post office can refuse to send an item by this rate if it contains any "first class" material (such as a letter or check).

Step 3: Packing Slips and Inserts

Packing slips are optional; they provide a record for the customer. If you wish to provide packing slips, the easiest way is to create a template on your computer (using either a spreadsheet or word-processing program) and simply inserting the customer's name and address and the number of books ordered. (If you have more than one book, list each title on your template, then just delete those that have NOT been ordered.) You may choose to include the price as well, or not; many companies omit this information. Be sure to include your company's name and address, and the date the order is shipped.

A quick-and-easy way to create a packing slip is to simply photocopy the customer's order (or print out an extra copy of an online order). This isn't quite as professional-looking as printing up your own, but is certainly faster. If you use this method, invest in a "date" stamp so that you can stamp the date the order is shipped on your "packing slip." (I firmly believe that every self-publisher should invest in an inexpensive photocopier.)

You may also wish to include a sales flyer with every shipment. Even if you have only one book, this can serve to encourage a satisfied customer to buy another copy for a friend. If you have several books, a flyer is essential -- the best "market" for your products is your existing, satisfied customers. However, keep in mind that it is not technically legal to include sales materials in media mail shipments (so rather than include a flyer, you might want to have your sales material printed inside your book itself!).

Step 4: Labels

When I started out in self-publishing, I typed all shipping labels. Today, other options are available -- but often it's still easier to type a label than to load a set of labels into your printer, use a special template to put in the addresses, etc.

To present a professional appearance, it's best to have labels preprinted with your company's name and address. You can order preprinted labels from a number of manufacturers (once you get a business licence, you'll be swamped with catalogs from such places), or you can order them online through places like iprint.com. You can get these in rolls (for use with a typewriter) or in sheets that will fit in your printer.

Another option is to invest in a "label-maker" that works with your computer to print out individual labels. Most label-makers now accept shipping-size labels. (In fact, you can now get label-makers that hold two different sizes of label at once.) As label-makers use heat-sensitive labels, you can't use them with preprinted labels. However, you could easily design your own "background stationery" (name and address) that will automatically print out with every shipping label. Label-makers enable you to simply cut-and-paste a customer's address from a packing slip or invoice, or type it in separately; you don't have to worry about formatting templates or swapping labels in and out of your printer.

Need it be said that all labels should be checked carefully for accuracy?

Step 5: Packaging

Unless your book is very large (and heavy), or an odd size, the best form of packaging is a padded envelope. You can choose between the less-expensive brown-paper envelopes filled with recycled paper (that "fluff" that spills out if you open them the wrong way), or envelopes padded with bubble plastic. The brown envelopes are cheaper, but heavier, so they can add to your shipping cost; plus, they don't have a self-sealing flap, so you'll have to use heavy-duty staples and/or strapping tape to seal them.

Make sure your envelope size is as close to the size of the book as possible. You do not want the book to slide around inside the envelope during shipping; this will cause wear and other damage. You also don't want to have to "squeeze" the book into the envelope, as this may cause it to curve, or damage the corners of the cover. You can also reinforce your envelope with cardboard, or wrap your book in an extra layer of bubble plastic or tissue paper, but this adds extra weight and extra effort to the task. (Don't use newspaper; it looks tacky.)

Another option is self-sticking corrugated cardboard. You can purchase this in rolls in most office supply stores. The sticky side sticks only to itself, not to your book. Cut a piece that will wrap around your book(s) with about two inches to spare, and with about an inch and a half of overhang at each end. Wrap the cardboard around your book, line up the edges, and press the sticky sides of the extra cardboard together. Fold this section flat against your book package, then squeeze the ends together to seal them. This type of packaging works well for larger books and books of odd sizes, and can also be used to mail two or three books at once.

For larger orders, you'll need a cardboard box. You can buy shipping boxes, but these are expensive, so you'll probably find yourself saving and scrounging boxes. Make sure you store these boxes where they won't get damp or dirty. Use only plain (unmarked) boxes; don't ship your books in the box that once held your shoes or your blender. (If you're like me, you probably also have a good supply of Amazon.com boxes on hand; these work just fine.) Wrap books in a sheet of bubble plastic or packaging paper to protect them, then pad any empty space with styrofoam "popcorn," newspaper, or shredded paper. (Be cautious about using biodegradable "popcorn," as this can begin to dissolve and stick to your books if exposed to damp.) Seal boxes securely with strapping tape.

One word of warning: Make sure your packaging supplies are free of offensive odors. If you smoke, store them in a room that is smoke-free, and don't smoke when packaging books. Nothing alienates a customer like opening a box and getting a whiff of stale cigarette fumes, or mildew or pet odors.

Step 6: Postage and Shipping

One decision you'll need to make if you ship your own books is whether to obtain a postage meter or comparable means of printing your own postage. If you can't print out metered strips, you'll have to run to the post office whenever you need to ship a package that weighs more than one pound (which, in general, means anything more than one book). However, postage meters (including the kind that hook up to your computer) incur a monthly rental fee -- so balance that cost against the inconvenience of post-office visits.

Technically, you can also print postage online, but I believe at present this is limited to priority postage; I don't believe you can print out media-mail postage. In any case, I've tried this and been unable to get the label to print, even using Windows XP, and I've heard that others have had similar trouble.

If you don't expect to have to ship multiple-book packages too often, and want to live without a postage meter, it's not hard to keep the right postage on hand. As I edit this in 2007, the rate for media mail has just changed again, so I won't even bother trying to cite a rate. In any case, since you must take any mail over one pound that isn't metered to the post office, you'll only need to keep denominations on hand that add up to one pound for media mail; in 2006, when media mail was $1.59 per pound, I used two 80¢ stamps or a $1 and a 60¢ stamp.

It's also a good idea to have a high-quality, accurate postal scale so that you can determine exactly how much your packages weigh. (Some meters come with built-in scales.)

Setting Shipping Costs

One reason to be aware of shipping rates is so that you can set an appropriate "shipping and handling" fee for your books. Keep in mind that you don't have to charge as much as the "big boys" do -- places like Amazon.com have to pay for a staff, automated shipping equipment, etc. Your goal should be to recover your own costs -- not to make a profit on shipping.

To begin with, therefore, you'll need to know how much your book costs to ship when packaged. Add to this the cost of your preferred packaging -- e.g., the price of a shipping envelope. A bubble-plastic "jiffy" envelope typically costs $.50 to $.75, depending on size. (Author's tip: I order my jiffy envelopes online. I had been buying them from Office Max, but they suddenly discontinued my favorite size -- and by shopping around online I found them for about half the price I had been paying! So do shop around online to find your mailing supplies; you'll be surprised at the bargains you can find.) Thus, in 2006:

$1.60 + .50 = $2.10

This is likely to be your minimum cost to ship a single book. If you want to give yourself some leeway on costs, you could therefore set your single-book shipping price at $2.50; if you want to be extra-generous to customers, set it at $2.

Customers expect a discount on shipments of multiple books, which is reasonable, as your own costs will be much less for each additional book. If you "scrounge" boxes, your packaging for multiple-book orders may cost next to nothing; however, even if you buy boxes at an office-supply store, you're not likely to pay more than $1.50 for a box that may ship ten or even twenty books.

An easy way to calculate multiple-book shipping costs is simply to add $1 for each additional book, up to a certain cut-off point. For example, a customer ordering five books that weigh one pound apiece would pay $6.50 in shipping -- $2.50 for the first book, and $4 total for the additional books. However, it's easy to see that, after a point, asking for a dollar per book becomes unreasonable.

Some companies solve this problem by asking for a percentage of the purchase price for orders over a certain quantity. If, for example, your book costs $10, you could ask for 10% of orders over 5 books. (If you're offering quantity discounts, this will come out to something a little less than $5.) Another option is to have a maximum charge for shipping, such as $10, and absorb any costs above that through the profits you're making on such a large sale. Yet another option is to negotiate shipping charges separately on very large orders; as you're likely to be invoicing a customer who places an order that large, it's easy to find out what the shipping actually costs, and add that to the invoice.

Keep in mind that some customers will expect you to pay for shipping. Most distributors will not pay for shipping, and neither will many bookstores. This is something to keep in mind when calculating how much to charge for your book itself.

Special Rates

Some customers may want special shipping and/or handling, in which case you'll need to offer special rates. For example, if a customer wants a book delivered quickly, you may wish to provide the option of priority shipment. Simply add your packaging costs to the current priority rates to determine the cost of shipping a book by priority mail. (Even though you can use a free "priority" envelope to ship the book, it's still best to package it in a secure mailer first.)

Some customers (generally commercial or group customers) may want larger packages to be shipped via UPS. This is particularly true of a customer has no easy way to receive large packages without picking them up at the post office. In this case, you'll usually need to contact a UPS shipper (such as a "mailboxes" outlet) and determine the cost of a shipment before quoting a price to the customer.

International Shipments

You probably want to be able to sell your books to international customers -- and that means shipping them to those customers. This will always mean a trip to the post office, and can mean some hefty shipping fees.

Unfortunately, international "book rate" is no more. Instead, the U.S. post office offers two rate schedules (airmail and economy) for two types of packages (letter and parcel). A letter can be any package weighing up to four pounds; economy rates vary widely, depending on weight and the country to which it is being delivered. (To calculate the cost of shipping your book to a specific country, visit the U.S. Post Office website's international rate calculator (http://www.usps.gov).

In addition, you will need to fill out a customs form at the post office to affix to any international packages. If you are sending a single, relatively small book, generally you will need the small green slip (which requires fewer details). If you are sending a package that weighs four pounds or more, you will need to fill out the larger white form. If you are sending a package to an APO or FPO address, you will need to fill out the white form regardless of the size of the package. (Here's a quick tip for filling out the green customs form: If you are using a label-maker, print out an extra copy of the mailing label to apply to the form, and use one of your own return-address labels for the return part of the form.)

A final consideration when accepting international orders is, of course, receiving payment. Unless you have a very considerate bank, you'll want to insist on payment in U.S. currency or via credit card (see Accepting Orders for more details). Otherwise, you'll lose a significant chunk of your revenue in exchange and bank fees. The best way to accept international orders is to set up a PayPal account, as the payee only needs a credit card to make payment.

Setting Up Your Shipping Station

You'll quickly find that you need a "shipping station" somewhere in your "home office". This should be a place with a large flat surface where you can assemble and wrap parcels, plus storage space for shipping envelopes, strapping tape, etc. You'll want to keep at least one carton of books at your station, so that you don't have to keep running off to your garage or attic for more. If you include sales flyers or other literature with each shipment, you'll want to store that at your station as well.

An Alternative to Doing it Yourself

All this may sound easy at first -- but you may find, after you've been shipping books for a few months, that it becomes tedious and distracting. It may also take valuable time that you could be using for marketing -- or for writing your next book.

Fortunately, there is an alternative: a fulfillment service. A fulfillment service will warehouse your book (freeing up space in your garage!), and package and ship all orders. Some will also handle order-acceptance -- and may even accept credit cards on your behalf.

The easiest way to use a fulfillment house is to process orders yourself, and then send the house a list of addresses and order quantities. In this case, all the fulfillment house will do is package and ship books (and include any flyers that you've sent); you'll handle all billing and refunds separately. Generally, you'll pay a flat per-book rate for this type of service. If, however, you want or need more complex order-processing, you can often negotiate a fee based on percentage of sales.

The problem with making a decision to use a fulfillment house after you've printed your books is that you must now ship those books to them -- which can be expensive. It's a good idea, therefore, to think about whether you want to use a fulfillment service before you print your books, so that you can have them shipped directly to the service's warehouse (thus costing you no more than it would have cost to have the books shipped directly to you). Then, ask the fulfillment service to ship you a couple of boxes of books for your own use.

If you decide to look for a fulfillment service, shop around. Many such services are accustomed to working with large publishing houses that ship thousands of books; they may not be set up to deal with a small publisher who has only one title, and who may ship fewer than a hundred books per month. For many, this simply won't offer a sufficient profit margin to be worthwhile.

Whether you do it yourself or farm it out, high-quality book fulfillment is the key to customer satisfaction. Customers want books to arrive on time and in good condition -- so make sure you settle on a method that can deliver just that.

Sidebar: Fulfilled by Amazon.com

As of 2006, a new fulfillment option has emerged: "Fulfilled by Amazon.com." This service is provided by Amazon.com to its Pro Merchant Marketplace sellers.

I've been selling my self-published book through the Amazon.com "new and used" marketplace for several years. All that is necessary to do this is to have a catalog listing on the Amazon.com site for your book. (Generally, this will happen if your book has an ISBN, but if it doesn't, you may need to contact them as the publisher to set up a catalog listing.) Once your book is listed, you can set yourself up as a marketplace seller and list your books at whatever price you wish under the "new" category. The one hazard is that you will be competing with anyone who wants to sell used copies of your book for a lower price; however, I have never found this to be a problem. You can pay a fee of $39.99 per month to be a "Pro Merchant" seller (which saves you the $1 per book commission, though you still lose a percentage of each sale to Amazon.com). Becoming a Pro Merchant is useful if you want to list multiple copies of the same book; you can add as many as you wish to your "stock" in a single listing.

Once you are a Pro Merchant, you'll probably receive an invitation to have your orders "fulfilled by Amazon.com." This involves an additional, but small, fee per book and a small fee for storing your inventory. Amazon takes care of all the wrapping and mailing. At present, it's necessary to put labels with Amazon.com's SKU number on your merchandise, but I have been told that Amazon.com will soon make it possible to sell multiple copies of a single product without this requirement. (You can also have your books printed with the SKU number on the back cover.)

A small downside of having Amazon.com fulfill your books is that you don't make any extra money on the shipping fees! However, I found that as soon as I made my book available through this program, more people chose to buy from the FBA listing than from my original "buy straight from the author" listing. Buyers seem to be more comfortable with the idea that Amazon.com is handling the order and the shipping, and they can also combine your book with others to gain free shipping, which is also likely to encourage sales. So far I have had no complaints with the system!

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