Business Requirements Evaluator · Book Sales & Fulfillment
Before You Choose a Platform,
Define What You Actually Need
A structured decision framework for new authors evaluating self-publishing, payment processing, and order fulfillment options — product-independent and vendor-neutral throughout.
HLG StartingPointe · Advisory Tools · Vendor-Neutral
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I
Establish Your Baseline
Grounding decisions in verified information protects your margin and prevents surprises after launch.
Q-01
How familiar are you with Amazon KDP's actual royalty and fee structure?
The math varies meaningfully by format, price point, and sales territory. A clear picture of the actual figures makes any comparison to direct-sales alternatives a fair one.
Amazon KDP — Fee & Royalty Reference
| Item | How It Works | Signal |
|---|---|---|
| eBook royalty | 70% for books priced $2.99–$9.99 in major markets; 35% outside that range or in smaller territories | Favorable |
| Print royalty | 60% of list price minus per-unit printing cost. On a $15 book, printing may run $4–6, leaving approximately $3–5 net to the author | Context-Dependent |
| Where margin goes | Print margin reduction is driven by production cost plus Amazon's 40% retail share — not a flat deduction applied to all formats equally | Worth Modeling |
| What Amazon provides | Global storefront, fulfillment, shipping, returns handling, customer service infrastructure, review ecosystem, and search discovery | Included Value |
| Going direct — the tradeoff | Higher per-copy margin is possible, but each of the above must be established and maintained independently | Full Visibility |
Q-02
What format(s) will you sell?
Format determines fulfillment complexity. Digital delivery is instant and requires no physical logistics. Print requires a production and shipping partner for every individual order placed.
Print / Paperback
Hardcover
eBook (PDF / EPUB)
Audiobook
Signed / Special Editions
Bundles (print + ebook)
Q-03
Will you hold inventory, or print each copy on demand as orders are placed?
One of the most consequential early decisions. Holding inventory reduces the per-unit cost but requires the author to manage storage, packing, and shipping. Print-on-demand carries a higher unit cost but eliminates inventory risk entirely.
⚠ If You Are Holding InventoryEvery order becomes a manual fulfillment task: selecting the book, packing it, purchasing postage, generating a tracking number, and notifying the customer. Factor this time cost realistically into your plan.
Phase II — Operational Reality
II
The Operational Layer
Every service a marketplace provides must be deliberately replaced when selling direct. This section maps each one.
Q-04
Order tracking: How does a customer learn their order has shipped and where to track it?
Tracking notifications are generated and sent automatically on marketplace platforms. In a direct-sales model, this must be deliberately configured before the first order is taken.
Q-05
Invoicing & receipts: How does a customer receive proof of purchase?
Order confirmations and receipts are generated automatically on marketplace platforms. Your direct checkout must replicate this — through the e-commerce platform, the payment processor, or a dedicated tool.
Q-06
Customer data: Is visibility into who is buying your book — and the ability to build an ongoing relationship — important to you?
Marketplace platforms retain all buyer data. Direct sales provide full buyer data, along with the responsibility to use and protect it appropriately.
Q-07
Pre-sale inquiries: How will prospective buyers reach you with questions before purchasing?
This includes questions about format, shipping destinations, content suitability, or ordering in bulk. On marketplace platforms, buyers typically make decisions independently.
Q-08
Post-sale issues: What is the process when a customer receives a damaged book, the wrong item, or reports non-delivery?
Marketplace platforms manage returns, replacements, and refunds entirely. In a direct model, each of these falls to the author and directly affects customer trust.
⚠ Required Before LaunchEvery direct-sales site must display a clear Return & Refund Policy. Without a published policy, payment processor disputes default in the customer's favor. Squarespace and Shopify both include policy page templates.
Q-09
Online reviews: Where will buyers find social proof, and where can readers leave a review after purchasing?
Review infrastructure is built into marketplace platforms. On a direct site, social proof must be deliberately sourced and placed.
Goodreads listing
Google Business Profile
Testimonials on my website
Social media posts / screenshots
Bookshop.org listing
No review strategy planned yet
Phase III — Financial Reality & Vision
III
Know Your Numbers First
Platform selection is a downstream decision. The right numbers define the right platform — not the reverse.
Q-10
Do you have a clear picture of your per-copy cost basis and the margin you need to make this viable?
Without a defined margin target, it isn't possible to objectively evaluate whether any platform works in your favor at your price point.
Quick Margin FrameworkRetail price − Print / production cost − Platform fee % − Payment processing fee (typically 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction) = Net per copy. Run this for each platform under consideration.
Q-11
What is a realistic sales volume expectation for the first 12 months?
Platform overhead — setup time, monthly fees, customer service hours — should be weighed against a realistic volume projection, not an aspirational one.
Q-12
How will buyers find your direct sales page?
Marketplace platforms include built-in search and discovery. A direct storefront starts with zero traffic — every visitor must be driven there through your own marketing activity.
Social media (organic content)
Email list / newsletter
Paid advertising (Meta, Google)
Press / media / podcast appearances
Community / speaking engagements
No traffic strategy defined yet
⚠ Note on TrafficA direct storefront without a traffic strategy will not generate sales regardless of how well it is built. If no traffic sources have been identified, this should be resolved before — or in parallel with — platform selection.
Q-13
How much time per week can realistically be dedicated to order management, customer communications, and fulfillment operations?
Operating a direct-sales channel is a business function with a real time cost. Planning for this capacity honestly prevents a platform choice that exceeds what the operation can support.
Phase IV — Platform Fit Indicators
IV
Define Your Priorities
Your selections map stated preferences to platform capabilities in the summary output.
Q-14
Which of the following matter most to you in a sales platform?
Select all that apply — these will be matched to platform implications in your summary.
Maximum margin per sale
Ownership of the customer relationship
Simplicity and low setup burden
Built-in discoverability / search traffic
An on-brand buying experience
Fully automated fulfillment
High print quality control
International / global reach
Q-15
Is this a single-book project, or are you building an ongoing author presence?
The right infrastructure for a standalone title differs from what a long-term author career requires. Clarity here prevents both under-building and over-investing at this stage.
Business Requirements Summary
HLG StartingPointe · Book Sales & Fulfillment Evaluator · Vendor-Neutral
HLG StartingPointe Business Requirements Evaluator Product-Independent For Advisory Use