KDP Alternatives: Is Bookvault Any Good?

About this video

Dale reviews BookVault, a UK-based print-on-demand company he says has offered services for over 25 years, integrating with Shopify, WooCommerce, Payhip and TikTok Shop among others. It distributes print books through Amazon, Gardeners and its own Great British Bookshop, with no ebook or audiobook distribution yet. He highlights options KDP lacks: 11 industry-standard trim sizes plus a custom trim size, multiple binding and lamination choices (including no lamination, UK distribution only for some options), six paper types, and mixed black-and-white with full-color printing. Pricing has three tiers: a free plan with a title upload fee of about 19 pounds 95 (about $24), BookVault Indie at about 24 pounds 95 per month with upload fees of about 4 pounds 95, and BookVault Pro at about 89 pounds 95 per month with no title setup fee; authors must bring their own ISBN. BookVault takes a 5 percent distribution fee, and through the Great British Bookshop, with only a 5 percent retailer fee, he says authors keep essentially 90 percent minus print fees. His proofs arrived within six days with no watermark, print quality was strong (UK proofs better cut than US proofs, which were cut a little low and darker), though base print costs were slightly higher than KDP’s for the same books. He rates BookVault 4 out of 5, citing dashboard glitchiness and the subscription model as downsides.

Key takeaways

• BookVault distributes print books through Amazon, Gardeners and the Great British Bookshop, but does not yet offer ebook or audiobook distribution
• It offers 11 standard trim sizes plus custom sizing, multiple bindings and papers, and mixed black-and-white and full-color printing in one book
• Plans range from a free plan with an upload fee of about 19 pounds 95 to BookVault Pro at about 89 pounds 95 per month with no setup fee, and authors must supply their own ISBN
• BookVault takes a 5 percent distribution fee, and sales through the Great British Bookshop carry only a 5 percent retailer fee, leaving essentially 90 percent minus print fees
• Dale rated BookVault 4 out of 5: proof quality beat KDP overall and arrived within six days without a watermark, but print costs were marginally higher and the dashboard was glitchy

Episode details: published September 21, 2023 · 19:15 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are Dale L. Roberts’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.

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