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Whoa, if you haven't noticed yet, Black Friday is practically here! Our inboxes are already flooding with early coupons and special deals, even though it's a full month until the actual day. If you're planning on offering any holiday specials, it's not too late. We've here to help you with plenty of products and tips that will carry you through the whole holiday season, starting with Black Friday.

Here are 5 of our bestsellers that can be sold just as they are, or customized to fit your needs: 

PLANNERS & JOURNALS: Our 2023 Butterfly softcover planner can be customized to fit your brand and ready to go. Read this article for more details: "2023 Softcover Planners Are Here." Also, be sure to check out the video ideas about planners and journals on our Video Vault page.

NOTEPADS: Custom designed notepads, like we offer here at Vervante, have endless potential to become the next “must-have” product to add to your business or life. We can create notepads in all shapes and sizes, and in black-and-white or full color. Notepads can be glued for tear-off sheets with a cardboard back or spiral bound along the top or side. Check out this article, "Create Ideas for Custom Notepads," or watch this video about creating notepads.

CALENDARS: We offer a variety of types and sizes, including tear-off, desktop, wall, pocket and more. We have a whole section on our video page about calendars, (click here), or read more details here: "How to create a calendar."

GREETING CARDS: Packaged individually or in sets, in custom boxes or bags, cards are always popular. Check out this article for ideas for holiday gift cards, How to create holiday cards, or watch any of the videos on our Video Vault page for inspiration.
 

• TIP #1: If you have the general specs of the product you want to create, we can give you a free quote right away so you can set your retail price and start working on your sales and marketing strategy.
• TIP #2: Your product does not have to be complete to offer it for sale.  All you need is the cover design image for display on your site and – voila – you can make your offer and collect pre-orders. Just be clear in the description when your customer can expect to receive their purchase.  
• TIP #3: Once we have print files, we can ship within 3-4 days, so you're able to let customers know when pre-ordered products will arrive and can be confident in quick deliveries.

If this is your first holiday season working with Vervante, be sure to read all about how order processing and shipping works here: “How order processing and shipping works.” Orders are shipped according to the method you or your customer select. If you have a new product or dated product such as a planner, we recommend using Priority Mail the last six weeks of the year.

Earlier on the blog we talked about how important it is to be strategic about where you sell your products online.

Amazon is often the first place you may think of for buying books. Etsy is great for creative products like notepads, card decks, and daily planners. But we also pointed out that using your own website or online store - such as the Vervante Bookstore - is another great option that might fit your needs best.

Here's the bottom line, though. You don't have to choose just one.

You can have it all by selling on all three!
 

First: Sell from your own website

Your primary sales option for customers should be your own website. Selling your book or products online through your own website/shopping cart (or Vervante’s Online Bookstore if you don't have or want to process credit cards), means more profit, control, and connection with your readers.

Even if people don’t buy right away, by directing them to your website you’ve got a chance to create a connection, offer a free download, or opt into your newsletter. Anything that will put them on the path to staying connected, becoming more involved, and eventually become loyal fans that support your long-term success.
 

Next: Sell via Amazon or Etsy

The online reach of Amazon and Etsy is impressive, and using them as secondary sales options is a great way to help people discover you and your products. That first sale on Amazon or Etsy is like an introduction that you can follow up with strategic communications that invite them to become a part of your tribe.

But wait, how do I compete on Amazon / Etsy?

Selling from your website is obviously the best option for bigger profits and business-building results. Just remember this: It’s not about competing – it’s about standing out!

Give people a reason to shop with you vs. Amazon by creating an experience that makes you stand out. Exclusive offers, unique bonuses, VIP perks, and exceptional service are just a few ways to attract customers and create loyal, long-term fans.

If you use your own sales pages and shopping carts in addition to Amazon or Etsy, and you’d like to attract more buyers to your own cart vs. Amazon, here are a few ideas:

Exclusive Offers / Extras That Add Value
Attract potential readers by offering exclusive extras they can’t get from Amazon such as limited access to programs, complementary products such as stickers, notepads, and bookmarks, or free downloads such as worksheet, templates, checklists or sneak-peeks with each purchase.

Unique Bonuses
How about creating a special box of goodies to include with the book order? You can create a custom-designed box/package and add a few products that elevate the reader experience. Top it all off by having it wrapped with colored tissue, stickers, and extras for a fun, hand-crafted “Etsy” type experience. You might even end up seeing your product as the star in a social media “unboxing” episode!

VIP Perks
People love a VIP experience. Another idea to help your sales page stand out from Amazon is to offer a special ‘VIP’ print run that will be sent to special customers, connections and influencers to help spread the word. You can autograph your books, include handwritten cards, bookmarks or stickers, and give your readers an early, exclusive peek.

Exceptional Service
When you run the show from the moment they arrive at your website to the moment they receive their book in hand, you’re able to control the content and amount of customer service they receive, so make sure it counts. Be personal, be positive, and shower them with the kind of service you wish you could get. Share helpful information in fun ways such as by including colorful branded postcards with content that shares everything they need. Personalize your packing slips, follow up with emails after the fact to make sure they are enjoying their purchase, and share more info to entice customers to continue to follow you.  
 
Creating unique and satisfying experiences is the best way to get the right kind of attention for your book sales and keep customers coming back for more. If you have ideas for creating products or experiences to help boost your sales, let us know, we’re here to help!

Vervante makes it super easy to sell on Amazon and Etsy!

• For Etsy orders, all we need is a copy of the order confirmation email - simple and easy.
• For selling on Amazon, we offer a very streamlined system you can learn more about by logging in to your Vervante Author Account and go to the Retail Distribution page accessible via the Services menu.

"What is the difference between “print on demand” and using bulk printing and then drop-shipping? BTW, what does it mean to “drop-ship” something?"

If you’ve ever wondered the same thing, we get it. In fact, we’ve been hearing this question a lot lately, so we wanted to give you the scoop on how these two different types of printing and fulfillment work.

What is Print On Demand?
Print on demand (POD) uses both digital and inkjet printing methods to print books and other products only in the amount needed, when they are needed. Here's how Print On Demand works:

• An order is placed for a book or other product.
• We print the exact amount ordered.
• The order is then shipped to the customer.
• You only have to pay for printing when an order is placed.

Here are two scenarios to illustrate how this works:

• If you list your book for sale on your website and a customer orders one book, we print one book and ship it to your customer.
• If you have a speaking event coming up and need 25 books, we will print 25 books and send them to wherever you need them.

How does Bulk Printing work?
When it comes to bulk printing, the more you print, the lower the price per product. Bulk orders are perfect if you:

• Are planning a big book or product launch
• Are headlining an event and plan to make an offer from the stage
• Have products for workshops and programs that enroll throughout the year
• Travel often, giving presentations and offering back-of-room sales
• Anticipate extra sales from joint ventures or media appearances

 Minimum Order Quantity
We're often asked: "What quantity do I need to order to get bulk discounting?"

When discussing bulk orders, it's important to understand Minimum Order Quantity, or "MOQ." Minimum Order Quantity refers to the fewest number of units required to be purchased at one time in order to place an order. The main reason for minimum order quantity is due to the upfront fixed costs associated with setting up a custom print job. Minimum order amounts can vary as well, depending on the product.

The deciding factor on whether you can use Print on Demand, or MOQ Bulk Order printing, depends on the type and complexity of product. We've created a graphic you can see here that lists many of the products we provide and whether they are POD or MOQ. For example:

• POD: Card decks, paperback books, notepads, and saddle-stitch booklets
• MOQ: Hardcover planners and books, kiss-cut or die-cut stickers, and anything with foil stamping or wire-o binding

You can see and download this graphic from our website Expert Guides page, or download it directly by clicking here: POD vs. MOQ

The MOQ for hardcover products is 25 and we offer quantity discounts for orders of 25 or more. To find out what the minimum order amount is for other types of products, please reach out to us either using the "Get a Quote" link on our website, or by emailing customerservice@vervante.com.

Bulk Order Drop-Shipping
In order to take advantage of lower pricing per product, many of our customers choose to have their products printed in bulk and then stored in our warehouse until they need them. Drop-shipping is what happens when we receive notification that 1 or more of those products need to be pulled from inventory then sent to a customer. For every drop-ship order, we charge small order and pick fees to cover the cost of the shipping package/box and the labor to pull the item from inventory.

• Here is how it works, step-by-step:
• Products are printed in bulk and stored in our warehouse
• We receive a fulfillment order for your product.
• We pull that product from inventory and drop-ship it directly to your customer.

Which method is best for you? The answer depends on your budget, your business, and which way works best for getting your products where they need to be. Our team is happy to help you figure out which is best for you, just email us at customerservice@vervante.com.

We hope this helps clarify the differences and benefits for both Print On Demand (POD) and using Bulk Printing with Drop-Shipping. If you have any questions about using POD, Minimum Order Quantity discounts, or bulk printing, storage and fulfillment services, we’re here to help.