Book Baby

BookBaby
Type	Private
Traded as
Industry	Self-publishing, Book printing, Digital distribution
Founded	2011
Founder	Steven Spatz, Brian Felsen
Headquarters	Pennsauken, New Jersey, United States
Area served
Key people
Products	eBook publishing, Print-on-demand, Book editing, Book design, Global distribution, Audiobook creation
Services
Revenue	$50M–$100M (estimated)
Employees
Parent
Subsidiaries
Website	bookbaby.com

BookBaby is an American full-service self-publishing company headquartered in Pennsauken, New Jersey. Founded in 2011, the company offers independent authors a comprehensive suite of publishing services including editing, book design, printing, and global distribution. BookBaby describes its philosophy as "People Powered Publishing" and positions itself as a one-stop partner for authors seeking to publish without the involvement of a traditional publishing house.

History

Origins

BookBaby was founded in 2011 by Steven Spatz and Brian Felsen. Its creation was closely tied to Disc Makers, a sister company founded in 1946 by Ivin Ballen, which had a long history of serving independent musicians and filmmakers with manufacturing and distribution services for CDs, DVDs, and Blu-rays.

In 2008, Disc Makers acquired CD Baby, an online independent music distributor, in response to the rise of digital music. As digital publishing began to emerge as a major market—driven by the launches of the Amazon Kindle and Apple iPad—Apple reportedly approached the Disc Makers/CD Baby team to aggregate content from independent authors for its new book platform, much as CD Baby had done for musicians. This opportunity led directly to the founding of BookBaby.

Growth and Expansion

BookBaby launched its print-on-demand (POD) program in 2015 in response to requests from its community of self-published authors. Before this, the company primarily focused on eBook conversion and distribution.

Since its founding in 2011, BookBaby has helped thousands of authors realize their potential and has expanded its services to what customers see today. The company also built its own online bookstore.

In 2022, online store sales grew significantly, prompting investment in new printing infrastructure. BookBaby installed two new Xeikon SX30000 digital printing presses to expand its full-color printing capacity.

BookBaby's in-house design team was named a winner in the AIGA "50 Books | 50 Covers of 2024" competition for the cover of Long Term Damage by Billy Hanson.

Services

BookBaby offers a broad range of services covering all phases of the publishing process:

Editorial Services

The company provides three tiers of editing: proofreading, copy editing, and line editing, catering to authors at different stages of manuscript preparation.

Design Services

BookBaby offers professional book cover design and interior formatting for both print and digital editions.

eBook Production

Authors can have their manuscripts converted into multiple eBook formats, including EPUB and Kindle formats, for distribution to major digital retailers.

Print-on-Demand

BookBaby can print books ranging from 24 to 840 pages, and all printing is done in the United States. The company offers both hardcover and softcover options.

Audiobook Creation

BookBaby also offers audiobook production services, allowing authors to publish across audio platforms.

Global Distribution

BookBaby distributes books to over 50 channels, including major retailers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, and Walmart.

The BookBaby Bookshop

BookBaby operates its own online retail storefront, the BookBaby Bookshop, which it describes as an author-friendly marketplace. Authors earn 85% royalties on eBooks, 75% royalties on audiobooks, and 50% on printed books sold through this channel.

Marketing Services

The company provides promotional tools including author websites, press release distribution, and social media setup assistance.

Business Model

BookBaby operates primarily on a fee-for-service model, where authors pay upfront for the services they select. Authors retain 100% of their royalties from sales, differentiating BookBaby from traditional publishing arrangements in which royalty rates typically range from 8 to 20 percent.

The average time from manuscript submission to a book being available for purchase is between 4 to 8 weeks, depending on the complexity of the project and services selected.

Reception

BookBaby holds a rating of 4.5 on Trustpilot, with authors frequently highlighting the ease of navigating the publishing process and the breadth of the company's distribution network. Critics of the service have noted that costs can accumulate quickly when multiple add-on services are selected, making it a potentially expensive option for budget-conscious authors.

Corporate Information

BookBaby's main headquarters is located at 7905 North Crescent Boulevard, Pennsauken, New Jersey. The company has employees across three continents, including North America, Asia, and Europe. The company's estimated annual revenue is between $50 million and $100 million.

External Links