Shipping for Authors: What You Need to Know

As an author, one thing you’ll definitely find yourself doing is shipping books. Depending on your author business model, this could be a little or a lot. For those mailing products directly to customers, here are a few things to consider as you’re setting up your book business.

Do you want customers to know where you live? Think about it. If your answer is no, here are a few options to consider:

Business Post Office Boxes

You can purchase a business post office box. This address can be used for all your mailing needs, including as your official contact address for your author business. Professionally produced books often include contact information on the back cover or the back flap of the dust jacket.

Some tips:

   •   Choose a local post office that’s easy for you to access.

   •   Consider a medium-sized box to accommodate returns or book-sized packages.

   •   Plan to check your box 1–2 times a month to keep it from getting overloaded.

Virtual PO Boxes

Virtual PO Boxes are very popular and often more convenient than traditional PO Boxes. Business account pricing can be as low as $15/month. These services offer:

   •   Mail forwarding to your home address

   •   Optional in-person pickup

   •   Online access to scanned mail

You’ll need to pay a one-time fee to notarize the USPS 1583 form. After that, you can use this address just like a standard PO Box.

If you want to secure a virtual address from the comfort of your home, we recommend iPostal1.

Now That You Have a Shipping Address…

Let’s walk through the must-knows and must-haves for shipping your books safely and professionally.

Packaging

The best packaging for mailing books is either:

   •   Bubble mailers, or

   •   Cardboard boxes

These options help ensure your books arrive safely and undamaged. When choosing the right packaging, consider:

   •   The size of your book

   •   The thickness of the spine

   •   How many books you’re mailing at once

You can use custom mailers or standard ones from USPS. However, we recommend Literature Mailers from Uline. They are clean, professional, and sized to fit your needs exactly. Bonus: Ordering from Uline is also a great step toward building business credit.

Shipping Labels

Depending on how you’re selling your books, you’ll need a system to print shipping labels.

   •   If your sales platform doesn’t generate labels, check out USPS Click-N-Ship or Shippo. Both offer free accounts.

   •   You may want to invest in sticker paper or a thermal label printer. Thermal printers don’t require ink, which saves money over time.