In an industry that operates on micro-margins, discount programs can have a notable impact on your bottom line. Here are three tips to cut your fulfillment costs and grow your profits.

Tip #1: Open an account with UPS

First determine which account you should open: daily account with discounted rates or occasional account with the on-demand rate (same as retail rates). If you spend a minimum of $150 in revenue weekly, you’ll qualify for receiving discounted rates: 30% percent on Ground shipments and 10% on Express shipments. At this level, you can request a driver to stop by your shipping location for pick-up. To set-up a daily account with discounted rates, call 1-800-PICK-UPS. To set up an occasional account with on-demand rates, go to www.ups.com. Select the Business Solutions tab, and then select Small Business Owners. From this page, click on the link to register for My UPS and open a UPS account.

Tip #2: Create a FedEx account
To set up an account, you can either call 1-800-GO-FEDEX or go through their website, www.fedex.com; however, you will receive a 10% discount if you apply online. Once you’ve established an account, you must speak to customer service to determine if you’re eligible for discounted rates. Customer service will have a local sales representative contact you to see if you’re eligible. Discounted rates are based on actual, not projected, package volume.

Tip #3: Join the American Bookseller’s Association

If you’re a member of the American Bookseller’s Association, you’re eligible to receive discounts on FedEx, Yellow Transportation, and Overnite Transportation through their alliance with PartnerShip. There are no obligations and no minimum shipping requirements. You can save up to 30% per carton on FedEx Ground shipments and up to 26% on FedEx Express shipments. Find more information about how to save money through this program.

Early in the publishing process, go to a bookstore and research cover prices of books similar to yours. To sell books in traditional trade outlets, your price needs to be competitive. Overpricing your book by even just a couple of dollars can dramatically reduce—and, in some cases, wholly eliminate—national bookstore buys.

In some industries, it’s standard practice to determine price by multiplying production costs by a predetermined variable. Unfortunately, this formula doesn’t always work in the book industry. If you want national retail distribution, the price has to be acceptable to the buyers—and they define “acceptable” as comparable to other titles in the category.

If your costs are too high to produce an acceptable profit at a competitive cover price, consider increasing your print run. Your price per book drops as your print quantity increases, and your chances of selling higher quantities increases as your cover price decreases, so be sure to consider the big three before going to press: (1) cover price, (2) print quantity, and (3) profit per unit.

Here are some commonly recommended prices, but note that genre and trim size often trigger adjustments:

During production, many authors, designers and new publishers commit one or all of the following category crimes: (a) list the wrong genre on the back cover or dust jacket flap, (b) use descriptive terms instead of industry standard category names, or (c) list multiple genres instead of a primary with a subcategory specification.

The genre designation serves a specific purpose in retail distribution and should not be taken lightly, so here are three tips to help you choose the right category for your book:

#1: Use BISAC Subject Codes

Many of the systems in which your distributor will set up your title require a BISAC subject code, and you can use this code to help you determine the most appropriate genre to include on your book cover. When selecting your title’s BISAC subject code(s), consider the audience you will be marketing it to and the content of the work. Gather some objective opinions from people outside the project and research the classification of similar titles. If your title closely matches two different subjects, choose the one in which you think your target audience is most likely to look for it. Bear in mind, however, that booksellers’ cataloging departments may override your subject listing if it doesn’t fit their shelving systems. The full list of BISAC codes is available online.

#2: Discuss the Category with Your Distributor

If your book can be classified in multiple categories, talk to your distributor before going to press. They may think that one buyer will react better to your book than another, and may suggest a category based on that preference. This decision could have a huge impact on your distributor’s ability to negotiate for big sales and good store placement, so it’s in your best interest to include them in this decision.

#3: Consider Location, Location, Location

Your genre defines not only your audience, but also the location of its placement in bookstores. Remember that a book cannot live in business, fiction, and self-help, so choose the location that is the most desirable and most appropriate for your content.