How to Print a Profitable Board Book
From Manuscript to Market
As an author, there’s a lot to know and think about, from your story concept and design to printing quantities, shipping and, of course, your profit margin.
BoardBookPrinting.com recently delved into the strategies, numbers and mistakes to avoid in our From Manuscript to Market: The Complete Guide to Printing a Profitable Board Book webinar, co-hosted with Children’s Book Mastery as part of the Women in Publishing webinar series.
Whether you’re just starting with an idea for a board book or looking to improve the profitability of an existing project, the webinar provides a practical roadmap to help you plan, print and publish with profitability in mind.
Here are a few key takeaways from the webinar.
Takeaway #1: Not every children’s book is a board book.
Board books are generally designed for ages 0–4 and work particularly well with simple storylines, repetition, interactive elements and easy-to-read text. Most board books are 10–24 pages.
One of the biggest mistakes? Trying to fit too much into a small book. Too much text, tiny type, too many concepts or overly complex illustrations can make the reading experience less effective.
Rule of thumb: Keep your story to about 200 words.
One of the most frequent hurdles for first-time authors is trying to say too much on a single page. Board books are designed for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers who respond best to rhythmic cadence, repetition, simple core concepts, and bright, engaging visuals.
Takeaway #2: Think about printing early, not after the book is finished.
Board books require specialized materials, equipment and manufacturing processes, which means they aren't well suited to the traditional print-on-demand model.
For authors planning to sell their books, offset printing is really the only viable option if you want to print profitably. The earlier you choose an offset printer, the better, because printers have their own templates and press-ready artwork guidelines. Knowing these requirements upfront can help with your design decisions and avoid costly changes later.
Takeaway #3: Make sure you’re comparing apples to apples.
When comparing overseas printing quotes, don't compare the headline price alone.
Ensure each quote clearly identifies shipping to your door, customs and duties, logistics and paperwork, and a physical bound proof. Otherwise, two quotes that appear similar may represent very different final costs.
A physical proof is especially important. It's your opportunity to check margins, page order, spelling, formatting and, perhaps most importantly, to experience how the finished book looks and feels before committing to the full print run.
Takeaway #4: Do the math.
With offset printing, the more books you print, the lower your cost per book. And this matters because it directly impacts your profit margin.
If you plan to sell through bookstores, schools, libraries or other retailers, you need enough room in your pricing structure for wholesale discounts and retailer margins.
Let’s look at an example from August 2026, using the BoardBookPrinting.com quote calculator.
The cost of printing a 7" × 7", 16-page, 40pt board book with delivery to New York is:
- $8.38 per book for 300 copies
- $6.66 per book for 500 copies
- $3.85 per book for 1,000 copies
Pricing can change, but this example clearly demonstrates the impact of quantity on your unit cost—and ultimately, your potential margin from retail and direct sales.
The bottom line?
Don't wait until your manuscript is finished to think about your printing and marketing strategy. The decisions you make early can have a significant impact on your costs, pricing and profit potential.
Want to dive deeper into the numbers, printing process and common mistakes authors make?
Watch the full webinar: From Manuscript to Market
In this educational session, Karen Ferreira of Children’s Book Mastery and Lori McKnight of MCRL Overseas Group walk through how to plan, price and print a board book with profitability in mind.
Watch the webinar on YouTube →
And when you're ready to explore the numbers for your own project, use the BoardBookPrinting.com Instant Quote Calculator to get started
