Spines vs BookBaby: If you are currently on the self-publishing journey, you have probably researched the main competitors dominating the market (BookBaby, IngramSpark, etc.). While there are a wealth of options sprouting up on the internet, these companies are not all created equal. Most smaller companies can only provide services for authors who have ready-to-publish work or charge “a la carte” for each additional service.
This is perhaps the biggest reason BookBaby has dominated the self-publishing industry for the last decade. It provides services from proofreading and editing, to book design, to book marketing once your manuscript hits retailers. While Bookbaby’s strength has been its inclusive packages, hidden costs and lengthy time frames end up counterbalancing those seeming advantages.
The newest competitor on the market, Spines, has taken note of the pros and cons of the current self-publishing industry and seeks to innovate through an AI/in-house team collaboration to get your books published more efficiently and affordably. Manuscripts will get first-pass editing and formatting using state-of-the-art algorithm technology, which will then be double-checked by the Spines team for any overlooked errors. The hybrid dynamic of AI and in-house team editors promises to greatly reduce turnaround times and labor costs.
Can Spines compete with its top competitor? Here’s how BookBaby and Spines compare:
Spines vs BookBaby: Pricing
BOOKBABY
Spines
Upon first glance, the pricing of BookBaby is comparatively high. But taking a closer look, Spines promises all of the same services in all three tiers in comparison to BookBaby’s packages – with the only difference being in inventory requirements (something that many independent authors and artists may actually consider to be a plus).
Express vs. Basic
The lowest tier (BookBaby’s Express package and Spines’ Basic package) has the most striking difference. The two packages are the same except for two components: BookBaby offers 25 softcover books and includes the eBook version, while Spines does not. This is because Spines is a print-on-demand only self-publishing service – research has found that independent authors who purchase physical copies ahead of demand end up with inventory gathering dust; Spines’ pricing is based on efficient “what you need, when you need it” services. Unlike BookBaby, which requires a minimum quantity purchase of 25 printed books in order to offer print-on-demand, Spines has no minimum requirement. Also, as previously mentioned, the lowest tier pricing includes design, formatting and proofreading services on Spines’ end, which BookBaby does not.
Complete vs. Standard
Spines’ middle tier “Standard” package ticks off all the same services as BookBaby’s “Complete” package, both offering Cover Design, eBook, Proofreading, Interior Formatting, Print-on-demand, and 2 ISBNs.
Premium vs. Deluxe
Spines’ full service top tier “Premium” package also promises the same services as Bookbaby’s “Deluxe” package, adding marketing packages to the middle tier checklist.
The Fine Print
Concerning the fine print – the package plans on BookBaby’s platform are starting quotes, which will vary based on the number of pages or images your book contains. For Spines, pricing remains the same regardless of the book size or the quantity of images.
Because Spines is in their beta phase of development, their packages are deeply discounted, with their premium bundle costing a great deal less than BookBaby’s middle tier package. Unless a low volume physical print of your books is important to your book strategy, Spines far outperforms BookBaby in pricing alone.
Royalties
One of the ways Spines seeks to revolutionize the self-publishing industry is through offering a cross between self-publishing and subsidy publishing. Spines offers to handle outsourcing distributors on their platform so you can manage them all on Spines’ site – with Spines’ network discount. This means you will actually reap those benefits in payout – Spines is promising 0% copywriting ownership of your material, and up to 70% back in royalties; comparatively, BookBaby only promises between 10-30% royalties, and this is because BookBaby manages distribution on your behalf, without including those expenses in their initial projected costs.
Book Maintenance
Book alteration and maintenance costs are an important aspect of the self-publishing route – whether you are outsourcing an editor or using the in-house services provided, this tends to be one of the most expensive parts of the publishing process. At BookBaby, you need to pay a $50 base charge plus $2 for every single typo. Spines only charges a flat $50 fee for submitting your new version of the book. What allows Spines to charge a flat fee is their labor costs – having AI do a first proofread greatly reduces time spent by the Spines editing team in corrections.
Distribution
Both BookBaby and Spines offer distribution packages with the biggest retailers, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Baker & Taylor, BAM and Ingram Group. While a full list of partners is available on BookBaby’s site, Spines boasts relationships with “over 100 channels” without a full list available on their site. During Spines’ beta mode stage of development, they are promising current customers free access to their centralized distribution management platform (where authors can self-manage royalties and choose distributors directly through Spines’ site,) but there are no details currently available as it is still in development. Based on current functionality and visibility alone, it would seem BookBaby offers a more understandable and predictable distribution package with an affordable monthly subscription fee. However, it might be worth becoming an early adopter of Spines’ while they are in beta mode, based on their penchant for deep discounting their newer services. Still, it remains to be seen exactly how Spines’ network will actually compare to BookBaby’s current partner list.
Timing
As with pricing, the addition of AI technology as an aid to production timing greatly reduces turnaround time for Spines’ customers. Even with pricier, more inclusive packages, Spines’ maintains an 8-12 day turnaround window, with Bookbaby’s editing, design and marketing services extending production turnaround into a several month-long process. The average process from manuscript to distribution is roughly 6 months, so if time efficiency is a big priority for you, Spines’ is the way to go.
Languages Supported
Currently, BookBaby has a huge advantage as a top competitor in the self-publishing industry, offering their own in-house translation services with over 59 available languages, as well as editing and proofreading services for books written in Spanish. Currently, Spines only offers services in English – a huge aspect of the publishing services Spines seeks to expand moving forward.
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All in all, there are some alluring advantages to publishing with Spines – namely, their pricing and timing comparisons to BookBaby – though with newer businesses, you have far fewer seller reviews to sort through to get a sense of what others’ experience with Spines has been like. As with any newer company, being one of their first customers can be an incredible way to build a life long business relationship, including having access to beta customer perks and discounts. The trade-in? A newer company like Spines has far less of a footprint to vouch for its credibility as a viable competitor. As Spines firmly establishes itself in the industry with proven results, it can surpass BookBaby as the leader in the next phase of AI technology-driven self-publishing.
