FAQs

How much will it cost to print my book?

See Print & Sell Calculator or Contact Us.

How much will I make selling my book?

See Print & Sell Calculator.

Who sets the selling price for my book?

You set the list price for your book–which is the selling price–with the caveat that we require minimum list prices depending on the format of the book.

How do I set the selling price for my book?

When you give us the OK to print after reviewing proofs, you'll be able to log in and add all the sales information about your book, including selling price. The price setter has a built-in calculator to project your profit at different prices.

How do I enter sales information about my book?

When you give us the OK to print after reviewing proofs, you'll be able to log in and add all the sales information about your book: description, contributors, selling price, etc. 

Does Artmobile provide an ISBN for my book?

Artmobile provides a free ISBN for each book in the Artmobile program. These ISBNs cannot be re-used for other books or to distribute the book through other means because they have Artmobile's publisher code embedded in them.

Who is the Publisher of my book?

You are the publisher of your books. When we refer to "publisher payments" and "publisher fees" we are referring to payments we make to you and fees we charge you, respectively. (See all Artmobile Payments and Fees. Further, you own the rights to your book or books. That said, the ISBN we provide for your book identifies Artmobile as the publisher in order to facilitate sales processes.

How do I get paid when Artmobile sells my book?

Artmobile operates on a monthly cycle, providing a statement of sales and fees for each title each month. For sales made on Artmobile.com, we recognize the sale in the month it occurs. For sales made on Amazon, sometimes payments to us, and thus to you, are delayed a month or so. After the end of each month create a title statement, which lists all sales income, any charges for dropshipments you ordered, title administration fees, and storage fees if any. The end of month balance is the sum of these revenue and fee items. If the balance is positive we pay you, if it is negative you pay us. Currently we make payments to you by check, or via Transferwise if you are outside the U.S. All payments are calculated in U.S. dollars, but Transferwise will convert to your local currency.

How does Artmobile make money?

Artmobile takes a share of sales made on artmobile.com, and a share of sales made through our Amazon seller account. It also charges warehouse fees for storage, administration and dropshipping. See all Artmobile Payments and Fees.

Will my book be in bookstores?

At this time we are focused on selling online only through Artmobile.com and on our Amazon Seller account. Selling through other channels takes a much larger share of profit from you, to the point where you can actually lose money with each sale. That said, we are keen supporters of independent bookstores and would ultimately like to create an arrangement to support them.

Do I have to sell my book on Amazon?

When you set up your title in our system you will have the option to sell on Amazon: it is not required.

What is the relationship between Bookmobile and Artmobile?

Artmobile is owned by Bookmobile, and utilizes Bookmobile's warehouse services. Bookmobile's printing plant and warehouse are adjacent within the same building in Minneapolis. Bookmobile's warehouse services have operated since 2005 as Itasca Books.

What is the relationship between Artmobile and Itasca Books?

Itasca Books is the wholly-owned distribution arm of Bookmobile. Itasca Books provides warehousing and fulfillment services for Artmobile. It is located in the same building as Bookmobile, which is why there are no shipping charges from Bookmobile to the warehouse for Artmobile titles.

Will you sell books printed somewhere other than Bookmobile on Artmobile?

Because of the unique cost synergies between our adjacent printing plant and warehouse, we sell only Bookmobile-printed books on Artmobile.

Does Artmobile collect sales tax on sales of my book?

Yes, Artmobile automatically collects sales tax when required for sales made on Artmobile.com and remits it to the proper taxing authority. Amazon does the same for sales it makes. You do not have to collect sales tax separately for sales made through Artmobile or Amazon.

Why does Artmobile charge sales tax on the printing for my book?

Artmobile automatically calculates sales tax on the printing for Artmobile titles unless we have a completed State of Minnesota form ST-3 from you, as required by Minnesota law. Your Customer Service Representative can provide you with the ST-3 form to fill out.

Why does Artmobile require me to provide a W9 or W8 tax form?

Artmobile will pay you for sales of your book. Artmobile must report those payments to you as income on a 1099 form at the end of the year for you to use in filing your taxes, and at the same time report the income to the IRS. We need the W9 filled out in order to track payments to you and report them on the 1099. We must have the W9 from you before we make any payments. (The W8 is for publishers outside the U.S. using Artmobile.) The W9, W8, and 1099 forms have nothing to do with sales tax.

How do I take my book out of the Artmobile program?

You can request remove your book from the Artmobile program at any time. The removal will take place at the end of the month in which you give us notice. If you have copies of your book remaining in our warehouse you can leave them there for dropshipping purposes or have them shipped to an address you specify, for which you will be charged our normal dropshipping fees. Be aware that the Artmobile ISBN barcode cannot be used to sell the book through other means and you'll have to obtain a new ISBN and barcode stickers to apply.

How do I order books for myself (as the publisher)? 

You can place an order for your books to be shipped to you in Stacks.