It is important to be realistic: there is nothing more soul destroying than having boxes full of books simply sitting around because you are unable to sell them. Think carefully about the potential audience for your book and where they are based; are there many people that would buy your book locally?

Also think about how potential buyers will hear about your book and the amount of time you have available to promote it. Once you have done some homework and thought through these questions you will have a much better idea of how many books you will need.

Proprint advises that it is best to have between 200 and 400 books printed initially; you can always have a reprint done if sales go really well.