Amazon would only stock 2 copies initially and then order them from you, via your wholesale distributor - oyu'll need to negotiate with one, and they usually ask for a 40% discount on the retail price and you are responsible for postage, so you'll need to factor them into the cover price.
Amazon won't deal directly with you or your printer.

Schools are reasonably used to dealing with publishers, though.

My children's school does IB, and it is growing. I was extremely impressed with the curriculum, though in the event neither of mine are doing it.

One of the UK public schools now don't do A Levels at all, and another, I gather, is about to dump them. As the dissatisfaction with A Levels grows in the UK, I would imagine the market is only going to grow.

Emma

Sevenoaks school was one of the first to dump the A level, and saw their place in the ratings rise to first almost overnight. It's a big step to take, as we are having to totally overhaul our curriculum, but it should be worth it.

It is much less inclusive than A Levels - being so ruthlessly pre-University - and very prescriptive in some ways, and less so in others. There is a big state comprehensive which does it, but it's never going to take over the maintained sector, as far as I can see, for that reason. And yes, the costs for the school are significant, because it's much more teaching time, I gather.

But for my dyslexic/dyscalculic son having to do maths and a second language made IB a non-starter. And for me, having no pre-19th century history made it the same. (But the damn school therefore doesn't teach any pre-19th century history for A Level either, as a result, and not much pre-20th. Grrrrrr.)

Emma

DJC, do you teach at Sevenoaks? It is my old school!...

<Added>

Sorry, just read back and saw you were just drawing a parallel!

(I was there when they did half IB and half A Levels, by the way, and chose the latter option because I couldn't face doing maths and science... but perhaps it would have been mind-broadening - ahem.)

I would definitely approach academic publishers such as Palgrave Macmillan, as Karris suggested, before considering the self-publishing route - it sounds like there is a market for it, and you clearly have the experience/qualifications and so you'd have a good chance of getting it picked up, so why go through al the hassle of having to market/sell it yourself? Also, an academic publisher will give it an authority that I think is important - as a parent or a student I can't see myself being keen to buy a self-published textbook, tbh.

How about the school textbook publishers - Longman, perhaps? WAAYB would list them.

Also, you could have a look at who publishes other IB syllabus textbooks - they'd be my first thought for who to pitch it to, because they'll understand the market. And, as Jess says, in that market the publisher's imprimateur, I should imagine, is quite important.

Emma

Hi guys,

I just wanted to give you an update and thank you for your advice as it really paid off.

I simultaneously contacted the IBO and OUP and after a few email it looks like we are very close to a deal

OUP want a study guide, I don't want to say too much in case it all falls through but basically I would co-write it from some of the IBO people I contacted. That means I won't write the whole thing on my own, which is ideal for a first time, and that the book will get the full backing of the IBO, adding their distribution channels to the excellent OUP ones. Miles better than the self-publishing route I was considering!

I'll keep you posted when it's all a bit firmer!

Nancy

<Added>

By the way I teach both the Alevel and the IB and I agree that the IB is not for everyone. However, I do prefer the IB for many reasons, and find it much less prescriptive, at least in Philosophy.

Brilliant news! Well done.

Brilliant news! Well done. Hope everything goes smoothly.

Emma