Rapidly advancing prnt-on-demand(POD) technology is creating waves in the publishing industry. This innovative method of self-publishing opens the door for writers a simple and affordable way to publish their own books. The prospect of getting your book into print and selling it is indeed exciting. But before you venture into this, you need to understand everything about POD publishing and whether it suits your needs.
It is said that POD is a technology, employed in different ways by different publishers to achieve certain set goals.
POD is a particular method of laying ink to paper that facilitates words and graphics being printed with amazing speed. POD eliminates the cumbersome and costly setup of traditional offset printing. As we all know, deploying traditional methods, the cost of printing a small number of books is astronomical. Once POD facility is set up, it gives printers cost-efficient method of producing one book at a time.
In the traditional method, there is an author-publisher relationship whereby a publisher contracts with an author to print and sell his books. The author is usually paid an advance against sales and once the advance is earned back, a royalty. The publisher bears the cost of printing and marketing the book.
In the event of a writer self-publishes, he is responsible for the entire project from beginning to end, and bears all the costs. To make the printing cost-effective, the writer usually must print several hundred copies. He should assume responsibility for distributing, selling and promoting the book.
Now, let us see how a POD method is different. With the POD method, you deliver a printer-ready manuscript file to the publisher. It is transformed into digitized computer language and entered into a bank of specialized computers from which printing is initiated. Both cover and pages are printed at a lightning speed of approximately 764 pages per minute. Before you wink your eyes, a hardback or paperback book emerges, ready to be shipped.
Once the facility is set up, your book is printed "on demand," or when someone orders it. If you want copies of the book yourself, you have to pay for them, but you receive a royalty on all copies bought by others.
POD companies do offer authors marketing plans provided the authors pay for them. These plans include providing the author with printed postcards, fax press releases to some select media and bookstores. But it must be noted that without proper follow-up, these steps hardly generate favorable responses.
For several types of nonfiction, POD publishing can be a good choice. It can be an ideal option for the self-publisher who is able to devote time and money to marketing his book. Again, a nonfiction writer with a niche market he knows how to reach, or someone who tours and speaks extensively and can sell his own books, POD is the right answer.
With POD, marketing is certainly an area of concern. Although all books need to be aggressively marketed, extra efforts are required for POD-produced books - because bookstores seldom stock them and are even reluctant to sign contracts with their authors.
Let's say you decide that the POD method can meet your goals. Then prepare a POD manuscript yourself and find out the exact requirements. Insist on detailed instructions about how to set up the pages and make corrections. If what's required is beyond your capabilities, hire a professional editor. Remember, you are responsible for the final copy, so when the proof is ready, minutely check and rectify the mistakes.