Your Self-Publishing Options with POD (Print-on-Demand) Printers and Publishers

February 2010 Update:

Everything in the self-publishing industry changed in April 2008 when Amazon.com announced that, in order for self-published authors to sell POD and regularly-printed books on its site, independent authors and publishers had to print their books using Amazon's BookSurge service. But Amazon's attempt to monopolize the entire POD industry failed when Booklocker issued a class action antitrust lawsuit against Amazon in July, 2008 and WON that lawsuit in January 2010. Amazon then "retired" the BookSurge name and POD service and agreed to pay $300,000 in attorney's fees. Read details here.

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Recommended Books on Amazon

POD for Profit: More on the NEW Business of Self Publishing, or How to Publish Your Books With Online Book Marketing and Print on Demand by Lightning Source by Aaron Shepard (2010)

Aiming at Amazon: The NEW Business of Self Publishing, or How to Publish Your Books with Print on Demand and Online Book Marketing on Amazon.com by Aaron Shepard 2007

Perfect Pages: Self Publishing with Microsoft Word--Tips on Book Design, Page Layout, and Typesetting for Desktop Publishing and Print on Demand by Aaron Shepard (2006)

Dan Poynter's Self-Publishing Manual--How to Write, Print and Sell Your Own Book (16th ed., 2007)

Dan Poynter's Self-Publishing Manual, Volume 2: How to Write, Print and Sell Your Own Book (2009)

Creative Self-Publishing in the World Marketplace by Marshall Chamberlain (2004)

Print-on-Demand Book Publishing--A New Approach To Printing and Marketing Books for Publishers and Self-Publishing Authors by Morris Rosenthal (2004)

The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing: Everything You Need to Know to Write, Publish, Promote, and Sell Your Own Book by Tom & Marilyn Ross (4th ed., 2004)

Self-Publishing Fiction--From Manuscript to Bookstore and Beyond by Gavin Sinclair 2005)

Complete Idiot's Guide to Self-Publishing by Jennifer Basye Sander (2005)

Your Self-Publishing Options with
POD (Print-on-Demand)
Printers and Publishers

by Barbara Brabec

The climate for self-publishing has never been better than it is right now, and the number of companies on the Web that offer services to authors who want to self-publish is absolutely amazing. But these POD publishers are a different breed from the trade book publishers discussed in my article, Selling Your Book to a Trade Publisher, and you need to understand that difference.

I published three of my books in the 1980s and 1990s and sold several thousand copies of each book by mail, making a tidy profit in the process. I actually produced one of those books with nothing more than sheer determination and an IBM Selectric typewriter (how I loved those interchangeable balls!), but my readers didn't care because the content was solid and the books were attractively laid out and easy to read. This was in the days when boards had to be pasted up and sent to the printer for "shooting." Now, everything about the publishing industry has changed, and today's publishers and printers want books designed and delivered electronically.

If you have tried to get the attention of a trade publisher and been rejected, or if you simply prefer the idea of self-publishing so you can be in complete control of your book from start to finish—and you're prepared to learn how to market and sell the book you plan to publish—then I urge you to give serious consideration to self-publishing. Since countless books have been written on this topic, this article is merely designed to give you an encouraging overview of your self-publishing opportunities with links to helpful books and resources on the Web where you will find a wealth of more detailed information about both eBook and print-on-demand (POD) publishing.

Skills Needed for Success

Although many writers have the computer software to do the design and layout of their own books, not all of them have the skills needed to do a professional job. For example, no writer, however capable, should publish either an eBook or a paperback until it has been professionally edited. It is simply impossible for any writer to see all of his or her own writing errors. (See my Editing Checklist for the kind of errors writers commonly make.)

Each book publisher or POD printer has its own specifications and requirements for how book pages must be designed and submitted for printing, but not all authors follow them carefully enough or have the technical skills to do what is required. As a representative for Wheatmark, Inc. pointed out to me, there is always something significantly wrong with most "camera-ready" books they receive from new authors. "There are errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation," she said. "Or the author-turned-layout-artist has left floating headers on blank pages. Or the margins are much too tight. Or the images are too low-resolution for print. If we published one of these books 'as is,' the book would look amateurish and no one would buy it."

Without question, most authors will need help with cover design, as well as the interior design of the book itself (selection of typefaces, layout, graphic illustrations in the text, and so on). Granted, many of the publishers on the Web who are serving the self-publishing industry offer editing and cover design services, but their cover designs are often based on standard templates (nothing very creative here), and the editing may amount to nothing more than simple copy editing when, in fact, a book manuscript may need content editing as well. If you need help in this area, see my very affordable and comprehensive editing services here.

Printers vs. Publishers

Something that may not at first be apparent to publishing beginners is that there is a big difference between a POD printer and a publisher that can help a print-on-demand author get a book professionally published and into the online marketplace. Many companies on the Web now offer complete publishing packages to authors that need help with editing, typesetting, and cover design, but these packages can get very pricey.

For authors who want the most control over their book and have the skills necessary to handle their own editing and design work (and then create PDF files of both the book and its cover), working with a POD printer is the best way to go. The first choice of self-publishing pros has long been Lightning Source, not only because it offers superior printing and customer support, but because of its marketing tie-in to Ingram, the world's largest wholesaler of books. That tie-in puts an author's book directly into bookstore databases and also makes it possible for libraries to order the book from Ingram, too. LightningSource doesn't offer hand-holding services, however. They don't work with "authors," but only "publishers," and as the author-publisher, you will be expected to study their how-to guidelines and send them properly formatted PDF documents for the book's text and cover. Having recently published my first POD book through LighningSource, I can highly recommend going this route. The quality of my book is every bit as good as any of the books published by my trade publishers.

If you lack skills, the right software, and money, give Lulu.com look. I've heard a lot of good things about Lulu, and the video to which I've linked above is quite impressive. I have in my library Chris Irwin's book published on Lulu, and he said this was a perfect publishing solution for him. Many kinds of products can be designed and published here with no upfront costs. Authors have complete control of the publishing process, set their own retail prices, and receive 80 percent of the revenue from sales. One of my clients wrote this detailed article about his experience with Lulu that will give you great perspective on how they operate. The only problem I have with Lulu is that, when there is a question or problem, one has to go into a forum to get an answer.

Other Web Resources

You could spend days on Google, searching for information on topics related to self-publishing and eBooks. In fact, a search for such keywords as "ebook publishing" or "POD publishing" will turn up a few million pages. On many of these pages you'll find articles by authors who have enjoyed success in both areas of self-publication. On some pages that discuss POD publishing, you'll learn more about the different types of POD publishers and fee-based service providers as well as the negative aspects of POD publishing (the "POD stigma"). Although you will find some negative aspects about eBook publishing as well, remember that both of these publishing methods have proven viable and affordable for many self-publishers. The key is to educate yourself to all available options, heed the advice of self-publishing experts on the Web and in books you may read, and carefully compare all the costs, pros and cons of each publisher or publishing method that looks promising to you.

In addition to the technical book production guidelines available on each the websites of POD printers and publishers, you'll also find a wealth of free information on the Web from self-publishing gurus such as Dan Poynter, one of the best known and most successful self-publishers in the country. His ParaPublishing website and free bimonthly Publishing Poynter's Newsletter are absolutely filled with a wealth of information that will prove invaluable to writers and self-publishers. I might add that it was Dan Poynter's Self-Publishing Manual that got me started as a publisher back in the seventies, and I have continued to rely on his professional guidance through the years.

Also visit John Kremer's Bookmarket.com site, which features his books, reports, and consulting services, along with a wealth of information and resource lists in his "Personal Filing Cabinet" department. He also offers a free TIPS ezine. See left for recommended books on Amazon. (Aaron Shepard's books, Perfect Pages and Aiming for Amazon was absolutely invaluable to me in my first POD publishing experience. The first book enabled me to publish a beautifully designed book using MS Word; the other helped me set up a beautiful product page on Amazon.

Researching Individual Companies

If you elect to work with a POD publisher, as opposed to just a printer, you'll need to do a lot of research. Once you find a few companies that you think look right for you, do a spreadsheet that lists their basic "package" charge (if there is one), plus what they are charging for all the "extras" (such as editing, cover design, etc.), whether they pay royalties, offer marketing support, or merely print and ship books and "split" the profits with the author-publisher. To get started, check this "Incomplete Guide to Print on Demand Publishers." Just make sure that the company you decide to work with does not demand exclusive rights to publish and distribute your book. Finally, make sure you understand all the fine print in its publishing contract before you agree to its terms. (And before you hire one of these editors to edit your book, compare their minimal editing services and cost to my affordable and very comprehensive editing services.)

Unfortunately, the self-publishing explosion has given birth to dozens of POD publishers, some of whom have racked up a lot of complaints from dissatisfied authors. Some have renamed themselves as a result, and continue to operate the same old way while others have simply gone out of business, leaving authors in the lurch. (Read this article by Angela Hoy for insight on what happens to authors when a POD publisher goes out of business.) A search on Google for "POD publisher complaints" will also turn up some very interesting pages.

Your list of prospective POD publishers should include BookLocker, of course. This is not a POD printer, but a company whose stated goal is to "get a quality book into the market, with the lowest initial investment for an author, and usually within a month." You might begin by reading BookLocker's Guide to POD and eBook Publishing, and then check out its print-on-demand "deal evaluator" to see how BookLocker's cost for a book compares to what other POD printers may be offering.

This is an important figure if you plan to buy copies for sale by mail or in workshops or other speaking engagements. If you think it likely that you can sell many books this way, you might want to publish electronically just to get on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, or in bookstore and library databases, and then work with a regular offset book printer who can do a short run of 500 to 1,000 books.

Also take a look at Amazon's POD services on CreateSpace.com. There are no upfront costs here, but the author pays a reasonable fee when sales are made. Charles Sun, an author who has published a children's book here, said he liked the fact that he was not obligated to distribute his book via any specific channel, but thought that many authors would find it difficult to publish here because CreateSpace does not provide any free tools, and authors need some commercial software tools to create the needed PDF files and cover art. (He designed his cover with MS Publisher, and used Adobe Acrobat to convert files to PDF.)

A Cautionary Note about Vanity Presses
(Also Known as Subsidy Publishers)

Vanity publishers feed on people's egos and wallets, often charging outrageous fees to get a book into print. Tom and Marilyn Ross explain in their Complete Guide to Self-Publishing (see left) how easy it is to be taken in by one of these publishers. "The advertising copywriters hired by subsidy publishers are the best in the business," they say, adding that they could "charm the lard off a hog." Further, the Rosses point out that, in most cases, after paying thousands of dollars to print your book, you won't even own it. Instead, you'll get a "royalty" on any book that happens to be sold, and if you want copies for yourself, you'll have to buy them. The really bad news is that no one wants to buy books published by a vanity press, so if you want to sell many books and make a good profit, look for another way to get into print.

If you really want to get the scoop on Vanity/Subsidy publishers, just Google the words "vanity subsidy publishing" to turn up 300,000 Web pages on the topic.

Related Article: Selling Your Book to a Trade Publisher

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