7 Questions to Ask Your POD Publisher

POD publishing can be tricky. Here are seven questions I would recommend to ask if you are considering printing your book with a print-on-demand publisher:

1) Will it cost you anything? POD publishers charge their authors much less than a traditional vanity publisher would, but they still charge. With so many different POD publishers out there, it is a good idea to compare their rates and find out what exactly is offered in the publishing package. You might be surprised to find similar services costing several hundred dollars less. There are even some free POD options.

2) Will you have to buy any copies of your book? One of the appeals of a POD publisher is that they do not require the author to purchase a considerable amount of their printed books. Since books are stored digitally and printed only when an order comes in, there is no need to print a bunch and force the author to buy some. So, while you should be able to buy your book from them any time you want with a good author's discount, the publisher should not have it as a requirement for you to purchase them.

3) Will your books have an ISBN and be available through major book distributors like Ingram and Spring Arbor? This is a must; do not even consider printing your book without these features, or it will be no different from a homemade scrapbook.

4) Will there be any proofreading / editing done and how much will it cost? Most POD publishers will print the book from the file you send them, making sure there are no typos is your job. Some publishers offer paid editing service.

5) Very important: Will the books be returnable? Many POD publishers do not accept book returns. This means that bookstores will not be able to return unsold copies - which is a deal-killer when you try to place your book into bookstores. Many bookstore managers think that any POD book is not returnable, so it will be a tough battle to begin with; therefore, making sure that your publisher does accept book returns and is willing to confirm it in writing is very important.

6) Will your books be reasonably priced? POD-published books are usually more expensive, and sometimes ridiculously expensive, which will make selling them even more difficult. One thing you can do is go to Amazon.com and see how much books by this publisher cost and whether they are comparable to other books of similar page count.

7) Will the publisher do marketing and promotion? What exactly are they going to do? Will they endeavor to get book reviews, place ads, organize book signings, etc.? If they just tell you that the book will be listed with Amazon.com and a couple of other online stores, that's nothing: you can do it yourself.

POD publishing is not necessarily a bad deal, despite the existing stigma, but you definitely need to know what you are doing.