Behind the Print-On-Demand Stigma

Print on demand is a not-so-new but slowly gaining acceptance term for the process that turns a digital copy of writing into a complete book - printed and bound in a matter of minutes. It makes producing one or two books at a time possible, instead of having to go through a large print run of several thousand books.

The Print-On-Demand (or POD) publishing model has a lot of uses. Self-publishers can access the publishing arena with low startup costs, and both commercial and academic publishers can utilize it as a way of printing advance reading copies or to keep backlist books available.

Despite its obvious advantages, there has evolved with POD a stigma surrounding the publishers who utilize it.

What is a POD Publisher?

One of the first things I like to point out to people happily spouting criticism against POD publishers is that the term isn't a business model - it's a printing technology. The term refers to the fact that copies of books are printed as they're ordered, rather than in the hopes of being purchased.

Over the years, though, publishers that use the technology have taken on a certain "definition" themselves.

Please be aware that as we define a POD publisher, we're talking about the business that produces the books. We're not talking about the writers who submit to them, or are published by them. There is a fine line of classification between POD Publisher and Self-Publisher, but this is where it lies: POD Publishers are the businesses that print and ship books once they're ordered, usually hosting an entire "catalog" of titles available through their printing services. Self-Publishers are the people who have written and often designed every aspect of the book a POD Publisher prints out.

The POD Stigma

Let's be perfectly realistic here, and admit that there are good reasons why some stigmas exist. They are formulated from the consistent experiences and observations of a large group of people. We're not talking some sort of urban legend here ... there are reasons that a stigma surrounds POD publishers.

Speaking in generalities, these are the things you're most likely to hear feeding into the stigma:

Little Editing & Selectivity - This tops the list, simply because it has so often proved to be a problem. There are hundreds of POD publishers out there. Some will publish anything that is submitted to them, without ever opening the book to see what they're printing. This means that they aren't screening to ensure quality, and they aren't editing anything. You can find a few exceptions to this stigma rule, but often those who do screen work or perform light copyediting employ inexperienced people who have little impact.

High Prices & Small Discounts - We all learn early on that things cost less when they're purchased in quantity. In the POD publishing world, this "rule" doesn't apply. It can't. The cost of a single book is higher when printing it alone than it would be to print several thousand in a run. This makes the cost of a POD published book up to (and sometimes more than) twice the amount of a traditionally published one. In turn, the discounts offered on larger groups of books is less. Where book stores can expect discounts on their book orders of 40% or more, they won't receive a discount nearly that high from a POD publisher.

Marketing & Distribution - With the cost of printing a book so high, a POD publisher doesn't want to cut back their profits even further by promoting the books they're printing. Some exceptions exist, and nearly all POD publishers make sure that their titles are available in an online catolog ... but they do little to no advertising. Those who do will charge large fees that really do little more for the author than obtain an ISBN and make the book available in a couple more online catalogs. It's up to the author who usually doesn't have the first clue about promoting their work to obtain reviews and bookstore placements.

Standards & Practices - For the book lover, which most book sellers are, there is nothing worse than receiving a book that has terrible formatting or an absolutely horrible cover. Well, nothing worse unless you count the fact that most POD publishers will accept returns. These stigma rules combine to make any seller wary - making it harder for the author using a POD publishers' services to get sales.

Breaking the POD Stigma

If you as an author are ever asked to sign a contract with a POD publisher, you'll really want to take some time to think over your options. Marketing these books is more difficult than any other form of writing, and getting placement in book stores or other venues that might sell your books for you can be a nightmare.

There are plenty of reasons to go ahead, though. A growing number of indie publishers rely on digital technology, and rigorously screen their submissions, professionally edit and design their books, and do serious marketing. For the self-publisher of books that have a loyal base willing to take a chance -- pattern writers, artists, etc. -- a standard POD publisher that charges no upfront fees can be perfect to start out with, giving you a chance to focus on your own marketing.

In order to break through the POD stigma, you'll need to take your time evaluating the publishers eager to work with you. Here are the things you'll want to consider:

Fees and Advances - You should never, ever have to pay an upfront fee. Any publisher claiming to be POD that asks for a fee is actually a vanity press. True POD publishers don't charge you a "setup" fee, pre-purchase or pre-sell your books, pay for editing, or sponsor your marketing campaign. You shouldn't have to pay to have the publisher hire a cover designer. In other words, if you're asked to pay anything to a publisher (aside from the commission for book sales, which should be taken from the sales price when a book is actually sold), walk away.

Advances aren't typically offered by POD publishers, especially the indies. If you're offered a few hundred dollars' advance, you can rest assured that you're working with a professional - but don't rely on it. Some of the best publishers are indies that can't afford to pay an advance, and some of the worst publishers are happy to offer one-or-two digit advances to keep up appearances.

Quality - Look through the catalog of a POD publisher and see what kind of selection is being offered. Based on the website alone, would you normally consider ordering anything from this company? If you can honestly answer yes, then go ahead and order one or two books from their catalog. When the books arrive, take time to study every aspect of your purchase. The cover should be attractive in both design and function, the inside content should look nice, and you'll want to see how many errors you can easily find in the writing. A professional operation won't be sending out books that are filled with typos and errors.

Pricing & Returns - We know that we can expect a POD book to cost more than a traditionally printed one. However, you should take a good look at prices anyways; if their selection of trade paperbacks are running $30, can you reasonably expect any orders? Professional POD publishers will do their very best to keep the prices comparable to traditionally printed books. If the prices you're seeing are more than about $10 higher than you would pay for the same size book in a bookstore, you'll probably want to keep looking.

On the same note, you'll want to be absolutely sure that the publisher accepts returns, and that their return policy isn't so restricted that booksellers will roll their eyes and purchase from someone else.

Breaking through the stigma of POD publishing might be too much for some authors - and it's fine if you're one of them. Your writing is worth reading, so make sure you get it in a format that you can be proud of.