How to Become a Print on Demand Book Publisher

I became my own book publisher after figuring out how much those other publishing companies were charging the public to get a book published. By the time I paid for their markup, there was no way I could charge more for my books to make any royalties without charging a ridiculously high price.

People wonder how I can charge so little to publish their books and also keep the price per book low as well. It's easy; I am the only employee of my print on demand publishing company. The best part about it is that I can purchase my books for half the price many other publishing companies would charge me. My books are for sale online at Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com too.

How did I become my own print on demand book publisher? Well, first I looked at the box of books I ordered from the publisher of my first children's book. The box had Lightning Source printed on it. I then looked up Lightning Source on the internet. It turns out, to become a book publisher with them, one needs only to apply for a new account and come up with a company name. https://www.lightningsource.com/

Once the account for your book publishing company is set up, you must file a Fictitious Business Name Statement with the registrar in the city you're going to do business from. For Los Angeles I went to: http://www.lavote.net/clerk/FBN_Search.cfm and ran a fictitious name search first. When I discovered the name I wanted (Avid Readers Publishing Group) had not been taken, I printed an application and filled it out, paying the $23 fee that needed to accompany it.

Once you select a name for your book publishing company, you will need to find a local newspaper who will (for a small fee) print the name of your company, stating that you will be doing business in the area under your fictitious name. This is a formality and must be done within the first 30 days after filing your Fictitious Business Name Statement. There are many newspapers out there that you can find by a Google search that are more than willing to help you out in this area.

A final step to becoming a book publisher is obtaining a seller's permit from the Board of Equalization. You'll have to pay taxes on books you sell in your own state.

I have now published over 40 books, and there was a lot of learning along the way. The printing company requires certain standards to be met. If you're willing to learn, the printing company should work with you. My first book was the toughest. Each book after that became easier and easier to publish. It's a good idea to publish one of your own books first so if mistakes are made, it's on your book and not a customer's.

Software I purchased to become a print on demand book publisher includes Adobe Acrobat Professional, Adobe Indesign, and Adobe Photoshop. You can easily spend over $1,000 for this software so be sure it's something you want to do before making the leap. You'll have to learn how to use the software in order to format books and design covers for the books you publish.

Publishing books for other people can be a rewarding business, not just monetarily, but also emotionally. It is quite an awesome experience to hear the authors become so excited to see the finished product, their very first published book. The testimonials they write are also very nice as well.