Is Print on Demand Book Publishing Right for You?

Print on Demand publishing, or POD for short, has become a popular way to bridge the gap between large publishing mega-conglomerates and the aspiring author. However, publishing a book using this method is a sort of double-edged sword rife with challenges as well as victories. In this article, you'll learn about the promises and pitfalls of POD publishing and whether it's the right choice for you.

What Is Print On Demand Publishing?

In the traditional publishing process, the publisher performs a print run of tens or hundreds of thousands of books depending on anticipated demand. The Harry Potter craze is a good example of this; and more recently, the book-series-turned-movie Twilight. Print on demand essentially means that books are printed as orders come in rather than in huge print runs. Thus it is a more efficient and eco-friendly process.

What Are the Advantages of Print On Demand Publishing?

Have you looked on a traditional publisher's website and read how many books they publish per year? Typically they say something like, "We only publish 5 percent of manuscripts submitted." Not the greatest odds in the world! POD publishing offers significant advantages over traditional publishing houses:

1) Guaranteed Publishing. Every author knows firsthand how difficult it is to get published these days. Even if you have a great idea, even if there's a chance it may be marketable, sometimes it just doesn't fly for one reason or another. And then there's the ever-important profitability factor.

With 80 percent of book sales controlled by five publishing mega-conglomerates (News Corporation, Bertelsmann, Viacom, Verlagsgruppe Georg von Holtzbrinck, and Longman-Pearson), the focus is less on potentially good content and more on content tested and guaranteed to generate significant revenue. In other words, it's all about the money; and new authors are effectively shut out of the game unless they are already in the public eye or otherwise have direct connections to the publishing industry.

This is precisely where POD can assist you. For a one-time fee, you can get your book published, guaranteed.

2) No Agents and No Query/Synopsis/Manuscript Submission. Publishers vary in the way you approach them with a potential book idea. Most publishers will tell you they don't accept unsolicited manuscript submissions. Most will also say you need to hire an agent to represent you in delivering your manuscript to a publisher. If the publisher does allow you to contact them directly regarding a new book idea, typically they will ask you to write a query letter or synopsis and send it on to them with two completed chapters of your book.

With POD, you are in control. You don't need to be agented, and you don't need to submit mountains of paperwork to be published.

3) Fast Publishing. The traditional publishing process often takes anywhere between 1-1/2 to 2 years from submission to printing and distribution. If you are a new author and your book is timely, POD publishing may be a good option.

4) Book Pricing. With traditional publishing, when your book sales reach below a certain level the book goes out of print. This means no new copies of book are being printed, which is less royalties for you. POD publishing guarantees the book will never go out of print and will remain the same price in perpetuity.

5) Book Rights. You retain the copyright and all other rights to your book in a non-exclusive agreement with the POD publisher. This means the book and all its contents is yours in perpetuity and you can copy it, redistribute it, and repurpose it for any reason. And if Hollywood or a large publishing house wants to purchase the rights to your book, you're the one who approves it.

What Are the Downsides to POD Publishing?

Thus far we've seen that POD publishing offers new authors a chance to get published after spending years trying to get their manuscripts read by agents and big publishing houses. We've also seen that POD publishing is faster, easier, and your book pricing (thus royalties) never drops. While these are all valid positives of POD publishing, there are some significant challenges you need to be aware of:

1) Bookstores. Getting your book into bookstores is a major problem with POD publishing. While traditional publishers have the connections and the know-how to get your book on store shelves, bookstores make it very difficult and time consuming for you do it yourself. Furthermore, they want to reserve shelf space for books that will sell and make them money, not untested books by new authors.

2) Book Returnability. If your book is not returnable, bookstores won't want to put it on the shelf. Returnable means the bookstore can return unsold copies back to the publisher for a credit.

This gets tricky. If your POD book is distributed by Ingram and you approach Barnes & Noble to put it on the shelf, they won't accept that because it is non-returnable. A few POD publishers will offer returnability to you for a fee which can run in the thousands of dollars for three months or less.

3) Book Signings and Marketing. Traditional publishers have a marketing staff for a reason. They have the insider connections and the resources to create the pre-release buzz about your book, keep the buzz going after it hits the shelves, and the know-how to distribute your book online, in bookstores, at book fairs, and other venues. They distribute press releases; schedule book signings and media interviews; budget; and implement the entire marketing plan accordingly.

With POD, it's all on you. The money, the time spend contacting bookstores and getting the word out, finding venues to market your book, contacting the media, and creating that ever-important buzz is your duty, not the publisher's. Can one person do it alone? Perhaps, but you need to be energetic, savvy, extremely persistent, and willing to burn the midnight oil.

4) Book Editing and Layout. You are responsible for editing your book, or you can hire someone to do it for you. Some POD publishers have you lay out your book as well using Microsoft Word or other word processing program. They have specific guidelines as to the file formats and document settings.

5) POD Fees. Generally you pay an up-front fee to publish your POD book, somewhere in the range of $400-$2000 depending on options and features you choose. Your goal is to break even over time when you start receiving royalties.

6) No Big Print Run Means Fewer Sales. Traditional publishers print thousands of copies of a book at once for a reason; they anticipate that number of books being sold, which means increased royalties for you. When you don't have that initial push, your royalties trickle in and you may begin to wonder why you aren't making as much money on your book as you anticipated.

7) The Internet. Just because the POD publisher promises your book will be available worldwide via Amazon.com and other websites, don't expect much. You still have to market your book and direct people to it. Furthermore, POD publishers heavily discount sales of your book to Amazon.com, thus you won't get as much in royalties.

Is POD Publishing Right for You?

The key to understanding POD publishing is this. You won't get rich by any means. You may not make much at all. But you accomplished your dream of writing a book, and you can't beat the feeling of opening up the box from the publisher and holding your book in your hand for the very first time. And with enough hard work and dedication, you can get a book signing or two and a little notoriety; or better yet, your book may be picked up by a major publisher.

Though POD publishing certainly has its challenges, it remains a great way for aspiring authors to see their dreams come true in print while gaining more recognition in the marketplace.