Print on demand (POD) is a viable option, especially for a writer trying to promote his literary work to various agents and publishers in the book industry.  In addition, POD is useful if only a limited number of books are required to serve its intended purpose.  Other instances in which using a POD company makes sense is if an author has already been coveted by an agent and /or publisher and they were left unsatisfied by their options.  Notwithstanding, POD can be beneficial when promoting one’s material through marketing options such as book clubs, radio, and television.  Because POD is rapidly advancing in technology, it is creating new opportunities for writers who wish to see their work in print.  This unique combination of traditional and self publishing provides prospective authors a relatively affordable option to putting out their books to the general public.  Make no mistakes about it.  POD companies always make money while the vast majority of authors who use their services more often than not end up “in the red.”  Very often, POD companies are nothing more than carefully disguised “vanity presses” or “subsidy” companies that offer no type of editing services.  The ones that do often require significant editing fees.  After all, they have made their money back off of you with their assortment of option packages for you to choose from before you even make your first book sale!  As you can see, POD definitely has its strengths and weaknesses.

POD companies can be useful, especially when dealing with a targeted, niche market or certain non-fiction genre.  Because the print run on a POD is often very small, it is a key advantage if large sales are not a primary focus.  POD companies are also useful for authors who tour or speak at seminars and want to supplement their income with a steady cash flow.  Although royalty advances rarely exist in the POD world of publishing, you receive a higher net amount per book sold.  Of course, this also means you need to somehow find a way to market your work in order to compete with the large number of book titles that are on the shelf at your average major bookstore.  If you are a writer with the ability to tackle multiple roles, POD may be successful for you.  Keep in mind that not only will you be responsible for the complete handling of promoting and selling of your work, you will need to educate yourself to the book industry.  For example, become computer literate and internet savvy.  You will need to maintain ongoing contact with your local bookstores and develop a positive rapport with them because ultimately, they are your lifeline.  I say this because you will be unable to secure consignment with any established major chain stores that simply do not have the time or shelf space to take on a new author.  Most POD companies are able to manage to get at least a few copies of your books at major chain bookstore sites such as barnesandnoble.com and amazon.com.  Some authors envision using their POD experience as a steppingstone to getting signed by a conventional publisher or courted by a renowned agent.  Although this is a rare occurrence, it is a possibility.

The ability to explore this route, however enticing, can also lead to unexpected detours.  Before you go in this direction, you need to know as much as possible about a POD publishing company and whether it can be utilized to effectively fit your personalized needs.  First of all, the amount of money that you pay per book will be considerably more with a POD company than what you would expect to pay if you ventured into traditional self-publishing.  Expect to pay at the minimum, $5 per book ($6-$8 for a standard size paperback being closer to the industry average).  Notwithstanding, the larger number of words, or amount of pages printed, the more costly-per-book average.  If this has not caused you concern by now, then consider the fact that AT LEAST 10% of your POD book venture will go towards sending out complimentary promotional and review copies.

In the area of marketing and promotion, don’t expect much from POD companies.  Some may provide marginal marketing plans, but there will be a charge for those services.  Many do little more than provide the POD author with printed postcards, wallet sized business cards or 8×5 posters with the front cover of the book.  With proper research, you can utilize these same marketing strategies at a fraction of their price.  Even Vista Print offers quality business cards (as long as you allow for their logo to remain affixed on the back of the business card) for free.  All you pay for is the shipping and handling!  Although some of these promotional items may help stagnating sales, without proper follow up, those promotional attempts rarely generate responses.  A better suggestion would be to handle the grassroots approach to promotion yourself.  Get on the phone and tell all of your friends to go to their local library and reserve a copy of your book (make sure you donate a copy of your book to your local branch first…you may even get a favorable write up in your local paper!)  Secondly, tell everyone that orders your books to give a favorable review to the previously mentioned chain store websites in order to gain credibility and a fan following.  A third suggestion is to use every shortcut at your disposal.  If your POD is only giving you a smaller percentage on books sold through their own bookstore website, become creative.  Utilize your own email and instruct potential book buyers to contact you via email for book discounts (and for added incentive, tell them this way they can receive their copy personally autographed by you!)

An inferior quality is often a problem with using POD services.  Most POD companies don’t require any editing restrictions, so completed manuscripts filled with blatant errors are frequent.  Additionally, cover design is also often of inferior product and cannot compete with standard publishing.  If you plan on preparing a manuscript, make sure you read the fine print in the contract regarding editing.  An author is responsible for the final draft, so when the book is near its completion stage, hire a professional editor.  The money you pay now will save your reputation as a serious author at a later date!

A primary reason that authors go the self-publishing route is because they want to retain 100% of their work.  It is very important that a self publisher be able to print books within a set number of copies that are affordable and at the same time, getting the best possible price per copy.  Most POD companies will not allow an author to use their own designated ISBN number, thus ownership is ultimately lost.  The ISBN is a “blueprint” to finding a book in an ever-growing database that houses book titles.  So in other words, if a book club, cataloger, filmmaker, or distributor wants to pre-purchase your book, they will have to go through the channels of your POD company.  This often proves to be a dead end as POD’s are rarely equipped to offer the competing discounts as discounted transactions often require.  Secondly, independent bookstores, large book chains, and major wholesalers are cautious of housing POD books because of the inability to return unsold copies.  Another obstacle to take into account is the 40% discount off of the retail price.  Because POD companies charge a higher per book rate, authors are usually unable to offer these generous, but necessary discounts.  Think of it in terms of this: you pay anywhere from 60%-75% of the retail value of the book for review or purchase purposes.  Whenever a book is sold to a wholesale distributor or bookseller at the 40% required discount, you would take a loss on every book sold!

My first book, IT’S LIKE BUTTER, BABY was published via POD and it debuted in June of 2004.  To date, it has sold close to 2000 copies with only regional promotion (NY/NJ/CT).  With little more than a generic website from my POD company, I armed myself with the resources to learn the pros and cons of POD over conventional publishing.   Although I STRONGLY recommend dealing with a conventional publisher, it may not be too disheartening to delve into the murky waters of a POD company to attract attention to yourself.  Since my book’s release and positive reviews, I have been contacted by a number of regional publishing companies as well as the two largest distribution wholesalers in New York City.  My final verdict: shop around and sign a deal when you know instinctively that you are getting the “most for your buck” or an advance check that commensurate your book’s worth and writing talents.

David L. is the author of Over Your Dead Body, Chalk Outline Confessions, and coming soon, My Life Is A Movie.  He is also the publisher for Total Package Publications.  To contact David L., email him at: contacttpp@totalpackagepublications.com or visit his website at: www.totalpackagepublications.com.