At one of Dave’s favorite restaurants, he carefully looks over the chef’s featured dishes on the menu—the new side dish, an appetizer he hasn’t tried, the tempting entree—finally putting together exactly the meal he wants to eat. At another favorite eatery on a recent date, Dave told the waiter, “feed us.” His date was impressed. [...]

I have been publishing this newsletter for over five years and have written on many different subjects effecting self-publishers. I tend to downplay my main role in this industry because I don’t want everything to look like an advertisement, which is probably one of the main reasons our monthly circulation is up over 40,000 subscribers. Maybe sometimes I down play it too much. In answer to your question… a definite YES.

As I have written numerous times in the past, printing is not an exact process. Technology has certainly helped but there are still ample opportunities for mistakes to be made on each side. How mistakes and problems are handled are not only the difference between a good printer and a bad printer but a good print buyer and a bad print buyer as well.

I recently moderated a discussion at PMA University on this subject. Since printing is probably the largest single expense a small publisher faces I thought I would share it with you here today.

This is probably the number one question I get from the first time publisher. There is no easy answer, although the answer is certainly not none, as espoused by the POD publishing industry. If you are publishing a book, you need books, period. It’s just a matter of how many.

Finding a printer is easy. Finding a cost effective Book Printer who wants to deal with the small publisher is a bit harder. Most printers can print books. Few printers are book printers. Few book printers want to work with the first time publisher. But there is hope.

Yes! Unfortunately this is an Encore presentation of an article I originally wrote for the July 2004 newsletter. Different date, same story.