An Inspired E-Museletter about Writing, Publishing and Creative Expression

Vol. 1 Issue 2
Published: Independence Eve, 3 July 2003

Welcome to Muse You Can Use! You are receiving this newsletter either because you subscribed to it or someone you know thought you'd find it a-musing. Please freely forward to your friends and colleagues. If you wish to be removed from this list, send an email to inspire@zoominternet.net with "unsubscribe" in the subject line.

In This Issue:
* Views from the Muse
* On-Demand Publishing: A Writer's Declaration of Independence?
* Get Inspired! POD Resources
* Questions about Writing and Publishing? Use the Muse
* Parting Words: Want Fries with That Novel?

Views from the Muse

So many of you responded to my premier muse-letter with inquiries about print-on-demand publishing, I've decided to devote this July 4 issue to it. After all, this digitized style of self-publishing has become a declaration of independence for many writers.

Perhaps you've submitted your work to traditional publishers and agents, to no avail. Maybe you're not looking to see your name on The New York Times best-seller list, but want to produce books, booklets or e-books as tools for your work. Or possibly you have a family history or recipe compilation---books that have little commercial value but would be invaluable to you. Then perhaps your project is ideal for on-demand publishing.

No doubt, book publishing for a fee is booming, according to John Feldcamp, president of Xlibiris, one of the country's most successful POD publishers. Xlibiris recently announced that it has paid out $1 million in royalties to the 9,000-plus writers who've used the service since it was founded in 1997. Read on to determine if POD suits your writing endeavors.

Should You Publish Using POD Technology?

"[Digital publishing] is making information not just accessible, but irrepressible."
                                    --Bill Kasdorf, editor of The Columbia Guide to Digital Publishing

I've been known to jest that traditional publishing is like communism: only the elite editors at the nation's six major publishing conglomerates get to choose what we, the buying public, will eventually read. As writers, we've been notoriously at the mercy of these same editors, hoping the fruits of our labors will become one of the 150,000 new titles published each year in the US. But now it's a brave new world in publishing; authors have more publishing options than ever before, thanks to the advent of digital technology.

What is Print-on-Demand?

Everything is digital these day, event print. The introduction of high-quality digital printers in the late ‘80s changed the economics of printing. Now, with POD technology being applied to trade book production, books can be demanded (ordered, requested or purchased) then printed and shipped one copy at a time.

Digital printing offers an alternative to traditional printing processes, which require the self-published author to outlay great expense for a print run. POD companies send many different titles to their printer at the same time. Content is different, but dimensions are the same; printing one book at a time suddenly becomes quick and economical.

Traditional presses can print books for as little as 50 cents per book when printing tens of thousands of copies. Set up costs are high, especially for as little as 200 copies. To print a digital book in single quantities costs between $4 -$10 per book (average cost is $6.50). The author pays a printing set-up fee, usually a one-time charge.

"Print-on-demand books are usually priced a little higher than comparable mass-produced books because of that $6.50 average printing cost," says Julie Duffy, author of 21st Century Publishing: An Author's Introduction to Print On Demand Book Publishing. "These books are also usually more profitable in the long run because of low investment costs and since no book is printed until a sale is guaranteed."

What's the downside of on-demand? Because POD books are not printed until ordered (and because most are non-returnable), they typically aren't carried in bookstores. They can, however, be ordered through both brick-and-mortar and on-line bookstores. POD vendors tend to do little editorial gatekeeping or preproduction editing (hire a freelance editor, hint, hint!). Many do little or no promotion of their titles. This makes it more important than ever that you, the author, play a paramount role in marketing your book (and possibly hire a PR consultant to help you, hint again!).

Final words of advice, should you go the POD route:
1) Research and compare various POD publishers (see list, below)
2) Thoroughly read the contract before signing. POD contracts are nonstandard and vary by company. If you don't understand the language, hire an attorney experienced in publishing law.
3) Negotiate to retain all rights to your material (after all, it is a self-published work).

POD Resources: Learn More About Self-Publishing and POD Technology

The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing by Tom and Marilyn Ross (Writer's Digest Books) shows writers how to control their careers through self-publishing.

The Self-Publishing Manual by Dan Poynter (Para Publishing) offers a step-by-step guide to setting up your own publishing company.

 Writing Success, a special interest publication published periodically is a survival guide for self- and e-publishers.

21st Century Publishing: An Author's Introduction to Print-On-Demand Book Publishing by Julie Duffy. The first truly independent guide to POD from an industry expert. www.booklocker.com/books/817.html.

Some POD Publishers:

Xlibris Corp. www.Xlibris.com (the only POD to produce full-color on interiors, important if you're a picture book writer)
First Books Library www.1stbooks.com
Booklocker www.booklocker.com
iUniverse.com www.iuniverse.com
Morris Publishing www.morrispublishing.com
Infinity Publishing www.infinitypublishing.com
Athenos Press www.athenospress.com
Protea Publishing www.proteapublishing.com
eNovel www.enovel.com
PublishAmerica www.publishamerica.com
Books In Demand www.booksindemand.com
First Publish www.firstpublish.com

 Use the Muse

Have a specific question about writing, publishing or the creative process? If so, email it to me at inspire@zoominternet.net and I'll do my best to answer it in an upcoming issue. Is there a particular topic that you'd like me to address? I'm open to all ideas for and feedback on this newsletter.

Parting Words

"We're in a transitional phase [in publishing]. Publishers are making fundamental changes in their workflows, and software developers are creating new tools and technologies. . . Soon, when we order a book or an article or whatever, we'll be asked, 'How do you want that—for your laptop, or your PDA, or your eBook reader, or do you want it in print, and if so, do you want us to ship it to you or do you want to print it yourself? Pick any or all of those options. And by the way, what rights do you want to buy'?"---Bill Kasdorf, editor of The Columbia Guide to Digital Publishing.

Happy 4th everyone! 

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