| > | | | | is going to edit your work and take out your |
| The Pros and Cons of Print-on-Demand Publishing | | | | personal style or omit sections you know |
| Read Online at | | | | to be important. Gom Publishing includes |
| Written 04/01/2004 | | | | copyediting with virtually all of their publishing plans, |
| When I was five years old, my parents bought | | | | which is something I did not find with most other |
| me a manual typewriter for a Christmas present. | | | | print-on-demand companies. |
| I practiced every day until I was able to type | | | | 2. Your book is available for sale within 90 days or |
| letters to my grandparents and other relatives. | | | | less if you assist with the design. Compared to |
| Although it is safe to say that I have been a | | | | the old time methods of publishing, even if |
| writer since 1963, I didn’t start making | | | | a publisher accepts your book, it normally is not |
| money from my writing until I started Graphico | | | | available for sale for almost a year or later. The |
| Publishing in 1988. | | | | whole world could change in that length of time |
| Back in those days, Adobe Acrobat Reader (PDF) | | | | and you would still have to wait a year or more |
| had never been thought of. In fact, the word | | | | before you got paid for your hard work. |
| internet was unknown to the majority of | | | | 3. You can make up to 50% for every book you |
| the general public. Therefore, I had only three | | | | sell. Compare this to a publisher who only pays |
| options available to me if I was going to sell my | | | | the writer an 8% to 10% commission. This |
| articles and books: | | | | means that you can set up a web page to sell |
| 1. Submit them to publishers, hoping they would | | | | your book, take orders and purchase the amount |
| be published someday; | | | | of books your need to fill the orders at a 50% |
| 2. Typeset my own books, print them on a | | | | discount from the print-on-demand publisher. Gom |
| copier and mail copies to customers ordering | | | | Publishing offers a 55% discount, which increases |
| directly from me (this also meant that I had to | | | | your profits even more. This option is not possible |
| market the books myself); or | | | | with standard publishers who purchase the |
| 3. Pay a printer to typeset and print my books, | | | | exclusive rights from a writer, thus not allowing |
| which meant I had to buy a minimum amount and | | | | the writer to sell their books on their own. |
| pay for them upfront (which could cost $10,000 | | | | 4. Print-on-demand publishers also build excellent |
| or more). | | | | marketing benefits into their basic prices. These |
| I chose to employ option Number 2. I figured that | | | | marketing benefits include: (a) assignment of an |
| I would not have to spend any money using that | | | | ISBN number; (b) ISBN bar code printed on book |
| option because as books were ordered, I could | | | | cover; (c) Library of Congress cataloging and |
| print them on my copy machine. Besides, my | | | | registration; and (d) automatic listing on the |
| books were not full-length paperbacks. They were | | | | world’s largest bookstores: Amazon, |
| 20-page booklets that I could print on letter-size | | | | Barnes and Noble, Waldenbooks and Borders. I |
| paper, fold in half and saddle stitch. Only until I | | | | found with Gom Publishing that they even have |
| started selling 100s of books would I invest into | | | | programs to distribute your book through third |
| purchasing a minimum amount from a printer. | | | | party distributors, sales reps, and even offer |
| Besides, the idea of not having to stock a product | | | | publicist services. All you have to do is help in the |
| was of great importance to me since I was living | | | | promotion by directing people to you book on |
| in a small one-bedroom apartment at the time. | | | | these websites. The credit card orders are |
| However, while choosing the Number 2 method | | | | processed for you, the books are shipped to your |
| above would save me a lot of money, I was | | | | customers and you receive a monthly commission |
| going to have to learn how to market and | | | | check. |
| typeset my books. Learning to typeset was | | | | Of course there are many more benefits to |
| pretty easy. I went to a printer’s supply | | | | print-on-demand publishing than the four I listed |
| store and picked up books showing me different | | | | above, but I am sure you can begin to see the |
| styles of fonts and I looked at every display | | | | benefits for yourself. However, even though |
| advertisement I could find. I purchased Roger | | | | print-on-demand publishing has many pros, |
| Parker’s Book, The Aldus Guide to | | | | there are some cons that you might want |
| Basic Design ( and was soon able to start | | | | to consider. One of those cons is how the |
| designing my own ads, using combinations of | | | | established publishing community views |
| examples I learned from the professional | | | | print-on-demand books. They view them as |
| designers. The entire learning experience was | | | | vanity publications and booksellers may be |
| great fun and I acquired a skill that I now use on | | | | reluctant to deal with them. Trade journals like |
| a daily basis. | | | | Publishers Weekly and Kirkus also do not like to |
| Learning to market though, took longer compared | | | | deal with print-on-demand published books and |
| to learning how to typeset. That is because there | | | | magazines and newspapers shy away from them |
| are so many variations to marketing. What works | | | | also. |
| for one person may not work for another. | | | | Why are publishers who are located in the |
| However, with the vast amount of technology | | | | high-traffic media biased against print-on-demand |
| available at your fingertips today, learning to | | | | publishing? Because they know the author had |
| market your products and services is as simple | | | | total control over the book and it did not go |
| as filling out forms and posting messages to | | | | through the standard editing process. So what? In |
| bulletin boards utilized by your target market. | | | | my opinion, the media makes a great deal of |
| Little did I realize at the time that the procedure I | | | | money from writers and since print-on-demand |
| utilized to sell my books by printing copies only | | | | technology does not provide them with this extra |
| when an order was received is the same thing as | | | | revenue print-on-demand publishing leaves a |
| print-on-demand publishing. The only difference is | | | | bad taste in their mouths. They tell their |
| that today, most of the marketing and | | | | employees that print-on-demand publishing is not |
| typesetting is included in the publishers price. Since | | | | professional behavior, when the truth of the |
| I already know how to typeset my books, the | | | | matter is that print-on-demand publishing is taking |
| publisher normally gives me a discount of $100 to | | | | money out of their pockets. The biggies |
| $150 for saving them time and expense. | | | | cannot reveal their true motive, so they do the |
| I was first introduced to print-on-demand | | | | human thing and create as much bad |
| publishing when I wrote my book, How to | | | | publicity for the print-on-demand industry that |
| Start, Operate and Market a Freelance Notary | | | | they can then use the leverage of other |
| Signing Agent Business available online at Not | | | | biggies like themselves to keep |
| knowing that print-on-demand publishing existed I | | | | everyone’s pockets padded with the |
| sent my manuscript to several publishers for | | | | green stuff. |
| acceptance. To my surprise, two publishers | | | | So unless you plan to write a book that you |
| accepted the book and one offered me an | | | | expect to be interviewed on BookTV or Larry |
| advance of $2,800. | | | | King Live about, I suggest you check out |
| At first I was elated. I called all my friends and | | | | print-on-demand publishing. Below are some |
| we all yelled and screamed together in | | | | print-on-demand publishers you may want to |
| excitement. The excitement was short lived when | | | | consider and compare prices: |
| I received an email from the publisher the next | | | | 1. Gom Publishing, |
| day with a list of demands they required before | | | | 2. Graphico Publishing, |
| my book could be published. One of the demands | | | | 3. Author House, |
| was the name of my book needed to be | | | | 4. BlitzPrint, |
| changed and secondly, I was not permitted to | | | | 5. Instant Publisher, |
| publish my testimonial to Jesus Christ in the back | | | | Or, go to any search engine and type in the |
| of the book. I immediately said no and | | | | search words print-on-demand publishing |
| began seeking other alternatives for publishing. | | | | and start shopping. I chose Gom Publishing to |
| To make a long story short, I found Gom | | | | publish my book. The total cost was less than |
| Publishing ( through my local Christian Blue Pages | | | | $600 and I made this money back almost |
| directory. It just so happened that their office | | | | immediately. |
| was located within 10 miles of my house. I called | | | | If are a first time writer or even published, you |
| them up, asked if I could come for a visit and | | | | need to check out the benefits for your work by |
| received a personal tour of their operation. It was | | | | utilizing print-on-demand publishing. At least you |
| a great learning experience and I was sold on the | | | | now have more options available to you and |
| idea of print-on-demand publishing. | | | | perhaps one day, writers will be less dependent |
| Here are just some of the advantages to a | | | | on publishers and can take the control over their |
| writer who uses print-on-demand publishing: | | | | own products. |
| 1. You have total control over your book. No one | | | | |