How to Self-Publish Using Print on Demand
By Lee Benz
The introduction of Print on Demand publishing sparked a bit of a revolution in the
publishing industry. Writers no longer need to be at the mercy of editors and publishing
houses, earning only tiny portions of the sales their hard work actually generates.
What is Print on Demand?
Print on demand is not a publishing style. Rather it's a form of technology that allows
the printer to create limited runs of a book that you've created.
Print on Demand simply means that the printer creates only as many copies of your book
as you've ordered. Computer technology effectively replaced the old type-setting blocks
that used to be the standard in publishing so that writers are now able to take control of
their own publication careers.
Before the advent of Print on Demand (POD), writers who wanted to self-publish had to
pay for large print-runs of books that they would often need to store in garages or spare
rooms until they'd sold. Using POD means that you only need to order as many books as
you've sold. This saves you time, money and storage space!
Why Should Writers Self-Publish?
The traditional method of publication was to write a novel, submit it to a publisher
and then wait 6 or 12 months for the editor to decide if they would accept or reject it.
If they accepted it, the book would go into a large print run of usually 10,000 and get
shipped out to stores.
The writer got offered a contract that promised that they'd get paid 5% or 10% of the
sale price of the book in the stores. If the book didn't sell well within a few short
months, then the book was withdrawn from sale and the writer would usually not get offered
a new contract to write anything else.
This is a harsh way for any talented writer to make a living, but self-publishing
changes the rules.
When you self-publish, you're self-employed. You're in control of all the profits - not
just a tiny percentage of them - and you're in charge of marketing and sales. By using
Print on Demand technology to have your book printed, it means that you only have to print
as many books as you have orders for.
Writing Your Book
Always be sure you've written and edited the complete manuscript before you send it out
to your Print on Demand publisher. Many newer writers tend to send out incomplete
manuscripts that haven't been edited to check for typing errors or plot problems.
This might not seem like such a big thing when you're excited about finally finishing
your manuscript, but your readers will notice. Word of mouth is vitally important to a
self-published author.
Visit some of the professional writing sites available to learn how to edit your work
on your own properly without having to pay exorbitant fees to a proof-reader.
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