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Tag: POD

  • Changes Afoot in the Publishing Industry

    The
    publishing industry has been abuzz over two recent developments: one involving amazon.com and print-on-demand; the other involving Harper Collin Publishing.

    Amazon.com and Print-on-Demand

    Some Background on POD Printing. Print-on-Demand printing, or POD for short, is a method of printing by which you print one book at a time. I discuss
    POD printing in
    detail in Part Two of my blog series on the Ins & Outs of Self-Publishing     .

    While POD lowers upfront investment and financial risk, it increases the publisher’s costs of producing each book. That makes it difficult for publishers using POD printing to offer the 40 – 60% discount that is normally required for sales through bookstores and other traditional book distribution channels. Nevertheless, there are publishers who have built successful business models by combining POD printing, a short discount to wholesalers, and sales through amazon.com and other online bookstores.

    Amazon’s Recent Actions. Lightning Source is the leader among POD printers. Amazon is
    requiring publishers to use a Lightning Source competitor, BookSurge, for the printing of all POD books offered through amazon.com. The consequence of not complying is loss of the buy button on the book’s amazon.com profile page. This means the book would be sold only through marketplace resellers and not directly by amazon.com – an action that will surely decrease the number of books sold through amazon.

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  • The Ins & Outs of Self-Publishing – Part Two

    This
    is Part Two in a five-part series summarizing my remarks in the “Ins and Outs
    of Self-Publishing” panel discussion sponsored by the Washington, DC chapter of the Women’s National Book Association.

    During the panel, I offered an overview of
    how an aspiring author might get her book published. In Part One of this series, I discussed using
    a traditional publisher and began a definition of what it means to
    self-publish. I noted that there is
    debate over the definition of “self-publish” and listed three methods of
    self-publishing:

    • Using
      Print-on-Demand Printing
    • Publishing via
      Vanity or Subsidy Press
    • Working Directly
      with Wholesalers and Distributors


    Using
    Print-On-Demand (POD) Printing

    Print-on-Demand printing, or POD for short,
    is a method of printing by which you print one book at a time. In other words, you do not have to print a
    book until you generate a sale for the book.

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