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(Article #4)
"Self-Publishing and Book Promotion" Column

Is POD For Me?
by Rusty Fischer

The Author of BEYOND THE BOOKSTORE Reveals 5 Must-Ask Questions Before Deciding to go POD

Let’s face it: It’s easier than ever these days to see your work in print. From eBooks to Xlibris, a tidal wave of aggressive new publishers are ready to make your words available to the public. One such option that’s gaining in popularity is Pint-On-Demand, or POD, publishing.

Basically, a high-tech printer is ready and waiting to print your book in as big or as little a run as you prefer, from one copy to 1,000. The files are digitally stored, and as soon as a lucky customer orders your book, it gets put in line for printing and is usually available within 24-48 hours.

Sound good? You bet. Yours truly, and many of his freelancing friends, have multiple POD volumes currently on the market. But in hindsight, I wish I had asked myself the following 5 questions before deciding to go POD:

HOW MUCH WILL THE BOOK COST?

Although its technology is improving every day, printing books on demand is still an expensive proposition. Digital files must be stored, machines must be maintained (and paid off), orders have to be processed, and have you seen the price of cover stock these days? All of these factors and many more go into the price of your POD book.

Some publishers price their books on a sliding scale: 80-100 pages = $11, 100-125 pages = $13, and so on. Some publishers charge a flat fee for all of their POD books, $15 for a trade paperback, $20 for a hardback, no matter how big or how small.

Regardless, ask how much YOUR book will cost before you sign on the dotted line. When you get your answer, spend some time on the Web pricing your competition. If the price seems reasonable and similar, so much the better. But if it seems high to you, what do you think it will seem like to a paying customer?

HOW MUCH WILL SHIPPING COST?

Although it’s not often listed in the POD publisher’s brochure, Website, or even its FAQs, spend some time trying to find out how much your customers will spend to get your book shipped to them.

Some, indeed many, POD publishers enjoy listings on Amazon.com and other popular eTailers. This is great for you, because in addition to being easy-to-find, your book’s shipping charges should fall in line with the competition.

However, some independent POD publishers ship directly from their own site, meaning they set the rates, hopefully within reason. Before you sign on the dotted line, make sure their shipping rates are at least within a dollar or so of those found on Amazon.com.

Since your book will already be a little more expensive to buy, you don’t want it to be too costly to ship in addition.

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE?

Another shipping question you should definitely ponder before going POD is that of shipment time. As in, “how long will it take?”

One of my POD publishers only takes 2-3 days to deliver through Amazon.com, Borders.com, or even my publisher’s own Website. Yet another gives potential customers the sad news that it will take 2-4 weeks to deliver.

Now ask yourself: Which would you prefer? After all, in my opinion anyway, all POD book purchases are “impulse buys.” My books are, anyway, for those who actually buy them. And anything bought on impulse should, naturally, arrive pretty quickly!

On the other hand, 2 to 4 weeks isn’t that bad...right? Right?

WHERE ELSE WILL IT BE AVAILABLE?

As I’ve already mentioned, most of my POD books are available elsewhere besides the original publisher’s Website. For instance, you can find two of them on the 3 biggies: Amazon.com, Bn.com, and BAMM.com.

This gives me lots of hyperlink options, as well as the added respectability of tossing those big names around. In addition, my POD books are also available at the original publisher’s equally impressive Website, complete with cover art, book reviews, an author bio, etc.

Depending on who I’m targeting, I either use the big-name bookseller’s link or my own ePublisher’s link, and choices are always nice. However, my presence elsewhere in the “real” world is rather limited. Many traditional booksellers hesitate to stock POD books on their shelves, and so I’ve given up that frustrating avenue and concentrated my promotional efforts on the Web. If you prefer to sell copies of your book through signings, readings, and other personal efforts, you may want to do a little research into self-publishing first.  

HOW WILL IT LOOK?

Finally, how will that printed copy of your book look when it arrives in your, or a customer’s, greedy little hands?

The quality in POD books out there ranges considerably, from laughably amateurish to downright professional. You, of course, don’t want your customers to know that it was a POD book. You want them to think Random House or some other industry biggie published it.

So, if at all possible, ask for a sample of the POD printer’s work. Xlibris used to send you one, many others don’t. What then? Well, if you’ve narrowed your choices down to 2 or 3 POD publishers, why not buy a book from each? Not only will this show you how the finished product looks, but it will let you see the nuts and bolts of the rest of the company as well, possibly even answering the earlier four questions satisfactorily.

To be honest, I’m not completely satisfied with ANY of my POD publishers. For instance, the company who charges on a sliding scale and delivers in 2-3 days actually delivers an inferior product: The cover art is pretty blurry and the pages inside are already yellow upon arrival.

On the other hand, the book I’m most happy with physically (cool cover, nice pages) is more expensive and takes longer to arrive.

See what I mean about asking questions first!

Copyright © 2002 Rusty Fischer. All Rights Reserved.

Rusty Fischer is the author of BEYOND THE BOOKSTORE: 101 (Other) Places to Sell Your Self-Published Book, available at http://www.bookbooters.com/b00062.asp.