Seven Things to Think About Before you Go With Print on Demand

Is Print on Demand all you think it is?

You, like many other authors who don’t want to go the long hard road with traditional publishing, and who like the low cost and seemingly easiest and best way to publish a book, Print on Demand Publishing looks good. They print one book at a time when it’s ordered.  But, think again. After many years of authors coming to me saying they did not make money going with a POD, and my research noticing the poor payoffs from Print on Demand, as an author’s advocate, I say, think again.

Top Seven Things to Think About Before you Go With Print on Demand

1. Notice how many other authors and books are listed on the POD web site.

Like a brick and mortar bookstore, your audience won’t go to the Print on Demand site looking for your specific book. In fact, the people who go are other authors like you. They don’t want to buy your book, they come because they think this is a simple way to be on a website where one can sell books. So who will buy?

2. Notice that when you do get listed you get only a hundred words to describe reasons people should buy your book.

That’s not enough to compel your visitor to buy your book. Without a doubt, the authors that make real money are the ones who put up a book web site. Talk about simple. You can create a short book sales letter site that when marketed, will bring only prime prospects to it.

3. Print on Demand Publishing Means Printing.

These companies aren’t really publishers just because they take your book and create digital copies for you. They are printers.

If they are printers, then they are really charging too much. And, they have control of your book and can charge you 40-50% commission before you get multiple copies of your book. If you go Print on Demand, it’s much better to go with a POD printer such as Deharts.com where you maintain full control of the book.

4. Research the POD company well.

Does it have a solid track record?  If it goes out of business, your book goes out too. The list of Print on Demand sins is long. An example: One popular POD company may be cheap, but you cannot talk to a real person for customer service.  Many companies charge little to publish, but require extra money for editing, proofs, art work, and marketing kits.

5. Check the quality offered by the POD company.

If your cover is amateur, your book won’t sell. Be sure to have a cover designer help you. If you didn’t get feedback on all the parts that go into a quality book, don’t expect the POD company to fix it. Be sure you include an order page, a testimonial page, and a copyright page. Get help from a book coach on these. Although it seems like a lot of steps, when you choose a pro to assist along the way, you will save thousands of dollars in mistakes as well as a lot of wasted time.

6. Think about editing, proofing and what you will get for your money.

Most POD companies do not edit. They merely print your book as is. These flaws when printed point to you as an amateur. If you do pay $100 or so to get 25 corrections, remember, you will probably pay a lot more after that because more corrections are needed. It’s best to use a professional. You’ll save money in the long run and raise your confidence you are on the right path.

7. Be sure you can sell this book before you spend time and money with Print on Demand.

Hindsight is expensive. Most authors charge into the Light Brigade writing a book they want to write. Too bad, because they needed to make sure a ready audience needed and wanted the book first. When an author writes a book for a preferred audience, the book will be well organized, engage its readers each paragraph of each chapter, and will be well recommended by their 24/7 sales team-the ones who finish the book and love it.

Before you leap, know that bookstores don’t like POD books because they are higher priced than traditionally published, mass-produced books and if they don’t sell, can’t be returned.

It’s natural to fear something you don’t know much about. Yet, the only way to take a so so success to outstanding is to market your book on the web.  Take a teleclass, get a mentor, or hire a book coach.

Remember, you can be your own publisher with a little coaching help. You don’t have to go in unrewarding direction with POD.

After the traditional route not working, and the POD route with too little payoff, like me, you can find a new path that will work for your quality book.

To learn more about self-publishing visit my coaching pages and I’ll show you how to do it!

Published by Judy Cullins

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(C) 2013 Judy Cullins. Skills Unlimited Publishing.