Understanding Print-On-Demand
- Queenie Fernandes and Leonard Fernandes
Print-on-demand publication is a process that enables a publisher to produce books individually rather than in quantity. Instead of printing hundreds or thousands of books in advance, a POD publisher prints books only when they are ordered. The manuscript is stored as a digital file (usually PDF). POD books can be produced in softcover or hardcover, and some publishers also produce full-color books and picture books.
Print-on-demand or publish-on-demand (POD) is a printing technology in which a copy is not created until after an order is received. Print-on-Demand Publishing uses digital printing technology to produce a complete book. This digital technology provides a way of printing items for a fixed cost per copy, irrespective of the size of the order. While the unit price of each physical copy printed is higher than with offset printing, when setup costs are taken into account digital print-on-demand provides lower per unit costs for very small print runs than offset printing methods.
While the unit cost of a book or print produced using POD is usually higher than one produced as part of a longer print run, POD does bring some key business benefits:
1) large inventories of a book or print do not need to be kept in stock,
2) the technical set-up is usually quicker and less expensive than for offset printing and
3) there is little or no waste from unsold products.
These advantages reduce the risks associated with publishing books and prints and can lead to increased choice for consumers. However, the reduced risks for the publisher can also mean that quality control is less rigorous than usual. POD offers a tremendous advantage over traditional print subsidy publishing, which generally costs thousands of dollars, offers pitiful royalties, and often imposes restrictive contracts on the author.
Here are just some of the advantages to you, as a writer who uses print-on-demand publishing:
1. You have total control over your book. No one is going to edit your work and take out your personal “style” or omit sections you know to be important.
2. Your book is available for sale within 90 days or less if you assist with the design. Compared to the “old time” methods of publishing, even if a publisher accepts your book, it normally is not available for sale for almost a year or later. The whole world could change in that length of time and you would still have to wait a year or more before you got paid for your hard work. Your book gets published on your timetable, not the timetable of a traditional publisher who may or may not have your best interests as a writer at heart.
3. You can make up to 80% for every book you sell. Compare this to traditional publishers who only pay the writer an 8% to 10% commission. This means that you can set up a web page to sell your book, take orders and purchase the amount of books your need to fill the orders. This option is not possible with standard publishers who purchase the exclusive rights from a writer, thus not allowing the writer to sell their books on their own. You retain 100% of the rights to your book. You own the copyright, not the traditional publisher. You choose what you want to make for royalties rather than having to negotiate this with a traditional publisher.
4. Your POD vendor will also edit and market your book for you for a small fee and help you market your book yourself through blogs and such.
5. You choose what you want for the cover art of your book, you don’t have to rely on someone else’s idea of what artwork best describes the contents of your book.
6. Your book gets printed only if someone orders it, you don’t have boxes of your book sitting in your basement or attic getting eaten by moths or mice or destroyed by mold or mildew. Thus, you don’t have to put out a large amount of money printing copies of your book.
Here are just some of the disadvantages of print-on-demand publishing:
1. You are 100% responsible for marketing your book, no one else will do it for you, including your POD publisher. So, you must be willing to educate yourself on the finer points of marketing a book both on and off line. However, at CinnamonTeal, we will introduce you to marketing agencies who will provide you with services that fit your budget.
2. You are responsible for providing review copies of your book to reviewers, and to getting it to the reviewers within their time frame. Some will only accept copies of books that are about to be released, or have been released within the past three months. And some will only accept a print version rather than an e-book version.
3. You are responsible for setting up book signings, and other such events. If you want to add these kinds of events to your marketing plan, you have to be willing to approach bookstores and other places that sell books and be confident in selling yourself and your book to the people in charge.
4. You are responsible for creating, designing and printing your own marketing materials such bookmarks, business cards, brochures etc.. However, at CinnamonTeal Publishing Services, we will help you design and print all of these marketing materials for a reasonable fee.
If you are someone who doesn’t mind spending some money on your book for marketing, and education and you want to have total control of your book then POD can be a great solution to getting that completed manuscript out of your drawer, box, or computer and getting it out to the world. With POD, you also need to be totally involved with your book, especially when it is being written. No audience will take to typographical and grammatical mistakes too kindly.
Before you decide to publish your book using the POD format, ask yourself what you hope to achieve through publication. If your goal is to produce an attractive, professionally produced book, POD technology can provide it. If, however, your goal is to see your book on bookstore shelves and in the hands of thousands of readers, POD is probably not the way to go. POD is a relatively inexpensive way to get your book in print — but the rest is up to you!
Possible Uses of Print-On-Demand
a. Translation of works from regional languages to English and vice-versa
b. Books with (limited) regional appeal, for reaching new markets with new and niche content
c. Publication of out-of-copyright works that are difficult to obtain
d. Personalized gifts for your loved ones e.g. a smartly-produced collection of your dad’s poems
e. An album to preserve and showcase cherished photos and mementos
f. Customized/personalized business presentations
g. An easy way for publishers to ensure that backlists remain “in-print” without having to invest in costly inventory
h. Publication of theses by graduate students
i. Bound manuscripts that novelists could use to show agents and editors.
j. Compilations - of recipes, essays, weekly columns, short stories or poems.
Queenie Fernandes and Leonard Fernandes are founders of CinnamonTeal Print & Publishing Services, India’s only print-on-demand service provider. The website is http://www.dogearsetc.com/cinnamonteal