Print on Demand: Is it Right for You?
When you hear the word print on demand what comes to your mind?
You'll probably say 'on demand printing', 'fast turnaround time"
or 'small quantity printing'. Well, you are right. Print on
demand is a printing technology that allows you to print small
quantities of documents at affordable price and in a short
period of time. The market for this kind of printing technique
took a while to develop and a while for the technology to
improve.
A few years back when e-books were on the rise, many thought
that the publishing industry would be changed forever. But as
years passed, it seemed that people were not yet ready to give
up their ink and paper books. Most people still prefer books
that they can hold and read at the comfort of their bed or
veranda. This is where POD technology came in. It allowed many
authors to publish their work and offer readers with less
expensive books.
There are many advantages of print of demand technology. In
general, getting published with this technology is very easy.
Publishing is also quick usually around sixty to ninety days.
POD also allows you to test the market at little cost. Little or
no money is needed to be invested in inventory maintenance and
insurance. There is no fear of overstocking and no missed sales
due to tight deadlines. On top of this, you can do last minute
changes that are not allowed in the traditional publishing
process.
But of course, there is also the downside. For one, you will
find it difficult to have your book purchased, reviewed and
placed in bookstores. And with POD publishing you would perhaps
have lower sales since most retailers won't carry POD books.
Hence, before you avail of POD technology you have to ask
yourself whether it is the right choice for you. If you want to
control the layout of your book or you have a marketing vehicle
for your book, then this may be the right option for you.
Additionally, if you know that your book is so specialized that
it won't get picked up by a conventional publisher or you don't
want to go through years of submissions and rejection from
conventional publishers then go ahead and avail of this printing
technology.
The dream of every POD authors is the same as self-published
authors - to have their books picked up by a major publisher.
There is a chance that POD could prosper as a respected addition
to the publishing industry over the years to come. But the
industry has to act quickly to make it more author and reader
friendly or it could be tarnished forever. Nevertheless, whether
or not print on demand technology comes to the nearest bookstore
to you, it will surely slowly change the way the publishing
industry works.
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