Why I like POD
Recently, I posted a link of print on demand and online publishing. This led to many questions from my friends. I am a huge fan of print on demand publishing. I use it
for my novel and my novella. While my personal reasons for using it are pretty basic. My hopes for its use in the future mirror the author of the article from CNN.
I think that POD is a fabulous option for new authors, authors who write stories that may not be deemed “mainstream” and other authors that have hit a brick wall with traditional publishing. Most (if not all) POD providers fall under some level of self publishing. Some are a total self publishing (you do it all yourself) package, and other have pay services you can opt into for some help.
Basically, Print on Demand means exactly what it says. Your book is only published when a copy is ordered. Many POD sites allow customers to order from their own storefront. Others may allow you (if you have an ISBN number) to sell your book via Amazon or another online store. The reason why I picked Createspace is because it is owned by Amazon. You can order my book through the Createspace storefront, or you can order it on Amazon. They list the book as in stock because when the order is processed, a copy is printed and sent out just like there was a copy on a shelf. You can even have it sent overnight. I liked that. Plus my book is also available on Target.com and other Amazon affiliates. That is a pretty sweet deal.
I chose to go with POD with Life Jump Started because I knew that was the only way it would get published. I tried to get it published once. Then revamped it and then tried for nearly another year before I accepted my reality. Getting a novel published by a major publishing house or even a small publishing house is a huge deal. In this economy it is even harder. If an editor does not think he or she can make money off my story, it isn’t going to work. I love my first novel. I wrote over six years, and you can see the different phases of my life in the text. I admit is has flaws. I admit that while it was my best work at that point in my life, I aspire to do much better. It is my first attempt at a novel. I am proud of it. I also understand why editors would think it would not be a huge revenue maker. Still, I am proud of the story and I love my characters. I wanted to share them with the world. POD gives me that chance.
I really think Running Away stood a chance. I think it is well written and strong. Had it been novel length, I know I could have found it a home. Getting a novel published is hard enough. A novella is exponentially worse. It is shorter, and less publishers are willing to print them because of the revenue issue. Running Away is raw and deep, but the story comes in at under 50,000 words. Honestly, that is all the story has. It started life as a short story that developed into something more. I could keep adding to it to meet the word count, but I feel that would ruin the story. Sometimes the story is just done. Adding more would just be obvious filler. I shopped it around for a few months, and the feedback was positive. However, the length was an issue. I want this story out there. I want it to educate people about abuse and the point of view of the abused. It doesn’t have the Classic Narrative happy ending, and it isn’t a warm and fuzzy book, but I think it can be a benefit to readers. POD gives me the chance to make that a reality. Now my challenge is to promote and get those book sales up.
Since POD is primarily self publishing, it does mean you need to self market. I am working on that at the moment. I’m slowly establishing a positive internet presence one post, Tweet and status update at a time. It is hard work, but it is paying off. As I work on my current fiction projects (I’m looking at 3 right now), I am hoping today’s work will open doors. These stories and characters deserve to be loved, hated, and enjoyed. Even If I choose to use POD again, I hope that I will have enough of a reader base to reach my goals.
Now I do think that big publishing houses can learn something from POD. I think that this may be a greener and more economical option. If they are only printing most of their books purely based on demand, that cuts down on unsold copies. Cutting down on unsold copies means they save money on production costs. That also means they do not expend the resources for production. Less paper is used. Less energy is used. Now the question is can they implement it into their business plan to make it feasible?
for my novel and my novella. While my personal reasons for using it are pretty basic. My hopes for its use in the future mirror the author of the article from CNN.
I think that POD is a fabulous option for new authors, authors who write stories that may not be deemed “mainstream” and other authors that have hit a brick wall with traditional publishing. Most (if not all) POD providers fall under some level of self publishing. Some are a total self publishing (you do it all yourself) package, and other have pay services you can opt into for some help.
Basically, Print on Demand means exactly what it says. Your book is only published when a copy is ordered. Many POD sites allow customers to order from their own storefront. Others may allow you (if you have an ISBN number) to sell your book via Amazon or another online store. The reason why I picked Createspace is because it is owned by Amazon. You can order my book through the Createspace storefront, or you can order it on Amazon. They list the book as in stock because when the order is processed, a copy is printed and sent out just like there was a copy on a shelf. You can even have it sent overnight. I liked that. Plus my book is also available on Target.com and other Amazon affiliates. That is a pretty sweet deal.
I chose to go with POD with Life Jump Started because I knew that was the only way it would get published. I tried to get it published once. Then revamped it and then tried for nearly another year before I accepted my reality. Getting a novel published by a major publishing house or even a small publishing house is a huge deal. In this economy it is even harder. If an editor does not think he or she can make money off my story, it isn’t going to work. I love my first novel. I wrote over six years, and you can see the different phases of my life in the text. I admit is has flaws. I admit that while it was my best work at that point in my life, I aspire to do much better. It is my first attempt at a novel. I am proud of it. I also understand why editors would think it would not be a huge revenue maker. Still, I am proud of the story and I love my characters. I wanted to share them with the world. POD gives me that chance.
I really think Running Away stood a chance. I think it is well written and strong. Had it been novel length, I know I could have found it a home. Getting a novel published is hard enough. A novella is exponentially worse. It is shorter, and less publishers are willing to print them because of the revenue issue. Running Away is raw and deep, but the story comes in at under 50,000 words. Honestly, that is all the story has. It started life as a short story that developed into something more. I could keep adding to it to meet the word count, but I feel that would ruin the story. Sometimes the story is just done. Adding more would just be obvious filler. I shopped it around for a few months, and the feedback was positive. However, the length was an issue. I want this story out there. I want it to educate people about abuse and the point of view of the abused. It doesn’t have the Classic Narrative happy ending, and it isn’t a warm and fuzzy book, but I think it can be a benefit to readers. POD gives me the chance to make that a reality. Now my challenge is to promote and get those book sales up.
Since POD is primarily self publishing, it does mean you need to self market. I am working on that at the moment. I’m slowly establishing a positive internet presence one post, Tweet and status update at a time. It is hard work, but it is paying off. As I work on my current fiction projects (I’m looking at 3 right now), I am hoping today’s work will open doors. These stories and characters deserve to be loved, hated, and enjoyed. Even If I choose to use POD again, I hope that I will have enough of a reader base to reach my goals.
Now I do think that big publishing houses can learn something from POD. I think that this may be a greener and more economical option. If they are only printing most of their books purely based on demand, that cuts down on unsold copies. Cutting down on unsold copies means they save money on production costs. That also means they do not expend the resources for production. Less paper is used. Less energy is used. Now the question is can they implement it into their business plan to make it feasible?
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