Recently an article was published in Forbes Magazine on the advantages of printing on demand for self publishers. We thought we would share the important points from that article with you:

Self-publishing in general is turning the traditional publishing industry on its head, but print-on-demand services, or POD, are making every writer’s dream of becoming a published author achievable. There are some obvious reasons for this:  the out-of-pocket cost of printing one book at a time is relatively less expensive than taking a chance on a 1,000-book run.

Not long ago, an aspiring book writer rejected by traditional publishing houses had only one alternative: vanity publishing. For $5,000, $10,000, or more, an author could have his manuscript edited and published, provided that they agreed to buy a few thousand or  more copies themselves. Often these book copies ended up not being used.  Digital publishing and print on demand have significantly reduced the cost of producing a book.

Some believe the advantages of POD for authors is saving the publishing industry.

Author Control

Print on Demand is not just for authors who can’t find a publisher. Author Mark Edwards self-published one book The Magpies after working with a publishing house to publish another. For him it was a matter of expediency.

“When I finished The Magpies I wanted to get it out quickly, partly because I wanted to build momentum before my other book came out.”  The Magpies has sold over 130,000 copies and has been in the top 10 for over two months.

A Time article reported that e-book self-publishing is growing at four times the rate of other forms of self-publishing – and some authors are making more money that way.

There are many advantages of print on demand including access and author control, and affordability. Many authors are jumping onto POD publishing as a low-cost, low-labor way to turn their books into profitable products.

For more information on printing books on demand, contact The Country Press.

Excerpts - Forbes