Even if you don’t currently have a book in the pipeline, I recommend you read the particularly informative series of posts by PODdy Mouth about how to choose the right Print On Demand publisher. This is background information any writer with book ambitions needs to know.
The PODdy Mouth blog began the series on 5 November 2007 with an overview: Which POD is right for you. PODdy Mouth makes the point that most horror stories about POD probably result from the author’s poor research and choice of company.
In the next post, the blog lays out Self-Publishing Criteria and Goals. Identifed are three major criteria that authors use when selecting a POD company.
- Up-front Costs
- Customer Service and Support
- Long term reliability, profitability, and marketing support
The discussion of these criteria is revealing: just what are we after? This brief discussion certainly brings clarity to prospective book writers and helps us understand some of the realities in our decision-making.
This post also boils down author’s goals to two:
- Becoming “rich and famous”
- Simply holding a copy of your published book in your hands
Both are ego-driven, of course, but at different levels. PODdy Mouth reminds us that becoming rich and famous is exceedingly difficult to accomplish. Distinguishing between these goals and choosing just which one best fits you may be the most important — and excruciating — step in the entire process. How much work are you truly willing to do, once your manuscript is written? That’s the crux of it all.
In Narrowing the Pool of Self-Publishers, the extraordinary value of this blog becomes apparent. In my view, this blog is absolutely one of the most valuable resources available to writers, either online or in print. PODdy Mouth identifies 17 self-publishers currently on her list of major providers. That’s a lot. Mark Levine, in his book The Fine Print of Self-Publishing, identifies 48, a more expansive list but he points out the bad ones, as well as the good. Levine’s book is worth buying as a base reference [read my review] — it’s particularly valuable in giving a full picture of all that’s involved in the industry and in pointing out the pitfalls to watch out for. But this industry is changing so fast, that writers really need up-to-date insight. That’s exactly what PODdy Mouth provides:
Since this industry is changing and growing so rapidly, you have to define the pool before you can select from it. In other words, don’t try to keep up with the new companies entering the fray every day. Here’s where I’m going to help. I’m going to define the pool for you.
The blog makes it easy to track developments among the POD publishers. Each is given a separate “category” within the blog. Just click on the name of any publisher, and you receive all the posts relating to it, from most recent and on back over time.
The next post in the series gets down to the nitty-gritty: Choosing a POD with up-front cost considerations. PODdy Mouth is not shy about making very specific evaluations and recommendations, all the while providing minute detail about the reasoning behind the choice. In this post, three publishers are considered in detail, though others are mentioned as well. This blogger has clearly caught the attention of the POD industry. Be sure to read the comments following this post for a spirited and detailed response from one of the POD publishers herself, with a gracious reply from PODdy Mouth. This kind of direct interchange clearly adds value to this blog.
PODdy Mouth next moves on to Choosing a POD with Customer Support Requirements. Underscoring that nothing comes for free, the blog recommends only two publishers — and identifes also publishers to “stay away from”, depending on your criteria. Again, the comments section introduces valuable feedback.
The last in the series is Choosing a POD for long-term profit and support. This is very obviously the route PODdy Mouth recommends for all writers, and the blogger encourages writers to adjust their criteria appropriately. Recommended are three POD publishers. They are not cheap, but they do offer significant support over pa eriod of time.
Admittedly, PODdy Mouth is opinionated. But recommendations are backed up with informative detail. You might yourself even end up choosing a publisher not among the blog’s top recommendations. Still, following the ongoing posts and discussion at PODdy Mouth will without doubt make you a much better informed author, and you will be better equipped to go shopping for a publisher.
Even though this “series” is now complete, PODdy Mouth has already indicated that discussion of related issues will continue. And don’t forget to check the “categories” for the latest information about each publisher.
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