Guest Author - Elsa Neal

Also known as Publish on Demand, POD is increasingly being used by niche non-fiction authors to print small numbers of books on topics that have too small an audience to interest a commercial publisher, or even a small press publisher.

To a lesser extent, fiction writers are also taking advantage of the technology to organise printing of previously published books now out of print, or to print experimental books in a genre they don't necessarily want to commit to. Some first time authors are also seduced by the idea of self-publishing a novel that has been rejected by commercial publishers.

Increasingly, independent small press publishers and university presses are turning to POD to reduce their financial risk and increase their scope for publishing possible breakthrough works by unknown writers.

POD printer services usually make use of digital storage to retain works ready for printing single copies at very short notice, as the sales order comes in. Each copy of a POD book is more expensive to produce than a commercially published and printed book, where the volume of printing brings the per-copy cost down.

The flip side for commercial publishers is that they take a financial risk by pre-printing thousands of copies of a book and then storing them, waiting for sales. Additionally, commercial publishers offer bookstores a return policy if the book doesn't sell, absorbing that risk as well.

POD has little to no initial financial risk for the publisher, other than whatever set up fees the POD printer charges. Since some POD printers prefer to take commissions on sales of books rather than charging up front fees, an author can have their book printed for almost no cost.

However, since there is usually no quality control and no return policy, bookstores and libraries are reluctant to stock self-published and Print On Demand books. The main outlet for selling POD books is online, usually on the POD printer's website and the author's website, but some POD printers also offer distribution through Amazon.com and Ingram, which broadens the potential audience-base considerably.

Some small press publishers, and even larger publishing houses, may use POD technology to lower their risk for certain books. This practice is becoming more and more attractive as the technology improves and becomes a more viable alternative to printing and storing a large number of books. In the past, books that were printed but failed to sell were simply pulped. Hopefully POD technology will save some trees in the future.

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Make sure you find out all you can before taking the self-publishing plunge. Try these books for further information:
Print-on-Demand Book Publishing : A New Approach To Printing And Marketing Books For Publishers And Self-Publishing Authors by Morris Rosenthal
Best in Self-Publishing & Print on Demand : Plus Marketing Your Book on the Internet by David Rising