Print-On-Demand is exactly what it says it is. The book will only be printed when there is a demand for it.
Instead of handing your manuscript over to a publisher you simply upload your files to the POD company. They prepare your book for publication and get the book listed with all the big sellers including major online retailers like Amazon. Then you put the kettle on and wait for a sale.

When someone finds your book and orders it, the POD company processes the payment, prints the book and delivers it to the customer. You pay for the printing cost but only for the books that are sold and you receive a royalty on the sale. In addition if you want a quantity of your own books for promotional purposes or to sell to your existing contacts or at seminars and events you simply pay the cost price of printing and delivery. That way you can enjoy an even higher margin on books you sell yourself.

Advantages:

• Low set-up costs – You can upload your print ready manuscript for as little as a £200 (US$285), although you will have had other costs to get the manuscript ready for production. However this is considerably less expensive than having to invest in up-front printing on the off-chance they sell.
   
• Flexibility – Your manuscript is not printed until it’s ordered so if something in your book changes then you don’t have thousands of out-of-date books. All you need to do is change the print ready file and all future orders will be sold the revised edition.
   
• Access to sales channels – A great POD company will get your book listed with all the major distributors and booksellers so the sales problem of self-publishing is at least partially overcome.
   
• POD is Green – POD is more environmentally friendly than printing thousands of books that you hope will sell. Your book is only created when it’s been sold.
   
• Fast and credible – You can have a physical book in your hands within weeks of finishing the manuscript. That’s much faster than the traditional publishing model.

Disadvantages:

• Lower profit margin – than self publishing but still much higher than traditional publishing. You could expect about 35% royalty.
   
• Read the small print – all agreements are written in favour of those that write them so just be sure you read the agreement and understand the ramifications.
   
• Reputation question marks – Questions have been raised about POD and the quality of the end product. I’ve bought several and have clients that have taken this route and seriously you wouldn’t know the difference. The quality of print and finish is indistinguishable from traditional publishing.

There are a number of POD companies out there – the big ones are Lightening Source Incorporated (LSI) and BookSurge. LSI is owned by Ingram Industries who have a vast distribution network both on and offline. Ingram is a respected name in publishing with a massive reach, ensuring that you get your book in front of 80% of all book wholesalers and retailers! That’s even bigger than Amazon.

BookSurge is owned by Amazon and is now also making a splash. Amazon used to use LSI but bought BookSurge to increase its impact along the supply chain. Books created by BookSurge will then be sold through the Amazon network. Books created by other POD suppliers may find they have to change or re-create their file specifications in order to access Amazon’s distribution channels. The fact that POD companies have vast publishing expertise is also a huge bonus. They are usually connected up and down the supply chain and that has significant benefits.

It is worth pointing out, however, that Lightening Source do not get involved with individual authors. LSI is the Granddaddy of POD technology and has the most experience. In 2008, there were over 2 million POD titles printed worldwide and the vast majority of them were produced by Lightening Source – but they only deal with publishers. You might think this is unfair but they are suppliers and don’t want to diversify into author management. Which, let’s face it, can be a challenging task. As writers, we get attached to our work and we want to ask questions – usually lots of questions! LSI doesn’t want to have to educate authors in all sorts of technical production issues and have made the smart, strategic choice to stick to what they do best – production and distribution. Instead, they direct authors to a number of companies that specialize in author services.

These companies bring self publishing and POD together brilliantly and help you transform your manuscript into a finished product and project manage the whole process for you.
Two of the most recognized author services companies are AuthorHouse and LuLu Publishing.

Print-On-Demand Publishing Might Suit You If:

• You want a book in your hands quickly, say for an upcoming conference or event.
• You have the content to create good books but don’t necessarily have natural markets to sell to. POD provides a selling channel.
• You want to have a book but are conscious of your environmental footprint and don’t want to print thousands on the off-chance you can sell them.
• You can’t get a traditional publisher interested but are still very confident in your product. There is a caveat to this however – think X Factor contestants here. For those unfamiliar with X Factor, it’s a TV show where everyday people audition for singing stardom. Some people who audition are truly brilliant and some are not! Sometimes confidence is seriously misplaced, or borderline delusional! Be sure to seek external opinion from people who know your market before you go investing in something that may just end up breaking your heart.
• You want to get really clever and target your book to particular niche groups and tailor-make content based on the audience.

A Passing Word On Vanity Publishing