Book publishing has been around since prehistoric times. Producing a book during those times was very time consuming and expensive. Each one had to be chiseled on stone tablets. Several tablets were required for lengthy books. They also became very heavy. A NYTimes best seller of 8 pages could weigh 50 lbs. You’d need a derrick to lift a John Grisham-type novel.
Fortunately, that production process has changed significantly over the last 9 billion years, give or take a month or 2. It’s become more streamlined and less expensive, especially with Print on Demand (POD). Now you can lift a Grisham novel even without a wheelbarrow.
WHAT IS POD?
It means printing books on a computerized press with lasers and toner like a monster laser or inkjet printer. It can efficiently and inexpensively produce just a single copy of a book. Previously, publishers would have to print several 1000 copies to keep cost per copy low. POD has been used to keep in print books whose sales have dwindled to a trickle. It can save on storage costs and tying up money on printing 12 copies that may take a year to sell. POD has also been applied to scholarly books that may sell 400 copies or less during their “life.”
Now POD is used by self-publishers and even major publishers for slow-selling books and urgent orders. How does the quality compare to books printed the old-fashioned way by offset or litho printing? They’re pretty close. In fact, most people can’t see the difference. That factor alone provides a compelling argument for its value to commercial publishers.
Whatta ya think, writers? There are more options for book publishing now than ever before. Future blogs will cover trade, academic, and self-publishing. Stick around.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT: I gratefully appreciate the feedback from my publisher John von Knorring (Stylus Publishing) on an earlier draft of this blog.
COPYRIGHT © 2009 Ronald A. Berk, LLC
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