Title:
Print on Demand: Is it Right for You?
Word Count:
473
Summary:
Print on demand is a printing technology that allows you to print small
quantities of documents at affordable price and in a short period of
time.
Keywords:
print on demand, printing, short run
Article Body:
When you hear the word print on demand what comes to your mind? You’ll
probably say ‘on demand printing’, ‘fast turnaround time” or ‘small
quantity printing’. Well, you are right. Print on demand is a printing
technology that allows you to print small quantities of documents at
affordable price and in a short period of time. The market for this kind
of printing technique took a while to develop and a while for the
technology to improve.
A few years back when e-books were on the rise, many thought that the
publishing industry would be changed forever. But as years passed, it
seemed that people were not yet ready to give up their ink and paper
books. Most people still prefer books that they can hold and read at the
comfort of their bed or veranda. This is where POD technology came in. It
allowed many authors to publish their work and offer readers with less
expensive books.
There are many advantages of print of demand technology. In general,
getting published with this technology is very easy. Publishing is also
quick usually around sixty to ninety days. POD also allows you to test
the market at little cost. Little or no money is needed to be invested in
inventory maintenance and insurance. There is no fear of overstocking and
no missed sales due to tight deadlines. On top of this, you can do last
minute changes that are not allowed in the traditional publishing
process.
But of course, there is also the downside. For one, you will find it
difficult to have your book purchased, reviewed and placed in bookstores.
And with POD publishing you would perhaps have lower sales since most
retailers won’t carry POD books.
Hence, before you avail of POD technology you have to ask yourself
whether it is the right choice for you. If you want to control the layout
of your book or you have a marketing vehicle for your book, then this may
be the right option for you. Additionally, if you know that your book is
so specialized that it won’t get picked up by a conventional publisher or
you don’t want to go through years of submissions and rejection from
conventional publishers then go ahead and avail of this printing
technology.
The dream of every POD authors is the same as self-published authors – to
have their books picked up by a major publisher. There is a chance that
POD could prosper as a respected addition to the publishing industry over
the years to come. But the industry has to act quickly to make it more
author and reader friendly or it could be tarnished forever.
Nevertheless, whether or not print on demand technology comes to the
nearest bookstore to you, it will surely slowly change the way the
publishing industry works.