Print-On-Demand - A Definition and a Comparison

Written by Michael LaRocca


Continued from page 1

(Daddy is in that group, byrepparttar way. How about your family?)

Places who publish only POD began by accepting anything sent their way. Pay your money, and do your own editing and marketing. This gave POD a credibility problem. There are POD outfits who don't operate this way, butrepparttar 147742 credibility problem will take time to heal.

As an author, your goal is to write what's in your heart, find people who like to read what you like to write, and get it out to them. (That's my goal, anyway.) If your name happens to be Tom Clancy, that equals many readers. But that's simply luck ofrepparttar 147743 draw.

Many of us don't have such mass appeal. Possibly you'rerepparttar 147744 sort of writer who knows exactly where you stand in that respect. But many don't, and they're floodingrepparttar 147745 POD market with stuff that most readers just plain don't want. Add to thatrepparttar 147746 badly edited stuff, andrepparttar 147747 credibility problem with POD is understandable.

Ideally, what you want is for your e-publisher to simultaneously release your book in both formats without charging a POD setup fee. That way, you can direct all your promotional efforts to that single URL. However, these e-publishers have a real problem with backlog now, so if you want to travelrepparttar 147748 road I did, you'll need much more patience than I did.

Taking advantage of a free POD option with your e-book will also help your promotional efforts. Many reviewers just plain won't touch an e-book. If you've donerepparttar 147749 POD bit, in addition to being able to tell all your friends and family, "Look at this, I'm a real author because here'srepparttar 147750 paperback," you'll be able to send review copies via POD to those book reviewers.

If you find yourself with an e-publisher who doesn't offer free POD, you may wish to shop around for a POD publisher. As you do this, rememberrepparttar 147751 business model. If a publisher makes all its money from writers, it doesn't need to sell a single book to a single reader to stay in business.

No matter how much praise they send your way, that'srepparttar 147752 bottom line. Writing is a calling, but publishing is a business. Those authors who can't distinguish betweenrepparttar 147753 two are what keeprepparttar 147754 opportunists in business. I was such an author for most of my life.

Some POD places are no more than thinly veiled vanity (or subsidy) presses. They have a role to serve, but let's be honest. Most do no editing, and they don't care. They may not be making a massive profit from your setup fees, but they're making enough to stay in business. Even if you don't sell any books to anyone except your Gramma.

Earlier, I recommended e-publishing before print publishing forrepparttar 147755 free editing you'll receive. If you're going with POD, consider it mandatory. Either that, or pay an editor. The author who can write a mistake-free manuscript does not exist.

Still interested in POD publishing? Here arerepparttar 147756 questions you should ask yourself when you select a POD publisher:

A) Sale price of each book 1) Who decides what it is? 2) Will readers pay that much?

B) Profit per sale vs. your setup cost 1) How many copies must you sell to break even? 2) Can you do it? 3) If not, do you care? How big of a financial hit are you willing to take just to see your name in print?

As a rule, US$100 or less setup cost is good and US$1000 is very bad. The latter, no matter how much publicity they promise you, is only a thinly disguised vanity publisher. You won't sell enough books to recoup that $1000 unless you're a real marketing machine. Even then you shouldn't payrepparttar 147757 $1000. It won't get you anything that $100 won't.

Ifrepparttar 147758 POD place only prints "trade paperbacks," which arerepparttar 147759 larger ones, your cost per book (and sale price per book) will be higher than if you can print "mass-market paperbacks." The choice is yours, but whatever you decide, visitrepparttar 147760 local bookstores and price similar-sized books. If you write like Stephen King but charge twice as much per book, readers are going to buyrepparttar 147761 author they've heard of, and that's probably not you. Yet...

A comprehensive list of POD publishers, along with descriptions, can be found on-line at http://dehanna.com/database.htm

It fails to mention Booksurge (http://www.booksurge.com), also known as Digitz (http://www.digitz.net). US$99. I have no experience with them, but I've heard only good things about them.

Another that isn't mentioned is Digital Print Australia at http://www.digitalprintaustralia.com. I've used them. My setup cost was AUD$35 (roughly US$18 back then), which compares rather favorably to those listed.

Their price per copy is also excellent. The quality equals what you'll find inrepparttar 147762 bookstores. If you've ever bought a paperback from Writers Exchange, you've seen it. If not, Digital Print will send you a free sample. They sent mine to China.

Two problems you may have with them, though, are shipping charges from Australia if that's not where your readers are located, andrepparttar 147763 fact that they don't offer a way to sellrepparttar 147764 books on their site.

Michael LaRocca's website at http://www.chinarice.org was chosen by WRITER'S DIGEST as one of The 101 Best Websites For Writers in 2001 and 2002. His response was to throw it out and start over again because he's insane. He teaches English at a university in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, and publishes the free weekly newsletter WHO MOVED MY RICE?


Extreme Research: 10 Snappy Rules For Success

Written by Christopher Brown


Continued from page 1

PART #2: Compile and organize your sources.

Userepparttar old-fashioned vanilla file folders and mark them up, so you know which is what. Then get a file box to keep them handy.

PART#3: Determine which arerepparttar 147624 most relevant features of your topic from its effects or imlplications in 3 different areas of study. For instance, if your topic reads, "Interesting stuff about World War II," then you will need to ask and study questions like, "Who did it cost, and how much did it cost them, to have this war?" Followrepparttar 147625 money (economics). Then, you might ask "How did this war changerepparttar 147626 mindset or values of American society" (sociology or philosophy). Finally, ask maybe, "What inventions did Europeans develop to fight this war?" (technology).

By looking at your topic from at least three disciplinary viewpoints, you will gain a broad understanding of it, and find yourself -- somewhat suddenly -- asking GREAT questions about it.

PART#4: Find and choose a controversial feature of topic, and choose a side ofrepparttar 147627 issue.

Write down your viewpoint in one sentence. This we call your "thesis." Arguing this point well now constitutes your "objective." Askrepparttar 147628 question of your thesis, "How do you know this isrepparttar 147629 case?" Ask this three times. Each time you ask it, give a brief answer in writing from one of your three areas you chose. Each answer must reflect views formed from a different area.

PART#5: Next, Re-read or skim your sources to develop an outline (in order to support your three points offered in defense of your thesis). Now pull outrepparttar 147630 photocopied (or printed out) chapters from your IRT's and highlight and scribble all over them -- but keep it legible. Argue your case vigorously with your imaginary critic who knows what you know. Take his side and argue against your thesisrepparttar 147631 best you can. Shoot it down, developing three criticisms. Some of these will already have circulated in print in your sources. Line them up. Then answerrepparttar 147632 critic. Refute his three points. Your outline is nearly finished.

PART #6: Organize your notes into subgroups listed underrepparttar 147633 branches of your outline. Draw a picture ofrepparttar 147634 flow of your argument and objections as though it were a tree, and labelrepparttar 147635 parts. Modifyrepparttar 147636 outline as needed. Add relevant subheadings (you will come across new info in your scribbling) underrepparttar 147637 branches ofrepparttar 147638 outline. Fill out relevant details from your notes to formrepparttar 147639 arguments for each section and subsection. Your rough draft is now complete.

PART#7: Rewrite your rough draft 5 times using our rules of good writing.

PART:#8 Studyrepparttar 147640 cleaned-up draft for logical errors in arguments. See our "Blogic For Writers" website for this; modify and strenghten your case. Use T Edward Damer's "Attacking Faulty Reasoning" for this too.

PART#9 -- Write your conclusion. This final paragraph spells out "what important point or points you have learned from doing all this hard work (e-search). Here, you makerepparttar 147641 case for why your research has value. Also, here either write or rewrite your introductory paragraph to "hint at" (anticipate)repparttar 147642 concluding paragraph. Most ofrepparttar 147643 time it actually makesrepparttar 147644 best sense to write your introduction LAST, since this way you write with a view ofrepparttar 147645 WHOLE work, which you did not have atrepparttar 147646 beginning.

Inrepparttar 147647 introduction, hint at your conclusion, but don't give awayrepparttar 147648 whole story. This makes for a smooth and logical flow from start to finish, giving your work a stylish symmetry, whererepparttar 147649 first part foreseesrepparttar 147650 end, andrepparttar 147651 end reflects onrepparttar 147652 beginning. All good stories have this symmetry.

PART #10. Dorepparttar 147653 footnoting (or endnoting) and contstruct an extensive bibliography. Add title page and Table of Contents. See Kate Turabian's or an MLA manual online for this, and for grammar and style. You can also userepparttar 147654 resources we list in our sidebar.

You are DONE. Your paper or article "so totally rocks," and you get an "A." Your readers love you, and you then become wealthy and famous. Your actual mileage may vary, batteries not included, offer void where prohibited.

Christopher Brown has taught English and philosophy for two colleges, attended the California State University, and went to seminary in Orlando, FL. In 2004, he and two friends incorporated a business (Ophir Gold Corporation) that offers free services that help people.

You may find them at: http://scriberight.blogspot.com (Writing With Power) and http://ophirgoldcorp.blogspot.com (OGC's Free Web Traffic).


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