The New Way to PublishWritten by Penny C. Sansevieri
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What about selection process? Do these publishers accept anything that's sent to them? The answer is no. While approval process is far less restrictive than traditional publishers and you don't need an agent, some POD publishers still have guidelines as to what they will and won't consider. These guidelines vary from publisher to publisher, so you'll need to check their individual sites or contracts for specifics. Also, some publishers will even read manuscript to determine quality; if they feel work is so poor it's unmarketable, they will turn it down. While you're in selection process, download publishing company's publishing contract and look it over carefully. You'll want to make sure a few things are in place before you sign on dotted line. First off, be certain you're able to retain all rights to your book (foreign, film, audio, hard cover, paperback, and ebook). This is extremely important. Never give or sell any of rights away to a book you're publishing through POD process. Second, determine how quickly you can cancel this agreement. Ideally, cancellation should be immediate. Cancellation clauses will benefit you if your book should get picked up by a traditional house or if you decide to switch publishing companies. Your time to market, meaning time it takes them to format your manuscript into a book and get it ready for sale, will vary. Generally, you should see a completed book within ninety days, or in some cases, even less. This turnaround is incredible when you consider it takes a traditional house about twelve to eighteen months to get a new title ready for sale. As with anything, there are drawbacks to this form of publishing. One of biggest issues with print-on-demand is that there is a no-return policy in place for these books. Returns are a crucial part of doing retail business in U.S. In fact, a whopping 35 percent of merchandise purchased is returned. Still, authors are finding ways around this issue. Some place books in specialty shops because these stores have a lower return factor. Others sell books on-line. Some bookstores will even carry a non-returnable book if demand exists. Secondly, this form of printing is more expensive than traditional trade paperback model. Generally, POD books will be priced higher. Their price is often determined by page count. As print-on-demand machines become more efficient and per-page printing costs decline, POD book prices will drop. Many have already decreased considerably from where they were a year ago. Despite obstacles, there are many success stories emerging from this industry and many more are finding their way to success everyday. Here are a few titles you might recognize that were (or are) POD books: •"Legally Blond" (1st Books) •"The Idiot Girls' Action Adventure Club" (iUniverse) currently on New York Times bestseller list •"The Pearls of Stone Man" (Xlibris.com) was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 2002 With on-demand publishing, what was once a dream can now be a reality. In an industry that is saturated with exceptional talent, advent of these publishers has afforded authors an opportunity that might otherwise not be available to them. It is an opportunity millions are taking advantage of. For some, it's a way to finally see their book in print. For others it's a road to publishing success. Print-On-Demand Publishers: http://www.iuniverse.com/ http://www.1stbooks.com http://www.traffordpublishing.com http://www.infinitypublishing.com http://www.xlibris.com Penny C. Sansevieri The Cliffhanger was published in June of 2000. After a strategic marketing campaign it quickly climbed ranks at Amazon.com to #1 best selling book in San Diego. Her most recent book: No More Rejections. Get Published Today! was released in July of 2002 to rave reviews. Penny is a book marketing and media relations specialist. She also coaches authors on projects, manuscripts and marketing plans and instructs a variety of coursing on publishing and promotion. To learn more about her books or her promotional services, you can visit her web site at www.booksbypen.com. To subscribe to her free ezine, send a blank email to: mailto:subscribe@booksbypen.com Copyright 2004 Penny C. Sansevieri
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| | Using The Right PDAWritten by Catherine Franz
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Yet, three principles prevail no matter what your association to meaning of writer appears. They are PDA, for short. No, not PDA you carry around in your pocket. But PDA a writer needs to carry around in heart. P=patience D=discipline A=action The patience to allow our writing to mature with practice. To push just enough to keep us uncomfortable yet still allow us to keep trying. The discipline to sit still long enough to get it started and completed. The discipline to keep picking up pen, putting another sheet of paper in printer, or buying new keyboards because last one certain keys just plain gave out. Action to keep vision and dream alive for one more time, one more word, one more story, one more meaning. Remember, next time you want to write more or write better. Don't pull out your PDA from your pocket, but pull out ones that really count from your heart. The ones that truly affect your ass(ets), patience, discipline, and creative action.
Catherine Franz is a Marketing & Writing Coach, niches, product development, Internet marketing, nonfiction writing and training. Articles: http://www.abundancecenter.com blog: http://abundance.blogs.com
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