Edited by author 01-06-2002 05:08 PM
Although I don't feel as intensely about it as Jeffrey does, my issue with POD is that the best way to sell a book is to put it in someone's hand -- either in person, at a zine fair or whatever, or via a bookstore.

Considering the time that someone's put into writing a book, investing a thousand dollars to do a 500 copy print run seems reasonable. But I am very interested in hearing what people who have tried it feel...

Print-on-demand publishing is an industry whose time has not come. iUniverse is run by a cretin by the name of Richard Tam, who cares nothing about the quality of books. Both Xlibris and iUniverse have shoddy track records in terms of delivering their books.

Jeffrey Yamaguchi has written a polemic, but his ideas are very strong. It is a situation where the author should really beware. The production values of iUniverse books stink, and there is always the danger that they will not be delivered at all or months late.

POD capability is still intriguing. One day, the chains and the large independent bookstores will have machines that will be able to print out single books in seven minutes. The technology exists today, but it is not cost effective and there are no visionaries in the POD field.

In the future, POD will make it possible that no books will have to go out of print. This is thrilling from an intellectual standpoint, but authors should be careful. If you are publishing with a traditional house, read your contracts well. They may hold to your electronic and POD rights forever.

Hello Jim et al :-)
Sorry it took me so long to respond to your e-mail. I've been out 'marketing' my POD book! I too enjoyed the panel at the Northwest Bookfest immensely. It was great meeting everyone. I'm putting a link at the end of this e-mail to an article I did on POD.

For the most part my feelings are still positive about taking the POD route. I did a national radio show yesterday, The Barry Farber Show...and I have to say the subject of who published the book never even came up. He reviewed the book on its merits, saying it was a book of extraordinary power. The interveiw was a stellar experience. I got tons of hits on my website and numerous emails from his listeners. He interviewed me like I am a 'real writer'. The credibility of the book came from the work itself.

I must say I agree with Dylan Foley about Richard Tam. In fact, during my process with iUniverse I wrote him an incredibly disparaging letter. However, one man does not a company make. Ultimately the iUniverse staff worked with me, rather than against me, and I got the book I wanted. It's actually quite beautiful. But it is important to mention that I was a little like a pit bull when it came to the design, layout, and look of the book.

Marketing it has been no more difficult than a traditional publishing house marketing gig, but it has been infinitely more rewarding .... there is no big conglomerate buffer between the readers and the author. I have enjoyed the contact! The downside has been, and continues to be the dilemna of the bricks and mortar book stores. It is nearly impossible to get a POD book into them. I'm not convinced, yet, that this is a permanent condition. I just think it will take an 'applied effort' from those of us taking this road to get book sellers to realize there are ways to go about this new process that will ultimately be lucrative for them, and that will cut down on returns and burns! :-) The 'applied effort' will have to come in the form of media exposure, reviews, awards, and the like for writers who choose this path. Think Print on DEMAND -- we have to increase the demand. Here is the link to the article on POD that I wrote for Seattle Writergrrls called Print on Demand: Not For The Faint Of Heart http://www.seattlewritergrrls.org/2001i3_pod.htm
I look forward to a continued dialogue with you all about this timely and oh so controversial subject.
Christine (C.J.) Macgenn
http://www.oneleggedcricket.com
"Nothing ever ends, something new just begins."
                   Ulysses O. Niveus

Thanks, Jim, for inviting us to discuss POD and the issues it raises (as well as the issues it helps resolve!). I must say my own POD experience has been entirely positive, albeit with frustrations and obstacles because we're helping redefine the publishing and bookselling industries. The real challenges are on the commercial, the business front - credibility comes from having a credible book editorially, and then the next challenge is earning, or compelling people to give you, business credibility by getting into the industry's face. Why should things run "the way they always have"? Well, they shouldn't - and they can't, and won't, much longer. I think POD is a genuine harbinger of a sea change we're already experiencing.

Leah Kohlenberg and I edited a second POD title in November, a sequel to 09/11 8:48 a.m., an essay collection titled Dispatches from a Wounded World. That book is just beginning to be promoted and sold, and presents both a marketing challenge in its own right and an opportunity, because it gives fresh impetus to the first book. Also, see the very gratifying article below from the December 29 issue of The Guardian, which indicates that at least some in mainstream publishing and journalism are starting to "get it" about the direction of book publishing. The article appeared as one of three on a full page devoted to how September 11 affecting the publishing industry.

09/11 8:48 a.m. and Dispatches from a Wounded World are available online from http://www.booksurge.com and http://www.powells.com

Best regards, Ethan Casey
editor@blueear.com

"Deadline ... yesterday"
John Sutherland
The Guardian
Saturday, December 29, 2001

... And publishing could do with a boot because, oddly enough, while everything else has got faster, the manufacture of books has, particularly in the last decade, slowed down. There was a time when books moved in the fast lane of history. In the Victorian age, a novelist such as the young Dickens would write his books in weeks and have them in print in months. Penguin "specials" during world war two controlled the current-affairs debate with titles like Why Are We Fighting? Now the machinery of publishing - the commissioning, selling, designing and marketing of the object that eventually arrives in the shops - makes books move at glacial speed.

There are exceptions. Less than three weeks after the twin towers atrocity, www.BookSurge.com produced 09/11 8.48am: Documenting America's Greatest Tragedy. It was on sale within the month. The content of the 320-page book (a traditional ink and paper job) is choral. It brings together dozens of witnesses, weaving their voices into a complex narrative. It is, essentially, a bundle of stories. And, as in Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, people have become the incarnation of their stories.

On one level, 09/11 8.48am looks like a spontaneous reaction of the kind that led bereaved New Yorkers to plaster city walls with posters, advertising missing loved ones or mourning their loss. But this book has been subjected to stringent editing; it's not a web jamboree. It's a "made" thing, not a happening. The result is not something merely "fast", in Gleick's sense. It is something complete - more complete (because truer to the event) than if it arrived next Easter. 09/11 8.48am accommodates the "shock of the new" at journalistic speed, and with journalistic fluidity, yet still has the monumental authority of "the book".

The "creators" (as they label themselves) were Ethan Casey, editor of the electronic journal Blue Ear, and Jay Rosen, chair of the NYU journalism department (a few hundred yards from Ground Zero). They have functioned like conductors of an orchestra, blending others' talents into unity. One is obliged to think analogically, because there has been nothing quite like this before. The big question, of course, is: does 9/11 8.48 am represent a paradigm shift, as Thomas Kuhn called it, or is it a "one-off" - as unique as the outrage that inspired it? ...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4326432,00.html

*

My address has changed from knack@med.unc.edu to prizzolo@earthlink.net
 
Mail sent to my former address is forwarded, but it takes forever.
 
I was excited to see the ongoing discussion of the pros and cons of POD. I was an enthusiast until Xlibris slapped us with a price increase that virtually priced my trade paperback out of the market. The bookstore price of $21.95 is outrageous and makes it clear to me that Xlibris doesn't really believe our books will sell through retail outlets. Their real market is the author!
 
I've had four readings/signings, one in my old home town in New Jersey, and three locally here in Chapel Hill, NC. Since publication in April 2001 I've sold a paltry 300 books (not counting the ones I bought for family and reviewers.
 
My greatest frustration is getting my book reviewed. Even my hometown paper turns up its nose on POD.
 
Incidentally, following my appearance on the panel, I began thinking about a website that would offer a service to writers. I now have a registered website domain called, writersmedicalconsultants.biz The website is still under construction but should be coming online in the next few weeks.
As a physician I'm often asked by writer friends to comment on some medical aspect of their short story or novel. I have discovered that I can almost invariably improve on the accuracy and believability of a particular medical situation or scene.
 
Getting back to POD, I am not going that route again. I am currently trying to market a collection of children's stories, a screenplay and a recently completed memoir. The query letters will flow from my residence like milk and honey in the promised land. Somewhere out there is an agent or publisher who will be as enthusiastic about my work as is my dear wife, Alyce.

Edited by author 01-20-2002 09:31 PM
I have to agree with Mr.Jeffrey Yamaguchi and Mr. Peter Rizzolo...

I put my first project with GreatUnpublished, (where I thought my book was going to be ready in 10 days, which proved to be false)...

The standard turnaround time was changed to 3 months, as they realized it took longer than expected...(and I believe they were receiving complaints...according to Publisher's Weekly)...
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My book was finally finished...and sent to me..(in 3 1/2 months--which, to be fair, is a nice looking book)...however...the wait was disappointing...

In that same time, I ordered an authors copy (to take Jeffrey Yamaguchi's suggestion to order a copy to see how long it would take--once my readers find my book)and it was received in two weeks...(Mind you, GreatUnpublished stresses a 48 hour turnaround)...
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Moreover, my friend in Japan, who ordered the book from the GreatUnpublished is still waiting on HER order...(which was made in late-November of last year)...

For myself, I ordered 10 author's copies in December (on the 3rd) to dispurse out to reviewers and such...and found myself waiting until the middle of this month of January...
(Again, like Jeffrey Yamaguchi did with iuniverse.com, I emailed...called the office...even wanted a refund...)

I was told I couldn't get a refund due to the 48 hour turnaround of my order..(Hmm, if the order is supposed to be withing 48 hours...why am I waiting for nearly 2 months for my order?)
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I sent a complaint to Better Business Bureau, and even sought legal advice as to what to do...

However, once I recieved my books(with one extra copy), I chose to "breakit off" with GreatUnpublished, and go ahead with republishing the book with a printer...

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POD has a ways to go, but those behind it, such as: Xlibris, iuniverse, and GreatUnpublished, have to make that effort also...

There are a lot of good independent authors out there who believe these Print-On-Demand companies are tools to get a project to the masses in a short and/or reasonable amount of time...

Unfortunately...

I'm the author of the "Print-Non-Demand" piece, and I'm glad to see the posts here about POD. It's a topic that needs to be discussed, and I hope that it further informs people who are considering POD as a publishing option.

Ethan Casey posted to the board and mentioned two POD books that he edited: "09/11 8:48 a.m." and "Dispatches from a Wounded World." While I think that these two books sound like great projects, I do not think they should be held up as positive examples for why POD is a good publishing route to go for the average author out there.

Be sure to read "The Instant Book that Wasn't by Elizabeth Manus at Salon.com about the "09/11 8:48 a.m." book:
http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/2001/10/...sta_book/print.html

Here is a choice piece from the article:
"Why would a print-on-demand publisher stockpile 10,000 copies of a book, and thus disavow the statement at the back of the book that "09/11" was an on-demand paperback? Simple: BookSurge was sure that a book this timely would be in high demand. So, deviating from its typical process, BookSurge did a webpress print run, churning out 36 books at a time (regular offset printing usually handles 72) instead of one."

I mean, is the "09/11 8:48 a.m." book even a print on demand title? 10,000 copies stockpiled? Give me a break. It's downright pathetic - and says a great deal about the state of the POD industry - when even POD publishers opt to go with a press run in the thousands.

Also, the article makes clear that people at the highest levels at BookSurge were involved with this book. It got the kind of attention that most POD authors do not get from their POD publishers...

I will say, however, that it is these kinds of efforts that will one day turn POD into a more viable option. But for now, and for the next few years, it further proves to me that POD is a bad publishing option for the average author out there trying to get his or her work published.

I'd just like to make a couple more comments here. First, Jeffrey, your reference to hacks and positive POD experiences was a little harsh. I had a challenging but ultimately rewarding POD experience. I'm not a hack, I'm a professional writer, and I published my book this way for very specific and what I consider to be political reasons. Even though I had won a fairly prestigious award for 'one-legged cricket' when it was in screenplay form, none of the major New York houses wanted to take a chance on it. Why? Because they didn't know where to place it. Their marketing departments couldn't nail down the audience. It's an inspirational little gift book -- the audience is very broad. So, frustrated, because I really believed in the book, I took the ball into my own hands. Now, I have a gorgeous little book about heartbreak and healing, loving and letting go right at a time when books of that nature are in demand, no pun intended.;-) It is easy to point out all the pitfalls of this new frontier in publishing, and it serves writers well to be as knowledgeable as they can if they choose POD. But, to my mind, POD needs our support. It is a viable way for writers to take control and get their work out there. Yes, I feel a little like Daniella Boone out on the wild frontier, but so what? Why not participate in carving out a new future for writers? I'd rather do that than just sit around and swallow the way it is. I think what Ethan's publisher did was admirable. They anticipated a market, so they prepared for it. I had fits and starts when my book first came out...it took longer than I'd hoped for people to get copies, but then as sales went up, that changed. I think POD deserves a fair chance...and in order for it to succeed I think more serious writers, not fewer, are going to have to venture down this road.

Just found this forum, and believe I have something to contribute. I worked on the development team for Xerox, which created the Book-In-Time version of the POD process, now in place in the Bertelseman print empire. The formula itself is not a terribly difficult one, anyone with tech questions fire away.<p>

TO say that POD has been smudged with the dirt of 'vanity press' is an understatement, and there are lots of POD printers out there who are more than happy to collect a fee for outputting complete and utter crap. Until a POD publishing house that operates like a more traditional publishing house (nurtures authors, maintains personal relationships, takes chances, purchasesprinting rights up front) comes along and kicks commercial ass, nobody is going to take POD seriously as a venue.<p>

And lets not forget that if you do print yourself, you lose the sale of those 'first print' rights to anyone else, so make sure your piece is worth it.<p>

I know it can be done, but who is going to do it?<p>

Christopher

I was recently in a chatroom run by POD authors who I dilligently asked for help in understanding how much out of pocket expense I'd need to plan for IF I decided to go the POD route.

Any time I mentioned my biggest dilemma: no advance means no marketing money for me, the hounded me about how traditional publishing houses won't help me market, instead of answering my questions.

I left feeling totally negative about publishing at all. I want my book that I've slaved over for four years to be published (I've earned it!!!) but I don't want to make a bad decision when it comes to getting it out there.

I have yet to query publishing houses, but the agents I've queried have given me very nice (not form) rejection letters and two have requested the full manuscript (which they are reading now), so I don't feel as if I'm in a position of extreme urgency . . . yet.

However, this article was more informative than anything THEY told me, which I can guess is to be expected. I'm not ignorant of the pitfalls of any publishing endeavor, but I was really torked that all THEY wanted to do was bad mouth the traditional publishers (and me at times, I was called "Stupid") instead of answering my carefully worded questions. I know that regardless how my book gets published, that I will be responsible for the marketing (and I sort of look forward to that, if you can believe it) I simply wanted to know what financial commitment I needed to make, and they wouldn't answer.

SO, now that I've had a chance to rant about all that. I'd like to give my sincere appreciation to Jeffery Yamaguchi for telling it as he sees it. THANK YOU!