Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #68188 in Books
• Published on: 2004-05-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 176 pages

Synopsis
The basic business model of the book publishing industry remained largely unchanged between the Great Depression and the turn of the Millennium. Print a lot of books, try to get them reviewed so that stores would stock them on consignment, advertise, then hope that they don't come back as returns. Small imprints and self-publishers were reduced to begging distributors to accept their titles at discounts of 60% or more, and were expected to accept returns in any condition and quantity. Print-on-demand book publishing, combined with short-discount distribution and Internet marketing, is turning the publishing business on its head. For the first time, authors are finding that they can launch their own publishing businesses and earn more from their writing than they would with a major trade publisher. Small imprints can invest their scarce resources in acquiring, designing and promoting new titles, rather than gambling on tons of books that cost money to keep in inventory. This book details the new method with which authors and publishers alike can use POD to cut costs and increase profits, while reaching new readers through the magic of Internet marketing.

Customer Reviews

Limited use outside USA
I bought this book having read the recommendation of other reviewers but failed to note that most were based in the USA or outside UK. The book contains much that is useful general background about POD systems and many of the business tips are applicable in a general sense. However, it is written specifically for an American audience using the US publishing system. All of the links and references are for US users. That said, this is a clearly written, snappy guide to the ins and outs of POD.

This is a second edition of the book, published in the US but printed by Lightning Source UK Ltd, the UK arm of an international POD printing company. There might have been a missed opportunity for that UK business to work with the publishers to produce a UK-specific book?

Good Book on POD Publishing
Before I read this book, I had already published three books. When I saw that Steve Weber recommended it, I had to see why. The book contains so much information about POD publishing, and the author writes about it as a business. He gives you a case study of one of his books. If you're not interested in the business part of writing books or if you don't like math, you probably won't like this book.

The author first starts out with the basics of publishing. He explains how trade publishing works, and eventually moves on to POD publishing. One of his best tips is to have a subtitle that "describes" what the book is about. Being creative with a subtitle will backfire on you. Most POD published books are pushed with Internet marketing. So a detailed subtitle makes the book more findable.

Rosenthal explains that your website should not be an advertisement to anything. I agree. Nobody wants to read an ad. You're better off giving excerpts of your book for free on your website.

One thing that could've made this book better is how to format your book in MS Word. Although he does recommend Aaron Shepard's "Perfect Pages."

Brandon Simpson

Indispensable
This book is an indispensable guide to the subject of Print on Demand (POD).

As someone who is now into POD, but never knew anything about traditional publishing, I particularly enjoyed his explanations of how traditional publishing works, and he provides a compelling, well-presented case for the cost-effectiveness of the POD route in comparison.

You can also try "Aiming at Amazon" by Aaron Shephard. I don't know either of these authors, but every time I read these two books I find some new points I can apply to my own self-publishing site adpublishing.eu.