What is POD Publishing? Should I consider it?

An Article by Bettie Corbin Tucker

Traditional Publishing

Traditional publishing is done through the use of offset presses in which there are plates and film involved.  In other words, printers take camera-ready copy, and print the pages,  using  plates and ink to obtain clear, clean pages that will then be bound.  Once the pages roll off the press with the various color of inks, the operators then begin the time-consuming job of cleaning the machinery in preparation for their next job.   Therefore, while the printer is in operation, it is more efficient to print a large quantity of pages.  The greater the number of books printed, the cheaper it is for the customers.  Some printers actually print additional pages for future binding if they believe there is the possibility of additional book orders.  And why not since it literally costs nothing extra, other than the minimal expense of the paper and ink! In all cases, the plates are kept by the printer for future printings. Let me emphasize that if you are self-publishing your book using traditional  printing,  you should print enough copies to take advantage of the lower costs. This allows you to sell your book to your customers at a very reasonable price and still make a profit.  You may pay several thousand dollars upfront, (depending upon the size of your book and the quantity printed), but you will have all the books in your possession for immediate fulfillment of orders.  You, if self-publishing, are responsible for fulfillment!  This is the way  that the larger mainline, traditional  publishers usually get their books into print for their contracted authors.

Print on Demand (POD)

With the advancement of modern technology, authors have been given the opportunity to publish their manuscripts using a POD printer or publisher.  This can be very beneficial to authors who have limited capital to invest in their work.  Compared to an offset press, this method uses a higher speed direct-to-image electrostatic process with a toner blend that reproduces photographs well.  There is no film or plate. To the average eye the book looks fine; to the educated eye, there is a difference.  What you are really comparing is toner based printing (POD) VS. offset press printing.  With Print On Demand publishing, an author can initially invest less than $500 as a setup fee.  The fee varies, depending upon the publisher or printer and what they are offering.  There is nothing wrong with publishing your book via a POD publisher as long as you understand all of the facts.  A POD publisher or printer fills orders only as needed.  When someone orders a book, it is printed and then shipped to the customer.  The retail price has to be high enough to cover the printing costs of the book and allow both the publisher and  author some profit on each one sold, even after meeting the various discounts that are demanded by wholesalers and online bookstores.  The advantage is that authors/publishers don’t have to pay money for the printing until the book is actually sold, so there is no money required after the initial setup fee.  However, other  than family members and friends–customers may not be willing to pay this higher  amount. 

Source:   BookReviewers.org

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