POD: Priceless Service or Writer Beware?

In the writing world, some publishers consider themselves POD, which means print on demand, and these companies can print small quantities of books quickly and efficiently. Print on demand publishers can mean a number of things for you. First, POD services are sometimes used by publishing houses to print advanced reader copies. They’re also sometimes used by small presses as a more economic solution to printing.

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The type of POD service I want to talk about today, though, is self-publishing. For a fee, POD companies will print a small copy of any book you pen, even if it is poor quality. You can sell these books for a profit, but it isn’t the same as working with a traditional publisher. Self-publishing POD companies don’t take any risk when it comes to selling the book. You pay them, they print, and you’re on your own to try to make your money back.

I personally know a number of people who use POD publishers to self-publish. I also know a lot of writers who call these services scams. So is POD a priceless service that is much-needed in the publishing world or should writers beware?

Some POD Pros:

Before I talk about POD companies negatively, let’s think about the advantages here. Most companies aren’t scams – and by that, I mean they won’t steal your money. However, you have to know what you’re buying when you place your order. If you do your homework, you shouldn’t be surprised with the POD process. Here are some advantages:

• There’s no “quality control” when it comes to self-publishing with a POD company. In other words, you can’t be rejected, as long as you have the money for the service. Content? Doesn’t matter, as long as you follow your country’s laws (ex, POD companies won’t get behind a project that promotes kiddie porn or organized crime). There are a lot of writers out there who create really quality content, but just can’t seem to find an agent or publisher. POD services allow you to get your book out there, at least on a small scale.
• If you’ve published a book that is now out of print, you can use a POD company to start circulating copies again. Make sure that this is permissible under your publisher’s contract, of course! Check out your title on Amazon and eBay. If there seems to be a bit of a demand for it, but your publisher isn’t interested in printing again, POD might be the perfect way to make a few extra dollars on the old text.
• With POD, you won’t be stuck with a huge back stock of books. While you’ll pay a little more per book for the printing, POD might be the only affordable option if you want to self-publish. Some POD companies even print single copies as they are ordered, so there’s no out-of-pocket money on your end. It’s better than paying thousands of dollars and having box after box of your book fill your garage until you can sell them and recoup your money.

Why POD isn’t Perfect…

Ok, while there are some advantages to POD services, I want to highly caution you against getting into self-publishing unless you truly understand what you are doing. Otherwise, you could find the experience leaving a very bad taste in your mouth. Remember, every POD company is different, so you have to dig a little for information on every company you consider using.

Here’s why POD self-publishing probably isn’t a good idea:

• You have to do all of your own promoting when you self-publish. The POD company doesn’t have any risk in your book like a regular publish does. In other words, they don’t really care if you book sells or not, and they aren’t going to contact retailers, advertise, or otherwise promote you book for you. That’s all up to you. What does that mean? You’ll likely sell fewer copies. In fact, according to the research I’ve done, most self-publishing authors only sell copies to friends, family members, and other people they know. There are some breakout successes (such as The Shack), but you shouldn’t expect to sell thousands of copies when you go the POD route. You just don’t have the promotion power of a publishing house.
• With POD, be very aware of how much money you’ll make per copy sold. You may have to set the price of your book higher than you originally planned just to make up for your losses. When you account for the number of copies you’ll sell and the time you spent writing the book…is it really worth the effort? A word to the wise as well – beware of hidden fees. Research each company thoroughly so you know what you’re paying and when.
• POD books may not compare, quality-wise, to other books. If possible, ask for a sample from the company so that you know exactly what you’re printing. Be aware that POD companies usually don’t do any editing work either, which means that if you have typos in your manuscript, those typos will end up all over your book as well.
• You won’t increase your value as a writer with self-publishing. Some writers say that having a POD book or two makes them more legitimate in the eyes of publishing houses, but I’m sad to say that it simply isn’t true unless lightening strikes and you’re one of the very few to have crazy success with your self-publishing attempt. They won’t look down on you or anything…but don’t have grand illusions that suddenly everyone will want you just because you have a book in print.
• Know your rights – your copyrights that is! When your use a POD service, you might be signing away some of your rights to your text. Contracts with POD companies can be pretty shady, so read the fine print carefully. Stick to a company where you maintain all of your rights to the text.

Above all, if you go with a POD service, be realistic about what to expect in terms of sales, profit, and work involved. The only way to have a moderate level of success is to do a ton of legwork – promote you book on related blogs, advertise online, and convince local retailers to carry copies of your book. If you’re willing to do that and really want your name in print, though, POD may be a perfect option for you.