Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America

Image of a coffee cup, piping hot!

SFWA

PRINT-ON-DEMAND SELF-PUBLISHING SERVICES

writerbewareimage3

Links checked/Page updated: 2/20/10

Print on demand (POD) is the commonly-used term for the digital printing technology that allows a complete book to be printed and bound in a matter of minutes. Digital printing makes it easy and cost-effective to produce books one or two at a time or in small lots, rather than in larger print runs of several hundred or several thousand.

Digital printing has a number of applications. Commercial and academic publishers use it to print advance reading copies, or when they can’t justify the expense of producing and warehousing a sizeable print run–for instance, to keep backlist books available. Small presses use it as a more economical fulfillment method, trading minimal startup costs against lower per-book profits (due to economies of scale, digitally printed books have a higher unit production cost than books produced in large runs on offset presses). Last but not least, there are the print-on-demand self-publishing services, which offer a service that can be described, depending on one’s bias, as either vanity publishing or self-publishing.

What is a Print-on-Demand Self-Publishing Service?

Print-on-demand self-publishing services (I’m going to call them POD services for short) utilize digital printing technology to provide publishing services to writers. They range from DIY services like Lulu.com, which provides free online templates that allow anyone to upload and format a book, to super-fancy (and extremely expensive) publishing packages that include editing, custom cover design, enhanced marketing, and other extras.

A few POD services are free, but most charge a fee, ranging anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand dollars. They don’t typically screen submissions; if they do, it’s usually only to exclude pornography or hate literature. If you want to go beyond the basics (formating, printing, binding, ISBN numbers, and listings with online vendors such as Amazon), and add editing, proofreading, custom design, marketing services, and the like, you will either have to purchase these extras separately–either from the POD service or an independent provider–or trade up to a more expensive package.

Most POD services’ contracts take only nonexclusive digital and epublishing rights, and can be terminated at will. Low-cost POD services such Lulu.com and Createspace let authors set book prices and control profits, but most services determine prices based on printing costs, and pay the author a specified percentage.

POD services call what they offer self-publishing–but there are important differences between a POD service and true self-publishing.

  • Control. With true self-publishing, the writer controls all aspects of the publishing process, from cover art to print style to pricing. With POD services, choice is typically limited to the package of services the publisher offers.

  • Revenue. With true self-publishing, the writer keeps all proceeds from sales. With POD services, the service keeps the lion’s share of sales proceeds to offset printing costs, and pays the author a percentage–either a percentage of income (a royalty) or a percentage of profit. Basically, you’re paying twice: once upfront, and once with each book produced and sold.

  • Rights. With true self-publishing, all rights remain with the writer, who has full ownership of his/her books, including the ISBN number. With most POD services, the POD service owns the ISBN, and has a limited claim on digital and/or electronic publishing rights.

In practice, POD services more closely resemble vanity publishers–which is how they’re widely regarded by professional writers and publishing people.

Top of page

Pros and Cons

For writers who don’t want to go through the submission process required by commercial publishers, or who aren’t concerned about sales volume, or who want to produce a family memoir or genealogy or recipe book for private distribution, a POD service can be an excellent option. The best of them provide attractively-designed books at a far lower cost than traditional self- or vanity publishing (although costs are steadily rising, and some of the fancier POD packages are eye-poppingly expensive), and offer many of the same benefits, including guaranteed publication and the absence of editorial interference. Also, since the book is produced only when ordered, you don’t risk winding up with a garage full of unsold volumes.

POD services offer an opportunity to established authors seeking to bring their out-of-print books back into circulation. A number of POD services offer programs specifically targeted to such authors, often in association with professional writers’ groups. The Authors’ Guild, for instance, has teamed with POD service iUniverse for its Back In Print program, and the American Society of Journalists and Authors offers a similar program via ASJA Press.

A POD service can also be a good option for niche nonfiction projects. These can be a tough sell for commercial or academic publishers, but they can do well for the motivated self-publisher who has a way of reaching his or her audience, and is able to devote time and money to marketing and promotion. Writers who can exploit “back of the room” situations may also do well with a POD service–someone who lectures or conducts workshops, for instance, and can sell books at these occasions, or a restauranteur who wants to make a cookbook available to his or her customers.

If you’re a new writer looking to establish a career, however, a POD service is probably not a good choice, except possibly as a fallback option for a manuscript that has failed to find a home. POD services’ policies on pricing, marketing, and distribution severely limit their books’ availability (see the Issues section, below), and are likely to result in tiny sales and readership, even for authors who diligently self-promote (see the Sales Statistics section, below). It’s unlikely that a book published by a POD service will be considered a professional publishing credit, or that, as many authors hope, it will provide a springboard to commercial publication (according to a 2004 article in the New York Times, out of the 10,000 or so titles published to that time by POD service Xlibris, only 20 had been picked up by commercial publishers).

If you spend time on the Internet, you will probably encounter people who are eager to dispute this. They’ll tell you that self-publishing is the way of the future. They’ll claim that the stigma traditionally associated with paying to publish has all but disappeared, and that it’s becoming ever more common for self-published books to be acquired by bigger publishing houses. They’ll often be able to point you to a news story about a writer who parlayed self-publishing into a lucrative commercial contract.

But like the hype from self-publishing “evangelists,” articles about self-publishing success are often biased, inaccurate, or overstated (see Writer Beware’s analysis of one recent example). And there’s nothing new about big publishers picking up self-published books that sell robustly–just Google What Color Is Your Parachute? or The Christmas Box. As for the self-publishing stigma–unfair though it may be in many cases, it is alive and well. Check out this extensive list of media responses to the question, “How do you feel about self-published books?”

As noted above, a POD service can be an excellent option for some writers and some projects. For others, however, it’s not the right choice. What’s important is to know the facts, assess your goals, and make an informed decison. There are some suggestions for doing that below.

Top of page

Sales Statistics

The average book from a POD service sells fewer than 200 copies, mostly to “pocket” markets surrounding the author–friends, family, local retailers who can be persuaded to place an order–and to the author him/herself. According to the chief executive of POD service iUniverse, quoted in the New York Times in 2004, 40% of iUniverse’s books are sold directly to authors.

POD services’ own statistics support these low sales figures. AuthorHouse’s online Fact Sheet reveals that it has signed up more than 40,000 authors, and issued more than 60,000 titles. According to a January 2009 article in the New York Times, AuthorHouse reports selling more than 2.5 million books in 2008–which sounds like a lot, but averages out to around 41 sales per title.

iUniverse’s 2005 Facts and Figures sheet, which Writer Beware has seen, reported that the company published 22,265 titles through the end of that year, with sales of 3.7 million: an average of 166 sales per title. Obviously some titles can boast better sales (Amy Fisher’s If I Knew Then sold over 32,000 copies)–but not many. A 2004 article in Publishers Weekly reports that only 83 of more than 18,000 iUniverse titles published during that year sold at least 500 copies. And in a 2008 article in the New York Times, iUniverse’s VP, Susan Driscoll, admitted that most iUniverse authors sell fewer than 200 books.

As of 2004, stats for Xlibris were similar. According to a Wall Street Journal article, 85% of its books had sold fewer than 200 copies, and only around 3%–or 352 in all–had sold more than 500 copies. Things looked up in 2007: according to Xlibris’s own internal reports, obtained by Writer Beware, 4% of its titles had sold more than 1,000 copies. However, the averages still aren’t good. As of mid-2007, Xlibris had 23,000 authors and had published 23,500 titles, with total sales of over 3 million–around 127 sales per title.

Once independent companies, AuthorHouse, iUniverse, Xlibris, and Canada-based Trafford Publishing are now all owned by Author Solutions Inc. In the January 2009 New York Times article referenced above, Kevin Weiss, Author Solutions’ CEO, put the average sales of titles from any of the company’s brands at around 150.

Lulu.com, one of the most popular and cost-effective of the POD services, and still independent despite the apparent trend toward consolidation, is explicit about its long tail business model. In a 2007 interview, its founder, Bob Young, identified the company’s goal: “A publishing house dreams of having 10 authors selling a million books each. Lulu wants a million authors selling 100 books each.” He also admits that the average Lulu “print run” is fewer than 2 copies.

Top of page

Issues to Consider

In addition to the lack of sales and credibility discussed above, there are a number of issues to consider if you’re thinking of using a POD service.

  • Booksellers don’t like dealing with POD services. E-commerce currently accounts for about 20% of book sales. But brick-and-mortar bookstores, especially the large chains, still represent the most significant single sales source. For volume sales, most books require a balance of online and offline presence.

    By long tradition, booksellers are accustomed to a particular set of buying protocols–discounts of 40% or more, 60- or 90-day billing, and full returnability. Many POD services don’t offer industry-standard discounts, and most require that orders be pre-paid. And while some services do offer returnability if authors pay an extra fee, it may be a restrictive policy that booksellers won’t find attractive. Along with the widespread prejudice against self-published books (see above), these factors make most booksellers reluctant to stock a book from a POD service.

    Authors who are willing to go door-to-door can be successful in persuading local bookstores to stock their books (though often they must sell on consignment, or agree to buy back unsold copies). By and large, however, books from POD services, like ebooks, are available mainly online.

  • Your book will receive only wholesale distribution. Most POD services claim to provide “worldwide distribution.” And generally they do, through wholesalers such as Ingram, Baker & Taylor, and Bertram. But wholesalers are only half the distribution picture. The other half is a distributor with a sales team that sells books directly into bookstores. Without that direct sales component, brick-and-mortar booksellers will never know your book exists, unless you tell them yourself (though they will be able to order it if someone asks for it specially). This is a frequent source of disappointment for POD authors, who often assume that wholesale distribution equals bookstore presence.

    For a more detailed discussion of the differences between wholesalers and distributors, see this post from Writer Beware’s blog.

  • Your book will not be marketed or publicized in any meaningful way. As has already been mentioned, POD services aren’t publishers, but purveyors of publishing services to writers. Their primary interest is in selling their service to you. Selling your book to readers is of secondary importance. A listing on the company’s website and with various online booksellers, as well as inclusion in a wholesaler’s catalogue, is all the marketing many POD services provide. If you want more, you must arrange it yourself.

    Many POD services offer marketing packages or media kits for an extra fee. But prices can be enormous, and packages tend to be based on minimally effective methods such as press releases, postcard mailers, mass solicitation of media contacts, or group ads in magazines and newspapers (for a more detailed discussion of the inadequacies of these marketing techniques, see the Writers’ Services page). They’re usually a complete waste of money.

  • Books from POD services are unlikely to be reviewed in professional venues. Good reviews in major newspapers and magazines, as well as trade journals like Publishers Weekly and Library Journal, can be a boost to an author’s credibility, and, sometimes, to sales. But as noted above, reviewers are wary of self-published books–plus, many trade journals will only review in advance of publication, and POD services rarely produce galleys or advance reading copies.

  • Books from POD services are expensive. POD services base their pricing on the amount of paper it takes to print the book. While some do let you set your own cover price, in most cases your book will cost more–often a lot more–than a similar book from a commercial publisher. Readers may balk at paying $25 or $30 for a trade paperback-size book, especially when its commercially-printed counterpart costs around $16.

  • Books from POD services may be of poor physical quality. POD-produced books can be almost indistinguishable from traditionally-printed trade paperbacks. But some POD services skimp on paper and cover stock, and don’t pay enough attention to production standards. Books from these companies can be shoddy in appearance, with covers that curl and pages that fall out as you’re reading them (a good reason to order a book or two from any POD service you’re thinking of using). POD-produced books are also typically bound with a narrow spine, so that they look more like pamphlets than books.

  • There may be extra expenses. The basic cost of a POD service can be increased by additional costs not included in the initial package: renewal fees, distribution fees, extra charges for non-template cover designs, charges for corrections in proof, etc. Be sure, when you’re assessing a service, to check for these kinds of costs.

  • Your contract may be nonstandard. In commercial publishing, contracts vary in their particulars, but tend to share a basic boilerplate. With POD services, there’s no standardization. Many of the services offer decent contracts, but others are not so author-friendly. Look for a contract that’s nonexclusive, time-limited, terminable at will, and pertains only to digital and electronic rights.

  • Royalty income may be less than you think. POD services typically base royalties not on a book’s retail price, but on its net price–the retail price less discounts and/or the publisher’s overhead (sometimes not specified, so you’re not sure exactly how much will be deducted). What looks like a high royalty percentage may not actually work out to a lot of money.

  • Problems and delays are possible. Some POD services have trouble with timeliness in book production and order fulfillment. One of the biggest, AuthorHouse, is the subject of frequent complaints about customer service. Before choosing a service, it’s a good idea to scout for complaints, and to contact writers who’ve used the service.

  • A trend toward consolidation? Consolidation, which changed the face of the commercial publishing industry in the 1980’s and 1990’s, appears to have come to POD services. In 2007, Author Solutions, the parent of AuthorHouse, acquired rival POD service iUniverse. In early 2009, it purchased another rival, Xlibris, and shortly after that, it acquired the assets of Trafford, yet another rival. Is this a trend, or just one company expanding? It’s too soon to tell, but still something to be aware of. As choices shrink, so does the pressure to compete, and decreased competition does not benefit consumers.

  • Ignore the hype. POD services often portray themselves as a revolutionary new publishing model that’s opening up a world of opportunity for writers locked out of the market by the narrow standards of the monopolistic commercial publishing industry. Heady terms like “paradigm” and “democratization” are tossed around. POD juggernaut Author Solutions has even recently begun attempting to rebrand itself as an “indie publisher” (see Writer Beware’s debunking of that particular weasel wording). But there’s nothing new about paying to get published–or about the opportunity it offers, which is mainly for the publishing service to make a profit. Most of the traditional difficulties faced by authors who vanity publish are duplicated in the POD self-publication model.

    More troublingly, some POD companies are quite deceptive in the way they present themselves and their services, implying a greater potential for success than actually exists, glossing over the challenges of POD self-publishing, and overstating the value of the overpriced, ineffective marketing services they sell. When researching POD services, it’s important to remember that you are a consumer buying a service, not an author contracting with a publisher. As with any consumer service, the sales pitch is intended not to benefit you, but to motivate you to buy.

Top of page

If You Decide to Use a Service

Go into it with your eyes open. Consider all the issues and challenges identified above, and factor them into your plans.

Take stock of your goals. Be sure that a POD service is a good match for them.

Have a plan. Know what you want to accomplish by self-publishing. Draw up a list of what you’d like to receive from a POD self-publishing service. Decide what you’re able to spend–and don’t fail to include self-promotion in your budget. Decide how much time you can devote to your project, both before and after publication. Being clear on these things ahead of time will make it easier for you to evaluate POD services and decide which one to use.

Do your research. Make sure you carefully read POD services’ websites–including contracts, which are usually available online–so that you know exactly what’s being offered. Many authors miss extra fees, for instance, because they don’t take enough time to peruse the fine print. Don’t forget to order a couple of the service’s books, so you can assess physical quality and ordering efficiency.

Check out the services’ reputations–not all are reliable (there are resources below to help with this). If possible, contact other authors who’ve used the services you’re considering to find out about their experiences. Be careful of brand-new startups–you’re probably best off if you stick with larger, longer-established services, even if they’re a bit more expensive.

Keep your expectations realistic. Know the possible limitations–and, depending on your situation, the possible advantages–of POD self-publishing, and understand what it is and is not likely to accomplish for you. Writer Beware gets many complaints from authors who believe they’ve been scammed by self-publishing companies, when in reality it’s their expectations that were faulty–whether because they didn’t read their contracts carefully enough, or erroneously assumed that self-publishing was a ticket to commercial-style success.

Top of page

Links

Finding a Service and Checking Reputations

  • Clea Saal’s Books and Tales website provides comparisons of a number of POD services, as well as a series of articles on the stages of the POD self-publication process (note: Writer Beware has received complaints about several of the companies listed here, including companies that this site rates highly, so be sure to do some extra research).

  • Dehanna Bailee’s Print-on-Demand Database also offers side-by-side comparisons.

  • Mick Rooney’s POD, Self Publishing and Independent Publishing blog provides detailed reviews of many POD services, as well as news and commentary on the world of digital publishing.

  • Successful novelist Piers Anthony maintains an internet publishing resource that lists and describes electronic and POD-based publishers, and flags those that have problems or are the focus of complaints.

  • E-mail Writer Beware. SFWA has assembled a large archive of documentation on publishers that engage in questionable practices. Send us the names of any POD services you’d like to know about, and we’ll summarize for you any data that’s in our files. If we have no information on a publisher, we’ll let you know that too.

  • Preditors and Editors provides lists of agents and publishers, with “not recommended” notations to indicate those that charge fees or engage in other writer abuses.

  • The message board at Books and Tales offers discussions about POD services. Writers who are having problems often post there, so it’s a good place to check up on a POD service’s reputation.

  • Another good spot to research the reputation of POD services: the Bewares and Background Check area of the Absolute Write Water Cooler. Check the index to see if the service you’re interested in has already been discussed.

  • Google Groups is a searchable database of Usenet newsgroups, with message archives dating back to 1981. Writers often post publisher questions or complaints to Usenet. If you’re uncertain about a POD service, do a search on its name here to see what you find.

General Resources

Writers’ Experiences With POD Services

Top of page
Except for graphics, and where specifically indicated, all Writer Beware contents copyright © 1998-2010 Victoria Strauss

MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT PERMISSION

The material on this website is copyrighted and may not be used without the author's consent.

SFWA® and Nebula Awards® are registered trademarks of
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc.
Opinions expressed on this web site are not necessarily those of SFWA.