By Daniel Lefferts |
Jun 22, 2014
E-books may be the future of publishing, but print editions continue to make up a large portion of book sales, and, for many indie authors, printing remains a crucial aspect of the self-publishing process.
One of the most popular ways indie authors print physical books is through POD—or print-on-demand—services. The clearest benefit of using a POD service is that authors don’t have to spend money printing large quantities of physical books that customers may or may not end up buying; with POD, authors only have to print as many books as they sell.
Most services also ship to customers directly, which cuts down on delivery time and allows authors to attend to the many other tasks and responsibilities that come with self-publishing. And, because books are always ready to be printed (assuming the contract with the service remains active), titles are never out of stock. Finally, many POD providers offer ancillary services, such as cover design and copy editing, which can be of tremendous help to indie authors who lack the contacts or expertise to manage these aspects of the process on their own.
Beyond these features, which are common to most services, POD providers vary widely in the benefits they provide, the business models they follow, and the fees they charge. Here’s a breakdown of some of the major POD players and the attributes that make each service unique.
For full breakdown, Please click on link above.
CreateSpace
IngramSpark
Lulu
iUniverse
AuthorHouse
Dog Ear
Author News
From: Publishers Weekly