On-demand Publishing for Authors and Buyers

Sir once said that the problem with sending published books to the US is the cost of shipment or air freight. To send your book to the US would mean that the price will increase to a 100%. So some people just bring the books individually or in bulk to the US when they travel. Here the problems of excess baggage, customs and travel fees and the loss of convenience and immediate gratification arise.

It's hard enough to find a publisher willing to publish your books, now it'll be harder still to sell them. Well, www.blurb.com, www.lulu.com and amazon through its www.createspace.com found a solution to these problems. Amazon also allow you to create and publish your own dvds and cds. Authors just basically select the book size, bind and cover. Then they upload their manuscript and choose the font and design of the cover. The problem is they don't have editors, but it's alright to correct and check for typhos or grammar later on.

Unlike vanity publishing, in which aspiring authors themselves pay to have their books published, on-demand publishing doesn't have to cost writers a cent. The publishers only produce books after they're ordered and paid for. Economically, it will save on overrruns and other overhead costs.They charge for printing, or take a cut of sales, and they set up payment systems, online bookstores and Web marketing tools. That means you can distribute in many countries and the publishers themselves set up a supersavers shipment system.

This can be a tool to get noticed by big publishers but more people just use this for small scale publishing which is catered to a specific audience. The challenge for authors now is advertising their books. Big traditional publishers have a worldwide base to do that, self-publishing doesn't. Some just order in bulk copies of their own book and stock up local bookstores while arranging their own book signings. Blurb.com helps out by automatically creating widgets that can be dragged and dropped onto other websites. Others just use the internet community as their consumer base. It provides instant access to audiences that share their same interests, like online communities such as blogs, MySpace.com and others to market their works. When you publish a book on a topic, your tag can also be accessed if someone searches on the topic. This allows you to be positioned side by side to literary giants already out there.

On the downside, it is pricier than traditional printing en masse because it is priced according to length and there might be applicable fees to maintain your account there. Looking at the bright side, the quality has improved and can compete with the traditional presses. And counting the pros and cons it is still cheaper than sending books to foreign countries. There will be no problems against the rights of the author because everything is done online and can be accessed by the author himself. His royalties will just be sent to his account and legally, I think this cannot be taxed here in the Philippines. There is no "transaction" that occured in the Philippines when a writer submits his manuscript and it is printed in the States where his buyer resides. There are terms and conditions that will govern the relationship. So the author is still in control if he goes through with it or not by being informed of the provisions of the agreement. He can always choose another. It's another problem altogether if somebody posts or steals anothers manuscript or messes with the sales. Now this can be a subject of cybercrime. The jurisdiction issue is horrendous if based on traditional laws.

Some authors still prefer the privilege and prestige of belonging to a big publishing house. The knowledge that a publisher was willing to publish your book and pay you to write is priceless. Maybe this is a solution to starving artists out there. This is not a sell-out. You publish on your own terms.




Source:
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/technology/AP-Business-of-Life.html?em&ex=1200027600&en=6a7d028c1e77a112&ei=5087%0A