I just published with a Print-on-Demand publisher. All these little publishing type demands took more time than I thought. I have gained the utmost respect for the publishing house, typesetters, editors, etc.
This is all part of my 2011 transformation. Part of it was to try new things. I had always thumbed my nose at authors who self-published as a cop out. But then I really didn't know enough about the subject to really form an educated opinion. So since January, I decided to reaearch and give it a whirl.
It has been a true education. The whole what-you-see-is-what-you-get process of print on demand has been tedious to get things exactly the way I wanted it. But then, this is part of the experience. From the cover to the font used, was all my decision. I had taken all these little steps of publishing for granted when publishing with the big houses. I have garnered a whole new respect for those hearty few who do self-publish.
Just because I've taken this step does not mean I will not publish with regular publishing houses ever again. On the contrary, authoring and publishing through regular channels is a breeze by comparison.
Because most vanityPOD presses are small, the marketing is all up to me and as is the distribution. To me, the price is too high and the competition is too great. Now, I'm not stopping you from grabbing a copy. I could honestly use the money (can't we all?). Grab It Now Here!
Remember create something beautiful today!
Join the club. Except mine isn't even POD. I do understand the "devil in the details" nature of the self-publishing. I did small print runs for two small devotionals with a printer who does massive numbers of books for big houses. Research is key to finding such help. I knew I was limiting sales to face-to-face and the local indie bookstore. The church office sold them when they were in season (Christmas and Easter). There have been a few sales through my website. All in all, it's been a great experience. I have only a few left and they are paid for. Mind you, I'll not even consider this for a novel!
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