Print on demand publishers are springing up all over the place to assist authors with getting their work published.
If you are looking for stay at home mom income, this guide will help you find the right POD publisher for you and explores the cost of self publishing.
Writing a book is a rewarding but tough job.
Once it’s complete, the journey of getting the manuscript into the hands of a reader begins.
As a stay at home mom on a budget, you will want to consider all your publishing options.
One of the most appealing, both financially and aesthetically, is using print on demand publishers.
What is Print on Demand (POD)?
The cost of self publishing can take a toll. If you choose to form your own publishing company and print out the book yourself, you could be spending a considerable chunk of your savings.
Print on Demand, often called (POD), is a type of self publishing, but generally more affordable. Instead of paying to have large amounts of books printed, which you then have to find storage for or tote around, print on demand publishers allow you to print just what you need, making them much more environmentally friendly than traditional publishers.
This type of publisher is able to print orders anywhere from 500 books to just one. It still costs more to make a print on demand book than if you were printing it out yourself. However, the shipping costs, distribution and handling, along with storage fees for the books can be pretty steep as a self-publisher. POD is cheaper overall since you don’t have to worry about those expenses.
Here’s another important factor of PODs to keep in mind when thinking about how to keep the cost of self publishing down: when you publish through a traditional house, they take a percentage of the profit. If you self-publish, you have to wait on the store you are selling it through to send payment. With POD publishers, the money from sales comes straight to you and into your pocket.
PODs help with the cost of self publishing for authors, but they are also assisting other publishing houses, too. Because the quality of POD books has improved in the last few years, even some traditional publishing houses use them to keep sales up for their backlist titles. Small presses use them in conjunction with their eBook sales, as well.
Print on Demand Publishers
Which POD publishers are the best? Here are a few of the top POD companies available.
Lulu
This company is very well known and prides itself on offering competitive printing packages to help keep the cost of self publishing down. They offer several options for getting your book into print, as well as, editorial services.
Many first time authors make the mistake of trying to sell a book that still has lots of editing issues. Taking advantage of editorial options can only boost your sales in the long run.
A huge plus for Lulu is that it also has packages to help with marketing, the toughest part of being an author. A POD that offers a marketing plan is worth looking into.
Visit LuLu
Xlibris
Print on demand publishers have to be competitive with what services they offer. Xlibris falls into that category and then some. Their packages are similar to Lulu’s with editorial options and marketing strategies.
Visit Xlibris
CreateSpace
This company does a little of everything. Interested in publishing book? No problem. Interested in publishing music or scripts for films? CreateSpace can help with that, too.
As far as print on demand publishers go, this is probably the most commonly used one among authors due to their large array of options, affordable prices, and speedy turnaround time.
Visit CreateSpace
Lightning Source
This POD offers great services just like the ones mentioned above. An interesting distinction with Lightning Source is that they also work for traditional publishing houses, as well as small presses, making the expectation of quality work high. They also offer to print books in hardback and paperback.
Visit Lightening Source
Choosing the right print on demand publisher is important to achieve your goals as a writer. As a stay at home mom, you want to consider all publishing avenues carefully in order to keep the cost of self publishing down.
Explore the world of print on demand publishers, and choose the one that’s right for you!