The basic business model of the book publishing industry remained largely unchanged between the Great Depression and the turn of the Millennium. Print a lot of books, try to get them reviewed so that stores would stock them on consignment, advertise, then hope that they don't come back as returns. Small imprints and self-publishers were reduced to begging distributors to accept their titles at discounts of 60% or more, and were expected to accept returns in any condition and quantity. Print-on-demand book publishing, combined with short-discount distribution and Internet marketing, is turning the publishing business on its head. For the first time, authors are finding that they can launch their own publishing businesses and earn more from their writing than they would with a major trade publisher. Small imprints can invest their scarce resources in acquiring, designing and promoting new titles, rather than gambling on tons of books that cost money to keep in inventory. This book details the new method with which authors and publishers alike can use POD to cut costs and increase profits, while reaching new readers through the magic of Internet marketing.
This book lays this groundwork, then proceeds through the practical steps of how to have your book manufactured, distributed, and publicized. All of the other self-publishing books talk about these things, but this book actually gives you the nuts and bolts of how to go about it.
The author is able to give you these specifics because he has self-published several successful titles himself. He actually shows you the financial results from his previous books and explains why today print-on-demand is the best option for most authors -- instead of going through a subsidy press or even a trade publisher.
Morris Rosenthal wrote "Print-On-Demand Book Publishing" to help authors and self-publishers develop a new and more profitable business model of book publishing using Print-On-Demand (POD) book publishing technology.
Rosenthal writes: "Print-On-Demand allows publishers to print commercially competitive books a single copy at a time, a true revolution in the basic publishing model. .... This means there is more opportunity than ever for new authors and publishers to break into the business."
The first section of "Print-On-Demand Book Publishing" discusses traditional trade book publishing. Rosenthal gives readers a solid understanding of the economics of modern book publishing and how it works against authors and small publishers.
Rosenthal characterizes trade book publishing by 1) Large, offset press runs of books, which tie up thousands of dollars in inventory and run a substantial risk of leaving authors and publishers with books that don't sell; 2) The need for publishers to give distributors large trade discounts (typically 55% or more of the retail price of the book goes to the distributor) to receive adequate distribution; and 3) the need to accept book returns.
Rosenthal tells us that conventional book publishing is based upon a business model that developed during the great depression and it hasn't changed much since then. To allow bookstores to afford inventory during the depression, publishing became a consignment business. Today, because of POD technology, Rosenthal says authors and small publishers have a better alternative.
"POD does not obey the economics of traditional offset publishing...[,]" writes Rosenthal. Using Ingram's Lightning Source (LS), Rosenthal develops a business model where authors and small publishers can utilize POD printing and fulfillment capabilities to operate a publishing company with little capital investment and essentially no inventory. The cost to get started is only a couple of hundred dollars and full book distribution is achieved. All distribution and drop shipping can be handled by LS in Rosenthal's model.
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