If you would not be forgotten
As soon as you are dead and rotten
Either write things worth reading
Or do things worth writing.
– Ben Franklin
“Poor Richard’s Almanac”
Quoting a Founding Father, Ellen Mitchell writes in current issue of Newsday that there are nearly 50,000 self-published authors in the United States today. Withe the advancement of “print on demand” or POD, many more would-be authors are taking the next step in seeing their ideas in print. The big three POD players, according to the article are Xlibris, iUniverse and AuthorHouse.
“According to John Fidler, marketing manager at Xlibris, authors submit a manuscript on a disk and opt for a package of services ranging from $500 to $1,600. Xlibris then follows a POD process, which is typical for such publishers,” writes Mitchell.
“The manuscript is checked over by Xlibris staffers and laid out in several different formats using a software package. A digital file of the manuscript is created and sent back to the author for possible changes, and a new set of proofs is then created. The cover is designed separately from one of a variety of templates, which the author selects. Once again, the author reviews everything before a final printing file is created … What makes the POD process so efficient and cost-effective is that the digital book file is stored in a database, ready to be reprinted as needed. If three copies are ordered, just three copies can be printed and shipped.”
While the new technology has allowed many more authors accomplish their dreams, there still exists a stigma attached to such works, writes Mitchell. Many such books are not reviewed in newspapers are magazines. Do you think this is right?
