In our ongoing Book Writing Pioneer Live series, Steven Spatz addresses the real reason self-published authors can find major success in today’s publishing marketplace: print on demand.
The self-publishing revolution is not only a product of print on demand technology; rather, in my opinion, it is the main factor that has made self-publishing a competitive choice for authors. From a historical standpoint, you could say that the Gutenberg Press, a moveable type machine that actually made it possible for books to be spread widely, was the catalyst for everything. When discussing the origins of the self-publishing revolution, many people point to innovations like the Kindle, invented by Amazon 15 years ago, and the iPad because with any offset print machine, you need to print a ton of books in order for the economics to work. For this reason, many people believe that the Kindle and the iPad were key components. It's undeniable that the eBook made it possible for millions of unpublished authors to bypass the barriers set up by traditional publishers to get professional book publishing services and distribute their work to consumers. I don't doubt that the Kindle was the catalyst for the revolution, but I don't believe it's the main reason why self-publishing has endured, expanded, and turned into a truly viable choice for authors to pursue a career. However, I think there's another aspect of the story that should be acknowledged for why this revolution is still going strong (and wasn't just a transient digital phenomenon). My three favorite letters: P.O.D. With the sophisticated technology known as "Print on Demand," copies of books aren't printed until the printer receives an order. This makes it possible to print extremely tiny quantities—even just one book—and mail the finished product—perfectly cut, bound, and trimmed—directly to the consumer. In fact, it is a game-changer. We have a handful of these HP Indigo 10000 Digital Presses in use in our New Jersey facility, and we also have an HP 100000 Digital Press currently. These are genuinely amazing machines. Industry stats Simply take a look at some of these industry statistics to see how crucial it is that self-published authors have this kind of access to printed products. In a recent study, readers were questioned about their preferred reading style and format. Only 49% of respondents claimed to read printed books. This percentage has been consistent over the past ten years, fluctuating between 47 and 51 percent, but in essence, half of the reading audience affirms, "I love my ink, I love my paper." That won't be forgotten. I recently went through some files and found articles from 2015 that claimed print will be extinct by 2020, that no one would want physical books, and that eBooks would take over the market. That's certainly not the case, though, as print is still the norm, particularly in the US. Only reading eBooks is preferred by 27% of people. Not a small percentage, but it has never gone much higher than 30%, so that number has also remained the same. However, if you do the math, printed books account for 73 percent of the potential US reading market. For this reason, I make the case that without print on demand, the self-publishing revolution would not be nearly as strong as it is and self-published authors would not have the opportunity to be as successful. What enabled this was print on demand. How does print on demand work? You require file preparation first, just as you would if you were printing a thousand volumes. You will be required to provide print-ready PDF files to every print-on-demand facility. Then, through the Ingram feed, your book will be made accessible online at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and numerous other stores. You must make your book accessible to the public. That's it, then. The work of an author is essentially complete. Of course, there is the enormous task of marketing and promotion, but in terms of manufacturing and fulfillment, your job is done. What follows is what? Your customers can find your book at these merchants or on your own, exclusive website (like Book Writing Pioneer Bookshop). You, the author, are not required to pay anything at this time. The reader has already paid for the book, so you just need to sit back and wait for the process to finish without having to pay a printer or anyone else. New authors frequently ask me, "How much will I have to pay for each print-on-demand copy?" I receive a ton of queries from them. There is no fee to be paid. The retailer orders a book from the printer in the third phase. Therefore, if the order is placed through Amazon and your finished book is stored there, they will ship it from that location. Or, Amazon may hire one of its suppliers to create and deliver the POD on its behalf. The printer will make, package, and send the book directly to your reader if you have a print-on-demand partner like Book Writing Pioneer and your book is sold through your website. POD magic It's incredible to see how well these single orders print out on these HP printers, appearing to be a part of an offset run of 100,000 books. Actually, it's technology at its finest. As a result, the POD magic happens without your involvement after an order is placed. All you have to do is relax, take your money, and figure out how to get more people to order your book from your website. For printing you can hire an affordable book writing company according to your need. With POD, there are so many benefits. Digital printing offers excellent quality control, especially when using premium digital printing equipment. Because it is a digital file and is extremely precise, book number one will exactly like book number 1,001. There aren't a lot of upfront expenses, so you won't have to spend $10,000 on a large run of books and risk having unnecessary inventory. You won't have to store 100 cartons of books in your mother's basement, which will make both of you and your mother pleased. Happy Mother's Day, then. Due to the availability of printed books in addition to eBooks, you may reach roughly 75% of the reading market. Additionally, it benefits the environment because fewer books are produced and a larger collection of unsold goods isn't destroyed. Happy Earth Day, then.
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