Curious about POD

I was curious about Print on Demand Publishing so I googled it. I chanced upon the blog above and I thought I'd like to share my comments. Look him up. I don't know him but I think he knows what he's talking about.

My comments on his blog
Chanced upon your blog. Print on Demand Books - Lulu - publishing the first three chapters of your ms - Do you think this is going to be the trend in future publishing? Just curious November 11, 2007 5:51:00 PM -12:00

George said...

"Not sure about future trends. Most writers think they want to be published only to discover what they really wanted was to be read. Paying a company like Lulu or iUniverse to print copies of one's manuscript to give to friends and family may be initially satisfying but unless it leads to sales . . . So, I don't know what the future will bring. It's up to writers to make that future. I recall some web service sponsoring a new Stephen King novel in installments some years ago but I believe it was a flop commercially. Not sure why. My guess is people expect things in cyberspace to be free, and when they're not they go elsewhere.

"A new writer has to be at least as creative in marketing as in writing.

"Selling a PDF version of your ms online might be fruitful but it would be difficult to protect against piracy. Keeping the price low would help, but it's no guarantee you won't lose substantial sales. Years ago I marketed a shareware software package and heard about its proliferation in places for which I had no record of sales. And the price was so low a number of registered users sent me more than I asked because they felt guilty paying so little. At the moment, at least, I think traditional publishing is the best way, but it's also the most difficult for untested writers.

"Years ago, I interviewed novelist Taylor Caldwell on the subject of writing. One of her more common sense points was that editors are always looking for new talent because that's how they make money. The market, in other words, is only crowded at the bottom, not the top. Another writer I know has been busy writing articles to get name recognition, at the advice of an editor who rejected her novel about Nathan Hale. Joanne K. Rowling had a dream and is now living it -- way beyond it -- but apparently she's very talented, though I've never read any of her Harry Potter books.

"Thanks for stopping by my blog."

George
November 12, 2007 3:10:00 AM -12:00