Print on Demand Help

Alexandra

Hi all, this is my first post. I'm currently writing and illustrating a series of children's books and now need a good Print on Demand company. I've tried the publishers route with no success. I like the idea of PoD as I own all my work. A family member who's a professional artist, and has produced a number of books, is helping me put the books together so they look professional.

I like The Choir Press, and have spoken to them so they're contactable and helpful, but can you suggest any others? I was warned to be aware of vanity publishers under the guise of PoD. I think Lulu's one. My sister used them and wasn't happy at all.

Plus any other advice would be great!

Many thanks!

Alex

Carol

Hello Alexandra.

Sorry, I can't make any suggestions. Though I know there were threads on here a few years ago. So try out the search system. :)

ana s

Createspace springs to mind. I haven't used this service but I'm thinking about it so I'd be interested to hear about others' experience of POD.

Tiny Nell

I had a feeling Createspace was from the U.S. and therefore shipping charges apply. To get back a profit some writers have to price their books ridiculously high.

I'm not sure about the U.K. 'Lulu' rings a bell.

Viv

Sometimes it's worth just asking a local printer. If you can produce the print-ready text and a good cover image all they really have to do is print it for you. Don't pay a lot for specialists and editing services etc if you don't need them.

Alexandra

Thanks guys. Since posting this, I discovered this comparison Website:

http://www.booksandtales.com/pod/

I still think The Choir Press is pretty good. I'm currently checking out Virtual Bookworm. See his comments on CreateSpace and their contract here:

http://www.booksandtales.com/pod/pcreatespace.php.

http://booksandtales.com/blog/?p=17

A bit of a worry there!

I don't really want to just use printing as I'll have to do all the distribution and everything myself. Apparently it's not only very time-consuming, and I don't have the time, but can be more expensive.

I'll let you know how I get on. Thanks for your help all!

Alexxx

danfango

I've used Lulu and I'm very happy with the service. Admittedly I've only used them as a printer, but they offer a reasonably quick turnaround and the quality is fine - the printing is very good, the paper is the bright white stuff common to most POD producers (although it could well be different for an illustrated book), the cover is glossy (some people don't like this but it doesn't bother me) and the image is sharp. I found the process of uploading the book and cover, and getting an ISBN quite straightforward. I found their templates for cover and contents easy to use.

They're not a vanity publisher - you don't have to pay anything upfront and there are no minimum quantities. If you just want one copy, that's all you pay for.

My book (an anthology of short stories) was never intended to sell in huge quantities and I don't actively market it very often. I get a few sales via Amazon and have sold several in person. I'm not trying to make a living from it, so my expectations of what they should offer may be lower than those of the person whose website you've linked to.

I've never tried any of the others, though, so can't really offer a comparison of my own.

Good luck with your search!

ana s

That's really helpful, thanks. It can be hard to see through pricing structures to real costs.

Alexandra

Hi all, sorry I haven't got back to you. My hard drive was replaced and I forgot to save my Favourites! I've had a delay and haven't yet started on PoD. I must check out Virtual Bookworm. I'll let you know how I get on.

Alexxx