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POD and Self-Publishing Options Dwindle for Authors

Hi All,

Even though I am a traditionally published author I do find this new development disturbing. I know that many authors go POD these days and now it looks like things are going to be shaken up in that arena. I support all authors even though I do not agree with POD and self-publishing. So, thus, it's not good news to see the now limited options among POD companies.

I found this on the Writers Beware blog. It's a wonderful blog and it keeps you in the know with industry news. A lot of POD and self-published authors believe the myth that traditional publishing is gonna one day be obsolete. Well, this is not true. The economy has an effect on us all no matter how we're published but this news is one that will shake up POD publishing and those who have relied upon it. It's hard to tell if this is mostly due to the economy or the fact that POD houses now seem to be doing the same model as traditional publishers by being bought out by other companies. Not good news for POD authors. Check blog post below:

http://accrispin.blogspot.com/2009/01/victoria-strauss-author-solut...

http://www.stacy-deanne.net

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That article misses one player in the POD business, CreateSpace.com an Amazon company.
You see, I think the article has it backwards... Publishers will be out of business soon, as will book stores.

Amazon has acquired Audible.com as well. So that, along with their eReader, means they are a major player.

Amazon is working toward a one stop solution for authors, print, audio, e-solutions all in one.

The internet and social networking will act as the marketing tools.

Not only is POD a greener technology, it makes better business sense to not print 100,000 copies of a book BEFORE you know that anyone will buy it. Amazon knows this, and is working toward a solutions for all us writers.

I am using Author House to publish my first book. From there, I will check out the Amazon.com solutions for book number 2.

We all need to keep an eye on all of this because change is definitely coming to publishing.
My publisher, Honesdale Eagle Publishing used Create Space purely for it's POD capabilities. Since they didn't want to own presses which require operators, and inventory which takes up space and incurs up front costs, the choice was good. As the author, I was forced to do a lot more work than ordinary, but once I learned the process and how to work with the tools everything went smoothly.

While the cost efficiency model for POD is wonderful, the marketing part pretty much stinks. Create Space only advertises DVDs on their own site, since books are advertised directly on Amazon. Getting a book to sell is bewildering with millions of books available on the site, I still don't see how an author could ever get to the recommended list without paying some serious coin.
Hi;

I have a guest blogger coming up to post PUBLISHING OPTIONS. She is sharing her wealth of knowledge in hopes authors will save money and earn profits they deserve.

Jo-Anne Vandermeulen
Professional Support Network for Writers
Prolific Writer of Romantic Fiction
http://www.gr5mom2.wordpress.com
I posted a comment on the blog about POD and the technology it represents.

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