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By EIRENE JANUS
Photo by Verde Otaared
Dulcie Mills recently gave a Library Buzz talk explaining different publishing options that are available to up and coming writers. Here are some of the highlights of that session:
Wikipedia defines Print on Demand as
a printing technology and business process in which new copies of a book (or other document) are not printed until an order has been received. "Print on Demand" developed only after digital printing began, because it was not economical to print single copies using traditional printing technology such as letterpress and offset printing.
Note that POD is not exclusive to self-publishers. Traditional publishers sometimes also use this method of printing for reprints.
Here are a few links to articles about POD publishing:
http://www.wwwriters.com/podwhat.htm
http://www.andybrain.com/extras/pod.htm
http://www.publishondemand.net/article.asp?ArticleID=1
POD vs. Traditional Publishing
There are pros and cons to publishing with both POD (print on demand) companies and traditional publishers.
The pros are:
TIME - Much quicker to get into print. Depending on POD, average time after submitting ms (manuscript) is 4 weeks to 6 months.
CONVENIENCE - No agents are required, most of the contact with publisher can be done through email or postal mail, all publishing services are provided or available for additional charges.
FLEXIBILITY - Most authors are not restrained by editorial changes (in most cases, the manuscripts are printed exactly as the author submits it which can be a con if there are errors) . Also, authors can provide their own covers and artwork or use the services of a graphic designer (sometimes at an additional charge) to design the cover. In most cases, the author has almost total control over the design and content of the book.
LEGALITIES - Books published by POD allow the author to retain all rights so that they are free to sell the work elsewhere or even get a contract with a traditional publisher.
PHYSICAL PRODUCT - Unlike a query letter or synopsis, a printed book is a much better "advertisement" of your work to potential agents, publishers, reviewers, etc.
The cons are:
COST - Although charges for publishing books through POD can start as low as $99, some POD publishers charge as much as $10,000 or higher to print a book, and much of this cost is not recouped by the author. In either case, unlike traditional publishers, there are no advances and usually pretty low royalties unless books are purchased directly through the POD publisher (this varies per company). However, in comparison to traditional royalties, the profit margin is usually not too different.
SALEABILITY - In some cases, books published through POD are looked down upon or compared to those published by vanity presses. Some booksellers also will not carry these types of books or allow reviews or book talks that feature POD books. I believe, however, that this may change in the future as POD services will be more accepted and commonplace.
PUBLICITY AND MARKETING - Although even with traditional publishers, most authors need to push their own books, with POD publishers, this is much more of a necessity, as most of these companies do not provide marketing or PR or charge additional for these services. Also, most publicity for a POD book is done through the Internet, as many bookstores prefer not to carry POD books.
POD Companies
Here are a few popular companies that offer POD services. This list is not an endorsement or recommendation for any of these companies.
Iuniverse
XLibris
Lulu.com
*Booklocker.com
Outskirts Press
BookSurge (through Amazon.com)
*This is the company Dulcie chose to print her book, "Cloudy Rainbow."
The full transcript of the talk is on the next page.
[17:25] IM: Abbey Zenith: Library Buzz Session - Dulcie Mills on Publishing! Debbie De Louise (Dulcie Mills in SL) will present a buzz session on publishing on Tuesday, January 13, at 5:30 PM SLT. Debbie (Dulcie) is a reference librarian at a public library on Long Island and the author of "Cloudy Rainbow," http://www.booklocker.com/books/3754.html, a romance novel featuring a virtual world that she published through Booklocker.com, a POD (Print on Demand) publisher. She will share her experience with and information about POD publishers vs. traditional publishers and then answer any questions the audience may have.
[17:35] Dulcie Mills: I think January is a good time for this talk,
[17:35] Dulcie Mills: as it is the beginning of a New Year and a few of you may have made a resolution to finally publish that bestseller.
[17:35] Dulcie Mills: Well, I want to point out that this discussion will not be on "how to get published in 5 easy steps."
[17:35] Dulcie Mills: I also want to say that I am not an expert.
[17:35] Dulcie Mills: I have had some of my writing published both the traditional way and through a Print on Demand (POD) publisher,
[17:35] Dulcie Mills: so what my talk tonight will focus on is my experience publishing my first novel, "Cloudy Rainbow"
[17:36] Dulcie Mills: that I decided to publish through Booklocker.com, a POD publisher.
[17:37] Dulcie Mills: First, a bit of background about myself.
[17:37] Dulcie Mills: My real life name is Debbie De Louise, and I'm a reference librarian at a public library on Long Island.
[17:37] Dulcie Mills: I've always been interested in writing and worked on my college newspaper and graduate school newsletter,
[17:37] Dulcie Mills: and I also published articles for magazines for several years after I became a librarian. But my main love has always been fiction.
[17:37] Dulcie Mills: Before computers became popular, I handwrote or typed full-length manuscripts that I never had the nerve to try to sell.
[17:38] Dulcie Mills: I wrote them because I simply loved to write.
[17:38] Dulcie Mills: About ten years ago, I had a short story published in a mystery anthology and never saw any royalties from it.
[17:38] Dulcie Mills: There were about 20 other contributors, some very well known names, and the book didn't sell well.
[17:38] Dulcie Mills: I took a break from writing after that and wasn't sure I would ever go back.
[17:38] Dulcie Mills: Not because I hadn't become rich and famous from that one story but because I got very busy with other pursuits, my career, and also had my daughter four years ago.
[17:38] Dulcie Mills: What brought me back to writing was Second Life.
[17:39] Dulcie Mills: When I joined nearly two years ago, I got a position with the Metaverse Messenger as a staff writer and found that this was my way of contributing to a virtual world.
[17:39] Dulcie Mills: As I got back into the habit of writing, I found it was something I'd missed very much. And then I lost my cat.
[17:39] Dulcie Mills: That was the impetus for me to start writing fiction again.
[17:39] Dulcie Mills: By putting him into the book, along with my newly discovered virtual world and a fictionalized account of my college years on the student newspaper,
[17:39] Dulcie Mills: I was able to cope with some of the pain of his loss and also relive some of the happier times we'd had together.
[17:39] Dulcie Mills: So when I'd completed the book, the next step was to find a publisher and that's where tonight's talk starts.
[17:40] Dulcie Mills: As most of you know, the publishing market is extremely competitive.
[17:40] Dulcie Mills: Without an agent, a first-time writer has less of a chance of seeing his or her work in print than winning the lottery.
[17:40] Dulcie Mills: But many agents will not represent new authors, and those that do are so overwhelmed by query letters that they often take months to reply to each one.
[17:40] Dulcie Mills: So what does a first-time author do?
[17:40] Dulcie Mills: Today, thanks to technology and the Internet, there are other options available to authors besides the traditional route of sending out multitudes of submissions hoping for that one letter of acceptance by an agent or publisher.
[17:41] Dulcie Mills: One popular option, and one that is beginning to gain more acceptance, is self publishing through a POD - print on demand publisher.
[17:41] Dulcie Mills: These companies, often started by editors from traditional publishing houses or by online booksellers such as Amazon.com, each have a variety of services to offer an author,
[17:41] Dulcie Mills: a wide range of prices and royalty percentages, and different requirements from those who sign up with them.
[17:41] Dulcie Mills: Most of these details are outlined in the contract the potential author is asked to agree to when submitting his or her work to be published by that company.
[17:41] Dulcie Mills: Let me give a quick list of what services most POD publishers may offer and what other considerations a person thinking about this publishing option may want to investigate before choosing one POD publisher over another.
[17:42] Dulcie Mills: First, most POD publishers allow you to retain all your rights, but some don't.
[17:42] Dulcie Mills: This might be an important consideration to you if you think you might want to sell your work elsewhere in the future, possibly to a traditional publisher.
[17:42] Dulcie Mills: Another thing to think about when looking for a POD publisher is what they are offering vs. what you are getting.
[17:42] Dulcie Mills: Some of the very large POD publishers such as XLibris and Iuniverse sell a variety of packages that include different things.
[17:42] Dulcie Mills: For instance, they may throw in bookmarks or free books or some editing or proofreading services or they may choose to sell these extras like an ala carte menu with charges for each additional service.
[17:43] Dulcie Mills: In any case, you should see if the charges for these services are reasonable and not above what you'd pay for them elsewhere.
[17:43] Dulcie Mills: You should also ask yourself whether you really need these extra services and if the money you might spend on them would be wiser to be invested elsewhere.
[17:43] Dulcie Mills: When we talk costs, there are several things to consider -
[17:43] Dulcie Mills: the cost of publishing the book which can range from $99 to $10,000 or more but usually averages around $1,000 (I paid around $500 which included my cover design),
[17:44] Dulcie Mills: the cost of purchasing author copies of the book,
[17:44] Dulcie Mills: the percentage of royalties you will make from each sale of the book purchased from the publisher,
[17:44] Dulcie Mills: and the percentage of royalties you will make from each sale of the book purchased from third party sellers.
[17:44] Dulcie Mills: For instance, for my $17.95 book purchased from Booklocker, I make $6.95 which is actually pretty good compared to many other POD publisher royalties.
[17:44] Dulcie Mills: But if someone purchases a copy of my book from Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com, I only make around $3 per copy.
[17:44] Dulcie Mills: What's also interesting is that sales from other than the publisher are not reported to me for four months, so I have no way of knowing how my book is selling on Amazon or other booksellers for this length of time.
[17:44] Dulcie Mills: I am not sure if the same is true of traditional publishers, but I do believe that royalty checks are usually paid on a quarterly basis.
[17:44] Dulcie Mills: If I sell the book myself, I make a profit over what I pay for author copies.
[17:45] Dulcie Mills: In my case, I would pay $13 for a copy of my own book including shipping unless I buy a large quantity of books and then my per book cost is lowered, although shipping charges may increase.
[17:45] Dulcie Mills: So I actually do the best if someone buys my book directly from the publisher, but that is usually the case with most POD publishers.
[17:45] Dulcie Mills: If you think those rates are low, though, they are comparable if not higher than the royalties paid by traditional publishers.
[17:45] Dulcie Mills: The difference is that traditional publishers usually pay an advance to an author and, of course, the author does not pay anything toward the publishing cost of the book.
[17:45] Dulcie Mills: There are lots of other considerations when looking for a reputable. And reasonable POD publisher, but the bottom line is that there are many to choose from, so you should shop around, research them, and ask lots of questions.
[17:46] Dulcie Mills: Two of the main advantages of using a POD publisher are that you can get your book on the market faster, and you have more control in most cases over what goes into it
[17:46] Dulcie Mills: (POD publishers do little if any editing which can be both a positive and negative thing).
[17:46] Dulcie Mills: I see self-publishing through Print on demand companies as a trend that will become more favorably looked upon as technology continues to impact how written material in its various forms is delivered to the reader.
[17:46] Dulcie Mills: As a side note, through my research, I was also surprised to find that POD is not used exclusively by self publishers but has also begun to be used by traditional publishers in some cases such as for reprints.
[17:46] Dulcie Mills: That about sums up my experience, and although I've had a favorable one, I am not endorsing or recommending Print on Demand publishing to anyone.
[17:47] Dulcie Mills: If you are lucky enough to land an agent to represent you and/or a traditional publisher to print your work, I'd say go for it.
[17:47] Dulcie Mills: Otherwise, know that today you have choices than to wait around and have your manuscript grow old.
[17:47] Dulcie Mills: Any questions/comments?
[17:47] Abbey Zenith: How much work is it to market your book yourself? Time consuming?
[17:48] Dulcie Mills: That's a good question, Abbey
[17:48] Dulcie Mills: Even an editor who is published through a traditional publisher needs to do some marketing
[17:48] Dulcie Mills: but for self publishers it is even more important
[17:48] H3 Turbo: do you own your ISBN or does the POD company?
[17:48] Dulcie Mills: It also depends on what you want. There are some people who only print books to share with friends and family.
[17:49] Dulcie Mills: That's a good question, too, h3.
[17:49] Tornad Oh: Did your POD set you up with Amazon, etc? or did you have to do something?
[17:49] Dulcie Mills: If you purchase the ISBN yourself, it is yours, but if you get it through the company, it is connected with them
[17:49] Ethelred Weatherwax: What do the publishers do to help you market your book?
[17:50] Dulcie Mills: I got mine through Booklocker, so I would need to get another if I ever publish elsewhere
[17:50] Veronica Piers: So Dulcie then are the terms POD and self-publish the same thing in all cases
[17:50] Dulcie Mills: someone asked how the publisher helps you market the book
[17:50] H3 Turbo: I am interested in getting my book onto Amazon.........but have not been able to find a seller to carry it............does your POD sell it on Amazon or do you have an account
[17:50] Dulcie Mills: some do a lot, others less
[17:50] Dulcie Mills: but some also charge additional
[17:51] Dulcie Mills: Veronica asked about POD vs. self publishing, if they are the same
[17:51] Dulcie Mills: POD is a method of publishing
[17:51] Dulcie Mills: it is print on demand which means that instead of printing thousands of copies of a book
[17:51] Dulcie Mills: only the number requested are printed
[17:52] Oronoque Westland: other than the possibility of proceeds, would you say why you opted for POD over publishing to the web please
[17:52] Dulcie Mills: so usually, when you self publish, you do it through print on demand, but there are other types of self publishing
[17:52] Dulcie Mills: I'm not sure of that question, Oronoque. When you say, publish to the web, you mean why I wanted a print copy?
[17:53] Oronoque Westland: yes
[17:53] Dulcie Mills: I also have an ebook available, as well
[17:53] Dulcie Mills: I love books. I'm a librarian -- lol
[17:53] Veronica Piers: The reason I ask, I know someone who self-published a YA/tween book and book awards w/not consider it because it was not reviewed in a professional journal and was self-published
[17:53] Veronica Piers: And that's a great marketing tool, journals I mean.
[17:54] Dulcie Mills: that's another drawback to self publishing
[17:54] Tornad Oh: do you plan to mail copies to known reviewers in your genre
[17:54] Dulcie Mills: that it is hard to get reviewed professionally
[17:54] Dulcie Mills: I have started to do that, Tornad
[17:55] Dulcie Mills: I have been lucky in that two newspapers may run articles, my local paper definitely
[17:55] Tornad Oh: what else, local radio and bookstores?
[17:55] Dulcie Mills: bookstores are hard. Most promotion for POD is done online
[17:55] Veronica Piers: Dulcie is this an adult book?
[17:55] Dulcie Mills: many bookstores, larger ones, do not look favorably on them and won't even consider them for book talks
[17:55] Dulcie Mills: yes, it is, Veronica. It is a romance
[17:56] Dulcie Mills: however, smaller bookstores may and libraries, of course
[17:56] Veronica Piers: we love author visits
[17:56] Dulcie Mills: but when you review the note card, you will see the pros and cons
[17:56] H3 Turbo: is your book in any libraries
[17:56] Dulcie Mills: I have tried to outline them
[17:56] Dulcie Mills: right now, my book is only in my library.
[17:57] Dulcie Mills: it is on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc
[17:57] Tornad Oh: how did it get on Amazon and Barnes&Noble
[17:58] Veronica Piers: Dulcie do you think it would be the same for a picture book?
[17:59] Dulcie Mills: My main intention when I wrote the book was not to make money off it. If I break even, I'll be thrilled. But it was a very important book to me.
[17:59] Oronoque Westland: I am really ignorant in this area...what is the advantage of using one of the POD-ers vs. using a commercial printer
[17:59] Dulcie Mills: Interesting question, Veronica. I really can't say, but I imagine so.
[17:59] Ethelred Weatherwax: Can I answer that one? it's volume
[18:00] Tornad Oh: pls explain
[18:00] Ethelred Weatherwax: A commmercial printer is not an economical option unless you are printing large quantities -- thousands
[18:00] Dulcie Mills: exactly, Ethelred
[18:01] Ethelred Weatherwax: Whereas POD can print a handful of books economically.
[18:01] H3 Turbo: did your POD put it on it is on Amazon, Baker & Taylor, etc.
[18:01] Dulcie Mills: Yes, H3. They did.
[18:01] Dulcie Mills: But some other booksellers have picked it up, too
[18:01] Ethelred Weatherwax: Think of running one copy of a page on a photocopier as opposed to having a printer make a copy on a printing press. That one copy would probably cost $20!
[18:02] Dulcie Mills: I am told it goes through Ingram.
[18:02] Dulcie Mills: but I have found my book listed online in places I've never heard of
[18:03] Oronoque Westland: Dulcie, did you have to provide a photo-ready copy or was the layout, etc., done by the POD-er?
[18:03] Dulcie Mills: I don't understand that
[18:03] Dulcie Mills: Everything was done by the publisher, Oronoque
[18:03] Dulcie Mills: I only provided some photos for the cover
[18:04] Oronoque Westland: that would be another advantage over using a print shop
[18:04] Dulcie Mills: my real life photo on the back, and Dulcie's on the cover
[18:04] Dulcie Mills: Yes, the publisher handles quite a bit
[18:04] Dulcie Mills: I did work with a graphic designer for the cover
[18:04] Dulcie Mills: and had to pay additional for it
[18:05] Dulcie Mills: but the designer was connected with the publisher, and the cover is mine
[18:05] Dulcie Mills: I have all rights to it
[18:05] Oronoque Westland: it is a very creative cover
[18:06] H3 Turbo: so you own your ISBN number............that is the only way to have full rights to your book
[18:06] Patricia Paris: Have you thought about submitting your book for consideration by awards committees, at ALA and elsewhere?
[18:06] Ethelred Weatherwax: ISBN has nothing to do with rights
[18:06] Dulcie Mills: thank you. I had to fill out information for the design and my vision for the cover, and he put it together based on that
[18:06] Abbey Zenith: They did a great job Dulcie!
[18:06] Dulcie Mills: I have to look into that, Patricia, but I don't know which ones it might qualify for
[18:06] Ethelred Weatherwax: The ISBN number belongs to the publisher, however. if you get a new publisher your book gets a different ISBN
[18:06] Dulcie Mills: thanks, Abbey. I was quite pleased
[18:07] Dulcie Mills: that's right, Ethelred. You are quite knowledgeable
[18:07] H3 Turbo: who ever owns your ISBN.....is like your agent..........and they tell you......what you make.....or even put on the cover
[18:07] Tornad Oh: did you get the copyright or did the publisher make the application
[18:07] Dulcie Mills: ISBN is ordering info the book
[18:07] Ethelred Weatherwax: I've published my own books
[18:07] Dulcie Mills: I'm not sure that's right H3. The book is identified by the ISBN
[18:08] Dulcie Mills: for ordering purposes
[18:08] Veronica Piers: like 0-618- etc. is Houghton Mifflin/MLittell
[18:09] Dulcie Mills: As said, I'm not an expert here. Some of you may know more.
[18:09] Tornad Oh: did you get the copyright or did the publisher make the application?
[18:09] Dulcie Mills: That was taken care of by the publisher
[18:09] H3 Turbo: ISBN...........is a number that defines the book agent..........and the lawyers are written that the agent can not be changed
[18:09] Ethelred Weatherwax: copyright is automatic -- you don't have to do anything.
[18:10] Eddie Tylman: Thank you.
[18:10] Tornad Oh: there is an application I thought
[18:10] Dulcie Mills: that's correct, but you can file for it
[18:10] H3 Turbo: remember the laws were not written by the poor authors..............but by large print houses
[18:10] Dulcie Mills: there is an application
[18:10] Dulcie Mills: You do learn a lot from this process
[18:11] Ethelred Weatherwax: It costs money to register a copyright -- and you only have to do it if you plan top take action against someone for violation
[18:11] Dulcie Mills: I never realized how little authors made -- lol
[18:11] Veronica Piers: very interesting Dulcie and how exciting to publish a book
[18:11] Tornad Oh: Did you send a copy to the LOC
[18:11] Dulcie Mills: thanks, Veronica
[18:11] Dulcie Mills: No, I didn't, Tornad
[18:12] Dulcie Mills: I never considered that
[18:12] H3 Turbo: the laws on copyright............make it so you do not even have to copyright anything............mail it to your self and have the postal person........stamp the seal
[18:12] H3 Turbo: with the date
[18:12] Dulcie Mills: there's really a lot to learn, and I'm still doing research on it
[18:13] You: I'll be happy to talk to any of you if you contact me by IM, and I also have a new website
[18:14] Dulcie Mills: www.debbiedelouise.com
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Books & Publishing 
Bookstacks, on the island sim of Awen (the name means 'poetic spirit' in Welsh), is fast becoming one of the central venues for literary events and discussions in Second Life. Run by the genial Kghia Gerardi and Simeon Beresford, it has recently formed an alliance with the U.K. Writer's Guild to enable that latter group to have a more high prim space than they had in their former open sim. Thus Harriet Gausman's Writer's Guild events now join with the already impressive roster of events hosted by Bookstacks to make Arwen the place to landmark if one is in any interested in the literary side of SL. 
From these beginnings as a venue for book-related discussions, Bookstacks has grown to encompass other activities. For example, it now hosts the poetry readings of Poetry Libre, hosted by the present writer and Serene Bechir, and this event regularly fills the very cozy pub environment next to the cafe. In fact the cafe itself has SL books for sale, which could mean, at some future time, that people will be able to listen to poetry and buy the works of authors that they are interested in. 
Experiencing literature in Second Life can take various forms and a great amount of time. Many Sims dedicated to giving readers the opportunity to explore the settings of their favorite reads tend to be too ambitious in scope. That mistake has not been made with Splendour Lyonesse, a series of Sims dedicated to recreating the fictitious homeland of Aravis from C.S. Lewis’ "The Horse and His boy."
Beginning at Calavar, the visitor encounters one of Meriman’s poetry pieces 
entitled Azmara surrounded by a Moorish themed sim complete with colorful mosaic textures, marble statuary and long outdoor reflecting pools. As an ode to "The Chronicles of Narnia," Calavar transitions easily into Splendour Lyonesse through the presence of a beautiful castle on the mountain with a ghostly Aslan the lion standing guard at the front entry. If you explore the Calavar area carefully, you will also discover four small thrones awaiting the Pevensie children. The Sim then continues into the residential areas of Logres, followed by the shops of Pendragon. All of these connected areas flow beautifully by incorporating fantasy elements alongside art consistent with ancient Roman, Moroccan, and Egyptian motifs. 
Don’t limit your explorations to above water only. Pendragon offers many underwater ruins and magical elements including an underwater version of Stonehenge. 