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“I self-published because I know I have a good story to tell, but was tired of wasting my time and money sending out manuscripts, only to receive rejection slips [from traditional publishers].”
Annabelle Berton
Secrets In The Night “I liked the convenience and no-hassle idea of POD publishing. There were no letters to submit, no synopsis review, no agented-only submission guidelines and all the usual hassles you have to go through with traditional publishing. However, traditional publishing, as troublesome as it is, does have its merits. I also liked the speed with which you could have your book, which was super fast considering. I felt in control as well, like I was the captain of my ship, guiding my own destiny (well, at least most of the time). But of course, the best thing of all was the fact that there was no pesky editor involved to alter your manuscript. What you wrote was what got published, which equates more honest work.”
Darline Coupet
Embracing the Horror “After spending hundreds of hours—and dollars—submitting my manuscript to [traditional] publishers I just wanted to see my book in print. I didn’t want to spend a lot of time on marketing because I love to write but hate to sell. However there were friends and relatives who wanted my book. I didn’t want to be stuck with a room full of books nor did I want to invest thousands more dollars into what amounts to my hobby, not a business. And I wanted to get my name out there as a writer, and nothing does that like a physical book.”
Austin S. Camacho
Blood and Bone “I had an agent in Florida for a year. They were unsuccessful in attracting any attention from the six publishers they flirted with. Since I had a substantial investment in time, I decided the story was worth publishing in some form, and I had already mentioned the book to enough friends that they were beginning to ask when was my book going to be published, and how could they get a copy? It was sufficient incentive to move forward. That’s when I decided to go with a POD publisher.”
Dick Standring
DANGEROUS RELATIONSHIPS “The reason I decided on POD is this. When the major publishers were too snobbish to even respond to my letters because I am new to the world of publishing, I researched all the avenues from vanity publishing to self-publishing and kept track of all the money involved for the value in return for each. With my husband’s job, we move around a lot and it is nearly impossible for me to carry or even receive, in some cases, massive quantities of books—that is my own personal drawback for setting up a business of my own. Then there are the expenses involved for various services, i.e., cover design, ISBN blocks, printing costs, etc., which need to be figured in to publication. Then there is the time involved to research and choose an operative for each issue. For one book, the costs even out and it appears to me that the royalties from almost every POD are equal to the net profit no matter which way I went. I chose POD for the simplicity.”
Anne Marie Jasper
Sandspurs “Steven Mosher (my co-author) and I found that the traditional publishing industry moves at its own pace. Further, they are inundated with books and concepts. Even though Steven is a successful author of many nonfiction books, we found that we received little to no credit for that fact in the eyes of the fiction side of the publishing houses. After a few months of getting nowhere, we decided to go with POD. There were four issues that attracted us to POD: 1) our book would be available to the public within 2-3 months after submittal, not the more than one year expected in the traditional industry; 2) we retained all rights; 3) the modest cost (as compared to the vanity publishing method; 4) the enhanced ability to get the word out to the public and key people (while a work of fiction, ‘China Attacks,’ has major real-world politico-military affairs components).”
Chuck DeVore
and Steven Mosher
China Attacks “1. I had no control over my book while my literary agent had my book for 1 1/2 years. It was a helpless feeling. Then I knew if she got a publisher for my book, it might not come out for another two years! Besides that, there was no guarantee that the book would still get published. I know of two people whose publishers were bought up by another publisher and their books were never published and there was a battle to regain their rights. 2. I couldn’t wait any longer because I needed the book to sell at workshops. 3. What Infinity Publishing offered for the price was outstanding, plus I maintain the rights to the book. Colleagues counseled me to self-publish but I couldn’t afford the huge sums nor did I want a stockpile of books. With Infinity Publishing, the cost was minimal and included a professional artist who designed the color cover of my book and the option to have my photo on the back.”
Carol M. Welsh
When You’re Seeing Red, STOP! “I have several friends who have published books in my area of expertise. They each found themselves in the awful position of having demand for their book yet the publisher did not think it was worth a second printing. Therefore, these authors had to wait several years until the contract with the traditional publisher expired. Then do you know what they did? They published their books with a POD company! I want to make sure I have control over my book and that it is available as long as it is needed. The second reason I chose POD is that I did not want to fight the fight to get my book accepted by a traditional publishing house. I did not like the odds. LESS than one in FOUR HUNDRED submitted books get published.”
Kelly Bliss, M.Ed.
Don’t Weight Eat Healthy and Get Moving NOW! “The decision to publish is extremely difficult for a first-time writer. Can you publish through the old traditional method of finding an agent first, and then a publisher who requests a monumental list of tasks? I based my decision on ease, and the POD industry was the answer. I also had another important decision to face. My first choice for POD publishing was through a company that offered no direct liaison and answered my questions via email only. Then I became aware of another POD publisher who had an author’s advocate. That friendly voice over the phone offering guidance gave me the comfort to publish with Infinity. I found that there are many questions, and verbal support and comfort are worth any amount of dollars invested.”
Phil Bullard
Republican Bastards “I contacted Infinity Publishing as soon as I saw their ad in Writer’s Digest. With POD publishing my book will never go out of print unless I choose to have it taken out. My book will never have excess copies that face the giant shredding machines. Best of all, I can change or update my book at any time. My next book is a travel guide, which would indeed have a short print life if published in the traditional way. A travel guide must keep up with constant changes, and with POD publishing I can keep my book current.”
Mona MacDonald Tippins
TOMORROW THE TRAIN “In a word—expediency! The traditional method of submitting endless queries and copies of manuscripts to literary agents is a long and drawn-out process. Most publishers are hesitant to take on the risk of signing up an unknown author. Unless you have a Dr. or Ph.D. in front of your name, or your topic is both newsworthy and highly controversial, a new author has virtually no chance of ever becoming noticed in the literary world. I received countless rejections having comments sewn with a similar thread of verbiage: ‘The topic of your book is very interesting and your writing skills are excellent. Although we believe your message needs to be delivered, we cannot take a chance on a new author at this time. Best of luck!’
I felt my message had to be delivered. The topic of my book is on happiness and in this fast-paced society we live in, who doesn’t want to be happy? I tried my hand at marketing my work as an ‘E’ book. Unfortunately, neither the technology nor the demand exists yet. An ‘E’ book provides some benefits, but these are quickly offset by several disadvantages. Potential eyestrain from staring at a computer screen and the lack of portability forces the reader to print a hardcopy. There go the initial cost savings as the reader wastes an entire print cartridge and a ream of paper to complete the job. At that point, the reader loses the benefit of having a color book jacket having double-sided printed and bound pages. You can’t put your computer up on your bookshelf. A stack of papers with a huge paper clip isn’t appealing either. In addition, it’s hard to hand an ‘E’ book to a friend or loved one as a gift.
I decided to publish my book with Infinity Publishing in order to deliver my message while forgoing the hassle of waiting for a traditional publisher to realize my work is worthwhile for print. A POD publisher offers a low-cost solution while allowing the author to establish full control over their marketing and promotional efforts. In addition, the royalty payments are higher with POD publishers because the overhead of stocking inventory is eliminated. Best of all, there’s no other feeling like being able to hand someone a signed copy of your book. Not many people can say they are a published author.”
Chris Crawford
Happiness is Everything! “The number one reason I chose POD was speed of release. It seemed to take over a year for my traditional publisher to fully release my book. Then, while it may have been physically published, it took more time to be listed at Ingram and online bookstores. That was entirely too long and likely cost me many sales. With POD your book is out there, for sale in a matter of months. Censorship and proper rendering is another reason I went with POD. Many publishers have a hidden bottom line that may negatively affect what you are trying to convey in your work. This may include commercial associations and buyers that they don’t wish to ‘offend.’ With POD you are allowed to speak more freely, which I think the general public greatly appreciates.”
Marie Anakee Miczak
Mehndi - Rediscovering Henna Body Art “I went with a POD publisher because it was a better offer than any of the others could make. Also the contract was straightforward, with no trick clauses like I had run into before.”
James M. Waddell
How Majestic And How Grand and Capone’s Vault “I decided to publish my book POD because I couldn’t get a foot in the door with the publishers. Part of the problem was agents. As you know, you just can’t get into the game at all without one. It wasn’t that I couldn’t get an agent at all. I could get agents; just not good ones. I couldn’t get on with an agent with any kind of muscle. No-name author = no-name agent. I was told that quite bluntly several times by agents who admired my work but didn’t feel like putting out the effort to MAKE a name for me. In exasperation, I eventually pointed out that authors WITH names didn’t need them, but my logic didn’t move anyone. It came down to faith. I decided that no one else was going to do this for me and I wanted to be able to look back one day and say ‘I took my best shot’ whether I found fame and fortune or not. I took a deep breath and did it. I can’t say I regret it.”
Melody Higdon
With Crystal Clarity and The Gale-Borne Child “‘Traditional’ publishers seem to think that if you’re not a ‘name’ author, then you can’t write. They are way too slow in getting back with you, if they ever do at all, and they think that they know more about what the author ‘meant’ to write, than the author himself. POD publishing cuts through all the BS and allows the author to get his or her story out to the reading public.”
JD Richards
ONE MORE YESTERDAY—Time Line Trilogy “Decided to publish with a POD because of the initial cost. Very little investment required and a great royalty paid the author.”
Robert W. Pelton
Traitors and Treason - Civil War Period Cookery - Revolutionary War Period Cookery
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