Writer Beware

[Merry]

http://www.sfwa.org/beware/printondemand.html

Curious about actual sales statistics for POD publishers, I went googling around and while I didn't find sales stats, I did find the above website about the POD industry and I thought I'd put it here in case anyone needed the info.

[DrRita]

!thumbsup!!thumbsup!!thumbsup!

[Merry]

Oh, hold on! That site does have some sales stats...like a 'bestseller' at Lulu is considered to be a book that sells 500 copies. There haven't been many. And that most POD books that sell 'well' sell between 100 and 150 copies.

Again, it might be okay for a non-fiction niche market, but if you actually want your work to be read, you might as well take the long route.

[Keith Wallis]

You could get your work read by 100/150 folk just by posting it on CW !!!!:D:D

[love2write]

In an interview with the Washington Post, Larry Clopper a CEO with Publish America was quoted as saying the the average PA book sells only 75 copies. Sad statistics. However, I know of some authors that have sold more than that, but not by much. One of the drawbacks with pod is there is no bookstore distribution.

[Merry]

:D Keith nails it again!

[niko_bzs]

I am brand new, and I have a stupid question.

Can't you self-publish a book, then contact the bookstores about it, possibly present it to them, possibly get it put on the shelves?

[wgjones3]

Here's how bookstores typically work. Books are sold to the bookstores by distributors who give the booksellers the right to return unsold copies on remainder. All those books sent back on remainder are exchanged for credit--essentially, they don't cost the bookseller anything. In other words, booksellers buy books from the distributor with the guarantee that if they don't sell, they won't have to pay for them.

You can go to book stores and negotiate one-by-one with managers to get your book carried in the store. The book stores may buy one or two copies off you, knowing full well that if they don't sell, you won't give them their money back. More often than not, they will have a policy of only buying through distributors with a remainder policy.

Distribution is the key here. While just about any bookstore can sell a self-published book with an ISBN attached, they usually do so on a cash-upfront, no-return basis. Distributors won't look at books without a substantial sales record from publishers without a substantial publication history.