Publish Traditionally or POD

If you're an author seeking first time publication, I can save you time and unnecessary heartache. Try POD and here's why:



I finished my first novel August 25, 2004. I realized the moment I typed the final word my novel would need a few edits. I was no longer a young man and my zeal had taken a hike. At sixty-six I was smart enough to know my pages were far from golden. The question remained: Was I up to the task of self-editing? The answer at the time was no.



I did, however, catch a dose of new author naïveté. I decided to send out a few query letters and edit while I waited for the offers to come pouring in. Reading those queries now, I shudder at their amateurish quality. Powerhouse New York agents have computer printed post cards for queries just like mine. I received rejection, after rejection, after rejection. Were the rejections helpful? No not a bit. Why? Because agents, like publishers, are in the business of making money. They have neither the time nor the inclination to help an amateur achieve professional status.



Six months turned into a year and a year into two more. I used that time to educate myself. I took a writing course and read profusely. I sent my novel out for a professional assessment. When the verdict was in, I went to work implementing the book doctor's recommendations. I researched, studied and refined my query and synopsis skills. I learned no two agent's requirements for submission are the same. That goes double for publisher query and submission guidelines. Over the years I got used to the phrase: not right for our list.



Three more years rushed by. I continued to work on my manuscript, but I worked on other story ideas, too. I ended up with a dozen or so short stories and of these I thought seven were publishable. I went in search of a paying market for genre fiction and found it all but dead of neglect and disinterest. There are lots of ezines out there if all you're after is a recharged ego.



I found a market for genre short story collections, but no publisher willing to take a chance on an unknown. It went without saying, my age didn't inspire confidence. I had two choices. I could forget any type of writing career and diddle for my own enjoyment or I could become my own publisher. I chose the latter route and never looked back.



How do you go about becoming a publisher? It wasn't hard. I chose a name, joined the IBPA and put my nose to the researcher's grindstone. I decided on POD as the venue for my short story collection because of its flexibility. POD can print one or one thousand copies and it is not necessary to purchase a minimum number of books. No storage facility is needed and no shipping problems are involved because the POD will drop ship. All I needed for a start was a POD connection.



There are a bunch of POD publishers out there, but I didn't want to get ripped off for incidental crap. So how was I supposed to know what the essentials entailed. I wanted the best for my first venture as a publisher. Back to the researcher's grindstone and apply nose as directed. It didn't take a lot of my time. I ran across several helpful sites namely: http://www.publishondemand.net http://www.podpublishing.org http://wwwbooksandtales.com The first two were the easiest to work with in my opinion, but look at everything when doing this type of research.



I settled on a POD partner and my new publishing company was off and running. The short story collection was published in May of 2009, in total it took about three months. The first of my many dreams had come true. In the process I decided I wanted to own the ISBN number. Holding the ISBN in my name assured me that all rights to my book belonged to me. If you're on the fence about the ISBN issue take a look at all the websites offering ISBN service and pick carefully. Make sure the provider you choose doesn't retain a portion of the artistic rights to which you are entitled.



The most difficult part of the journey has begun, it's called marketing. I'll do more on this subject at a later date-stay tuned.