POD publishing

I have spent most of the day further researching the merits and otherwise of Print on Demand publishing.

Vanity press, digital print runs, ISBN ownership, proofreading, editing, copy-editing, internet writers' agencies, copyright laws, country of residence laws, intellectual property ownership, 'traditional' publishing houses and their place on the net, binding, cover page design, paper qualities and weights...

...and the sorry fact that the bulk of POD books sell in the region of 111 copies, mostly to family and friends of the author, and a few lucky sales on Amazon...

I instinctively know this to be true. But I don't want it to be. I think I have probably sold in the region of 200 copies of 'Is', so I'm statistically a success story, but I won't be retiring tomorrow.

'the alpha to omega' is all ready to go. I've been through PABD, who have relaunched themselves as Spire Publishing (always suspicious of renaming organisations, as it is often to flee bad press and litigation - this is in no way to imply that this is the case with PABD, who did what they said they would do, and did it well). The smart money seems to be with iUniverse, who, after all, were picked up by either Amazon or B&N (hey, I'm not trying to be accurate). I've extensively researched Trafford, another of the biggest POD publishers, and although it looks good, something doesn't feel right. I have learnt to trust this instinct in many areas of my life. AuthorHouse, another company to go though major name change, also felt wrong, despite many good reviews. I have had a good look at AuthorsOnline, which seemed a tad expensive compared to what else is out there. RaiderPublishing looks reasonable, one which I must research further. Lulu.com is apparently one to choose for no-frills author-does-the-bulk publishing. They are all merging into one just now...

I'm tired and uninspired. I could have spent the day writing.