The POD in the title is an abbreviation of ‘Print On Demand’, a technology that is revolutionising the book printing industry around the world.

The availability in recent years of high quality desktop publishing software, linked to the development of the internet has provided the means to generate good quality ‘print ready’ material which can be transferred anywhere in the world.
The problem for many would-be publishers and authors has been the printing and distribution process. The internet has to a large degree addressed the later, and the emergence of online book retailers such as Amazon has made the widespread accessibility of books possible without recourse to stocking in physical book stores.

Until recently however the physical process of getting books into print has continued to provide an obstacle. Traditional publishers, driven by economic constraints and the need for guaranteed volume sales have increasingly concentrated on books of proven formula, hence the plethora of cookbooks and celebrity memoirs, in the UK.

So called Vanity publishers have always provided the means for short production runs, but at considerable expense to the author.

All this has changed with the advent of print-on-demand technology which allows for the economic production of very small print runs, or even the production of single copies to order.

In a sense this is nothing new. Motor manufacturers for example have produced cars to order for some years, but the impact on publishing is potentially dramatic.

There are benefits for traditional publishers who adopt the technology. For example their back catalogue of slow moving books can be kept in print long after it would otherwise have ceased to be viable. But just as technology has transformed other traditional areas such as banking, the POD process is set to transform publishing allowing much easier access for new would-be authors and publishers.

This book, written by a POD author, does not focus on the technology, but shares the experience of using the process from an authors perspective, describing the lessons learned. Jeremy Robinson uses his experience in publishing his previous book as an example, and unashamedly promotes that book at every opportunity.

If you’ve ever dreamed of being in print, then this book might convince you that it’s more achievable then you thought possible, and provide a good start point from which to begin. ( )

What a fun book to read! Since this is the only book out there that I know of on this topic, I can't really compare it to anything else. There are other books there about the process of publishing on demand, but not about losing the stereotype of homemade photocopies in order to be successful in POD. I can tell you that I read this book as soon as I got it and in one sitting and I'm the happier for it. As far as I can tell, it covers all that an author needs to know, understand, and do if they want to succeed in the world of print-on-demand. I particularly liked how he didn't dwell on using particular software to design the lay-out of your book or how to design a website to promote your book, instead it's just on the POD phenomenon. He kept his writing focused and to the point and is far more effective because of it. Not only that, I see this book having more longevity to it than just a all-about-a-new-fad book one normally sees just because he doesn't dwell on technical details.

To me, as a librarian, this is a book that should be in every public library and every academic institution with a creative writing program.