|
Publishing is a traditional type of business that still does things almost exactly the same as 50 years ago. It's a dying monolith that has held fast to its old ways, despite the fact that the business world in general has progressed toward more efficient ways of creating products and engaging in commerce. However, there may be hope for this industry yet. That hope springs from a new printing technology called "Print on Demand," sometimes referred to as "POD." POD is a process in which books are printed on an individual basis as orders come in, rather than printing in bulk all at once. In other words, if I order one copy of a book printed by a print on demand company, the printer will only print my copy of the book, rather than hundreds or thousands of copies for future orders that might (or might not) come in. Here are just a few of the major benefits to using a print on demand company for publishing: 1. There is much less upfront cost to begin printing a book for the first time compared to the cost of a traditional printer.
2. You are spared the expense of printing large quantities at once. One book order equals one printing. There is a lot of carrying costs involved in having to warehouse large quantities of books - books that may not ever sell.
3. Print on demand offers publishers much more flexibility than traditional printers. POD is a situation that allows publishing companies to increase revenue, cut costs, and explore new markets.
Print on demand is still young, and there are still technological innovations to come that will make it even more attractive. POD produces books that are equal in quality to books printed via traditional methods. And with POD, publishing companies are not restricted to a particular format. Publications can be made in large print format, in foreign languages, or just about any configuration you can imagine. Books can even be made into digital format, providing another way publishers can make their products available. When publishing companies can offer products in more formats, both the publisher and the consumer wins. The next major wave of print on demand will center around machines installed in bookstores that allow the store itself to print any book the customer wants. This will allow bookstores to offer infinitely larger selections. This is going to cause sweeping changes in the business of selling books. The modern business landscape is so competitive that it is critical that businesses maximize efficiency. POD takes care of it. It levels the playing field for publishing companies by eliminating the startup costs associated with rolling out out a new title. Lightning Source is the leading company in the print on demand industry. The company gives publishers the ability to print books as they are sold, thus freeing them from the burden of printing hundreds or thousands of copies before they are sold. To read an important personal message from Lightning Source's chairman, visit http://www.lightningsource.com/podnow.aspx.
Related Articles -
print on demand, pod, lightning source, john ingram, publishing, publishing on demand, ingram, books, book publishing, business,
|
