Publishing Choices For Writers - Self-Publishing Print on Demand (Part Three)

Print on Demand is an attractive and viable option for authors if they are willing to put up with the negative factors discussed in other articles in this series. However, prior to jumping in, an author needs to take some specific steps to find the best Print on Demand company for their needs.

Options include Print On Demand companies that do the printing and nothing else, providing no support for the author. Other POD companies may provide some publishing services, but may not have the quality control over what gets put out on the market. If that is true and there is no quality control, then an author who has a great book may get lumped into the stack with those authors who just want to see their name in print. This is a serious consideration for authors who are aiming for the New York Times bestseller list.

Newer, actual publishing companies, may now offer Print On Demand as an option for printing, thereby offering all publishing services to authors in addition to the POD option for printing. However, once again, an author needs to do their homework. Some publishing services which are "vanity" services may be more interested in getting money from the author than in helping an author put out a good product, even if they offer Print on Demand printing.

Assuming an author has their work already edited, a cover already selected and are happy with their manuscript, then just getting a few copies of their book printed will dictate going just with a POD printing company. However, assuming an author needs work on their manuscript and does not know how their book will sell, the key would be to find a publishing company which has built a reputation of caring about what is published and who offers Print on Demand as an printing option. Then an author can get the best of both worlds- publishing by a reputable company who will work with their book and yet not be saddled with books that never sell. But, no matter what, authors need to do thorough homework when investigating the quality of these companies.

It is important to understand that one option is not necessarily better than another, but is rather just that, an option. Each writer will have their own needs and any of the above choices may be a perfect fit depending on those needs. But taking the time to investigate the quality of a company, no matter which choice they make, will give assurance to a writer that their work will be the best it can be while satisfying whatever needs they have.

Print On Demand is just one option under the self-publishing umbrella. In other articles, I will discuss other options for authors to get their work out into the public.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Candace_C._Davenport

Taking Stock of the Online Digital Printing Services Innovations

In the good olden days when the internet was not the medium of communication for most, going to the small local photo shop seemed to be the best idea to get your photos printed. With the advent of computers came the age of digital cameras and today you can easily edit and beautify your photos by using various software on the computer. Yet the problem of getting such photos printed remained a headache because the cost of such printing was huge and also you needed to go to the local photo shop for this purposes. However, today you can easily access the online printing shops that reduce the cost of such printing by more than half of what you used to pay earlier.

The innovative digital printing technologies provide you with a new short-run printing job option. The result of such modernism in printing industry means for you:

- No more need to print thousands of copies as a minimum number for getting your print job done. In other words, this happens to be cost-effective even when you order just a few copies.

- No more tension of using all the extra copies that you ordered in time. You can get as many as you want only when you need them. In other words, no stocking of extra photos.

- Quick transfer of photos in the form of electronic files possible over the net. In other words, you can save a lot of time spent in physically visiting your print shops and also the quality delivered to the print shop will be perfect.

- Allows business houses to try more options of printing like full-color prints, glossy and graphic laden print outs etc. In short, the owners can be happy to get good quality output at the most affordable prices.

- Reduces time involved in getting the print outs. Earlier where the traditional print jobs required long steps like conceptualization done by the graphic designers, converting it into negative film, then transferring it on to the actual printing press etc. today the same job just requires a few little clicks!

Most of us feel great buying a digital camera and cutting down on the costs and efforts. Yet you need to spend a fortune again on getting such photos printed. Now instead of going to your local camera shop or drug store, you can easily get your photos printed in a jiffy right from the comforts of your house using the online digital printing services. Not only does the online digital printing service help you to get easy access to printing your photos but also it helps you to save a lot of money on the reprinting costs as well. Today you can easily purchase a wide array of online digital printing services by just having access to the net.

When it comes to business, the role of such online digital printing services becomes even more important. It is the people in marketing departments that know how important such costs are to the running of their businesses. A penny saved means a huge step in business and by cutting down the costs of printing your photos, you tend to save huge in your corporation overheads.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jen_Rachel

Online Publishing Opens Doorways of Opportunity

Words written for distribution and consumption in cyberspace are almost instantly available at the touch of a button, unlike physical books which require more physical movement and activity plus time to access, such as driving to a library, looking for a book in a stack of other books, and holding and carrying the book.

Online publishing is a very different medium than printing publishing, and although it's been around for about a decade, it has not replaced print publishing or made it obsolete. It is challenging print publishing though, especially in the arenas of educational textbooks and marketing and advertising. Computers are almost required for schoolwork now, even in grade schools. The costs of moving to online or e-texts for education are being given serious consideration and we may soon see the end of the forty-pound backpack full of heavy books.

Online marketing and advertising grinds out almost infinitesimal e-content, saving money on paper, television, and other forms of advertising and getting in front of many eyes per second. Online publishing is developing in innovative and interesting ways daily, interactive communities, virtual business, average and professional people blogging, webcasting, podcasting, and video casting, among many other mediums of communication. The possibilities are staggering.

There are many benefits and advantages of online publishing, which are challenging almost every kind of print media. The wide, almost instantaneous, easy, and cost-effective distribution of materials, faster results, and possibility for interactivity with e-publishing is hard to match with printed materials.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Martin_Alan