There are two major errors in this article. You can’t really print a book worthy of the name on a laser printer that “sits on the desk.” It takes large and expensive machines to do proper print on demand. Watch the video (on the right side) at lightningsource.com to see them in operation. Done that way, the book is virtually indistinguishable from one traditionally printed and also cheaper in quantities less than about 1,000. That’s what is making it popular with publishers, large and small.
Second, in the last few weeks the print-on-demand model he describes has been endangered by the greed and bullying tactics of Amazon, which has begun to threaten not to sell any such books unless those books are printing on its own BookSurge print-on-demand presses. Others are also reporting that university presses that use web presses are being threatened with “use BookSurge or get dropped.” In the UK, publishers who sell at a discount online (in competition with Amazon UK) are receiving threats. You can find more details at:
http://www.writersweekly.com/amazon.php
Like Microsoft, also based in metro-Seattle, Amazon is becoming a classic case that power corrupts. Their behavior has gotten dubious enough that the Washington State Attorney General’s office has begun an antitrust investigation.
Most unfortunately for authors, several of the large self-publishing companies, including AuthorHouse, iUniverse and LuLu, have given in to Amazon’s demands and placed themselves in a bind. Amazon is requiring a draconian non-disclosure agreement, so writers who sign with those companies don’t have a clue as to what that Amazon contract says. It may have clauses you’ll come to regret. If you’re looking for a publisher who can be open and honest with you, Xlibris and BookLocker have refused bow to Amazon’s bullying. There may be others.
One final note. Amazon, which bought BookSurge in 2005, has had to turn nasty because the market has rejected BookSurge. Most print-on-demand publishers have gone with LightningSource because it offers the best combination of price, service and quality. BookSurge has a reputation for shoddy quality, typically off-center covers and pages that fall out. Sign with one of the self-publishing houses that have done this secret deal with Amazon and you can never be certain what your books will look like. You can, however, be certain that the public blame you when they are badly printed by Amazon.
