What about “print on demand” or do-it-yourself printing like iUniverse or Xulon?
This is somewhat akin to the previous subsidy publishing issue. All of us in publishing are impressed with the output of these short-run services. The books look like real books, not just photocopies. And they can print a few or many copies for you. The limitations are identical to those in the field of subsidy publishing. (One site that has some warnings and advice is the “Writer Beware” wing of the Science Fiction Writers’ Association.) Again, for standard aggressive sales and distribution, the print-on-demand system doesn’t get you there. They don’t market your books to the broad reading public like traditional publishers would. Again, see our Opinions page on this site for more.
