do it yourself publishing: iuniverse.com

[richsc]

Where there is a will.. While the day of reprinting a book on demand at a booksellers is still off, you can get to a published book in four weeks or so at IUniverse. A basic cost to produce five books is $449. If you were wondering how to do it, here's one way:<br>
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Publishing on demand: Manuscript-to-Book Timeline<br>
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Submission Verification<br>
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Your manuscript will be verified to make sure that it is long enough and in the correct format for iUniverse to produce. Submissions that are going through editorial review should allow additional time for the review process.<br>
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Design<br>
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You can expect the cover and book block proofs within 2 weeks from the time your book enters production.<br>
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Author Proof<br>
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This is your chance to check the proofs. You are given 14 days to submit any changes or corrections. The faster you return your proof form, the faster your book will be completed. Visit the Help Zone for details.<br>
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Revision<br>
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Our designers will create the graphics that will appear in our online bookstore once the revisions have been completed. This part of the process takes roughly 10 days. Your book will be available in the iUniverse bookstore when this step is complete and you will receive your author copy or copies at this time. You can order additional copies with your author discount from iUniverse.<br>
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Distribution<br>
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If you sign up for this service (included in Premier Program, optional in the Select Program), your book and title information will be sent to Books in Print and the wholesalers and online booksellers who will be distributing your book. Bookstores update their catalogs on different schedules, so it generally takes approximately 4-6 weeks to have your book available at all online booksellers.<br>
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<p>Richard Campbell, Legio XX<br>
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[mcbishop]

Caveat emptor: POD is bells-and-whistles xerography, *not* offset lithography - in other words you are getting a sort of plasticised carbon melted onto the surface of paper, rather than ink (old engine oil, recycled barbarians' socks etc) printed onto (and partly into) paper. It is great if you know what it is and don't expect it to be as good as the real thing.<br>
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That being said, good POD can look better than poor lithography (and there's plenty of that around, even in the mainsteam publishing market), but as a rule it is not as good as The Real Thing.<br>
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Just read around a bit, ask for samples, to avoid disappointment, and basically think about whether such a scheme is for you. It is not quite vanity publishing, but caution is advisable. The whole business of self-publishing is not difficult (in the UK you can submit online to Whitaker's for free) and a unit cost of $89 seems a tad steep.<br>
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Mike Bishop <p></p><i></i>

[richsc]

"Xerography" reminds me that if you work for a company/agency with a large print shop, there are machines like the Xerox Docucenter that do print up soft bound, glued paperbacks from your PC (if they allow it). If you have access to color devices like the Canon Imagerunners, you can print in color. Still not offset, as Mike says.<br>
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Caveat emptor of course <p>Richard Campbell, Legio XX<br>
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</p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://pub45.ezboard.com/bromanarmytalk.showUserPublicProfile?gid=richsc@romanarmytalk>RichSC</A> at: 2/11/03 2:28:17 am<br></i>