An Incomplete Guide to POD Publishers

An Incomplete Guide to Print On Demand Publishers

Publishers:

Articles:

Home Page

Trafford (Best Seller)
Manuscript screening:	No
Kind of contract:	Non-Exclusive
Distribution:	Through their site and online retailers mostly
Basic fees:	Paperback publishing	Basic paperback fee is $1,399.00.
	Hardcover publishing	Not available
	Combo publishing	Not available
	Color publishing	Basic color publishing fee is $1,199.00.
Royalties:	Royalties are 60% of gross profit (though unlike most publishers their online bookstore takes a discount, effectively profiting twice from the same sale).
Author's discount:	Authors can purchase copies of their book paying only their printing costs.
Break-even point:	More than 6,000 copies of an average length book sold through external channels.
Basic retail price:	Somewhat expensive ($16.22 for a 200-page book).
Layout:	You must supply your own layout.
Graphics:	As many as you want seeing how you must provide your own layout.
Cover options:	You must submit your own.
Trim size:	You have a number of trim sizes to choose from.
Additional options:	You can add a layout for $550.00.
Pros*:	You can buy your book paying only your printing costs. Good contract. *Good distribution.
Cons*:	Ridiculously expensive setup fee (no, that 6,000 breakeven point wasn't a typo). Royalties are artificially inflated because they profit twice from the same sale (they pay you 60% of gross after taking 25% of retail price, see comments below). Uncompetitive retail price. Inflated printing costs ($7.72 for a 200-page paperback using their least expensive options) *You must supply your own cover and layout or pay a rather hefty additional fee.
Comments*:	While they promise 60% of gross receipts, in fact they only pay about 31.5% because they claim an additional 25% of retail price for themselves. This is how it works: Your printing costs are 47.5% of retail price (and they are already making a profit here, but let's disregard that for a moment). That leaves 52.5% as a profit but rather than pay you 60% of that 52.5% (that is 31.5% of retail price), they take 25% of retail price for themselves and then pay you 60% of the remaining 27.5%. That means that rather than 31.5% of retail price you are getting 16.5% (while they get 36%). So much for that promised 60%! Trafford is based in Canada and this may have a significant impact on your shipping and handling costs, depending on where you live, so this aspect must be kept in mind. They do have an office in NC, but they don't specify where they do the actual printing.
Visit the publisher's site		Visit the publisher's forum
Last updated: 2006-05-10

* These represent my personal opinion based on what I've seen in the publisher's site.

Before you choose a publisher you may want to read:

In this section: