More Print on Demand

The more I learn about Print on Demand the more fun I have. I've read a number of writers' sites that have denigrated PoD as "dreck." They note (accurately) that most PoD business comes from people who are publishing their own novels and non-fiction trade books, things that are usually associaed with vanity presses. The call it "drivel" and "swill" because it hasn't been chosen by a publisher, edited by a professional editor, and marketed by professional marketers. In otherwords because it has bypassed the gate-keeping system, the very thing that keeps most authors from being published. Since this is PoD's raison d'etre, I look on statements like these and laugh. They should be helping PoD's cause. Writers who think PoD is a waste of time ignore the long history of self publishing, that some of the greatest writers in the Western tradition--Joyce, Marx, Twain, ad others, all published on their own. PoD just makes it easy for anyone to do so.

The range of books is great too, from poetry to political screeds to novels to a lot of civil war history, PoD--like blogging--allows people who otherwise would get ignored in the big media machine to have a voice. Indeed, publish "Best of Blog" books is another great use for the technology.

I'm having a blast working at Vox Pop (www.voxpopnet.net) and encourage anyone who has a book to drop me an email at michael@voxpopnet.net.