Publishing Competitors Joining Forces

Our two largest competitors are joining forces under a new brand. From what I can tell so far, it doesn't look to be a merger so much as a strategic partnership. It's hard to tell how this will prove advantageous to authors. When the press releases start hitting the waves, we may learn more about what motivated this move, but right now it is my guess that Amazon's recent entry into the vertical may have helped. Interestingly enough, each publisher will still exist in its own right, and its own location, and continue to offer the same old stuff. So what, then, is newsworthy about this? That's the big question. If nothing else, it may simply be another, co-branded website that appears on search engines, and helps authors make the best choice for their publishing needs. At Outskirts Press we've always been a big proponent of educating authors about the industry and about their choices, so if that is the result of this new partnership, good for everyone. Fortunately, authors have always had a way to get on-going support and help with their publishing decision in advance of making any decisions by joining our free author's center at http://outskirtspress.com/authors.php -

The publishing industry, and POD in particular, is constantly changing and growing. I won't be surprised to see more moves like this in the near and no-so-near future.

Revising Print-on-Demand books

One of the advantages of publishing a book on-demand is being able to make moderate changes to it after publication without absorbing a whole new publishing fee, and without having to "eat" high quantities of books that you paid for in-advance with an off-set printer.

However, the publishing logistics involved in administrating post-publications is a daunting one. At Outskirts Press, we apply a lot of administration and technical resources to our post-publication revision process.

From my stand-point, I can see why many other on-demand publishers do not offer revisions at all. It's complicated from an information management and systems point of view. But, by not offering revisions, many publishers are removing one of the core advantages of POD. If you accidentally let a misspelling slip by (it happens to the best of us) or want to add a cover quote that you just received, there is nothing more liberating (and financially responsible) to being able to do so without taking a major hit to your wallet.

Few authors plan on making revisions to their book after publication while seeking out a publisher to begin with. But it is something to keep in mind as you look for the publishing service that is best for you. Will revising your book cost just as much as starting over from scratch? Make sure you have all the flexibility you need, in terms of post-publication revisions, setting your own pricing, and keeping all your rights. Your book deserves it.