ALL Publishers sell books--to their authors!

I have a gripe. I’m sick and tired of reading how Print-On-Demand publishers only exist to sell books to their authors. That’s like saying all poor people have a welfare mentality or a rape victim was asking for it because of the way she dresses. We live in a day and age where that sort of bigotry is simply inexcusable.

I work with an independent publishing house and not once have I ever been “forced” to buy my books. It is not in the contract, it is not an expectation. They do offer me a discount if I wish to buy my books for events like book festivals and the like—but so does Random House and myriad other houses. This is standard operating procedure, people!

No publisher simply gives their authors unlimited access to a bottomless barrel filled with books. That’s not how the industry works. Contracts usually state how many author copies an author can expect. Once those are gone, the publisher doesn’t keep handing over titles for free. So, to use the argument that houses that use POD technology only survive by selling to their own authors is not only naïve but inaccurate.

My advice: be wary of blanket statements and research any publishing house you’re considering working with. I did, and I can’t say enough wonderful things about my publisher, Echelon Press.