What is On-Demand Publishing?

The more standard publishing method is to produce a set amount of books and distributing the copies out to retailers in hopes of selling out all the copies. The risk with this, of course, is that it can be difficult to gauge precisely how in demand a title will be to the public, thereby risking the chance of over production. Print on demand takes away that risk, only producing copies as specifically requested by consumers.

What is On-Demand Publishing?

The on-demand publishing method differs from the traditional publishing method in that books are published one copy at a time, as a customer orders it. The biggest advantage is that there is no potential for over production and excess inventory. The major drawback is that print on-demand books are not instantly available for purchase at a bookstore and the customer has to wait a certain length of time after special ordering it, before being able to pick it up or have it delivered. For this reason, print on demand is not generally done for popular novels or non-fiction works and is reserved for more specialized, old or academic publications.

Cost

Another advantage of on-demand publishing is the lowered production cost for the publisher. In the traditional method, publishing houses pay thousands of dollars to print books that may or may not end up being sold. With print on demand, the customer's purchase fee generally absorbs the printing cost, essentially cutting the production cost for the publisher significantly.

Convenience

Print on demand also allows for little to no warehousing needs. The lack of mass stocking and shipping requirements means that the publisher is then more free to focus on other aspects of the business, like marketing and finding new talent.