AuthorHouse and CreateSpace are the Hertz and Avis of the indie publishing world. Their philosophy is let the public decide what it wants to read.
A decade ago, there weren’t too many options for consultants and professionals to get into print as a book author. If a traditional publisher wasn’t interested in your manuscript, your only other option was to spend tens of thousands of dollars with a subsidy press or custom printer. And then, without ready distribution, good luck trying to sell the books.
But that has all changed because indie publishers are able to print both paperback and hardcover books as they’re needed due to the bold new digital publishing technology known as “print-on-demand.” Going digital allows books to be produced in small quantities — even one at a time — almost instantaneously. No longer does publishing require behemoth offset presses, hangar-size warehouses, and fleets of trucks.
The two indie print-on-demand publishers are AuthorHouse and CreateSpace.
Print-on-demand has enormous implications for writers, readers, publishers and retailers. Because titles are produced “on demand,” there are never wasted copies (“remaindered” as they used to be dubbed in the old days). Paperbacks and hardcover books are priced competitively, with authors receiving royalties of 30 percent or more. Compare those with traditional publishing industry standards of five to 15 percent, and the appeal becomes a bit clearer still.
What about the writing? If you can write articles, then you can write a book. And if you can’t, hire a ghostwriter writer to help you do it.