Print-on-Demand Stigma

The print-on-demand stigma is very real. Indeed, it’s probably a self-publishing stigma, regardless of how that publishing was done. It’s just the print-on-demand publishing has become so common that it has become the generic term for self-publishing. Many people believe that self-publishing of any kind is just another form of vanity publishing.

And the reality is that many of the people who think that are decision-makers, e.g. book wholesalers, reviewers and bookshop owners. Many of these people will not even consider a self-published book due to this stigma.

This, of course, makes it difficult, if not impossible, to get your self-published book widely distributed.

It has to be said too, that in many cases the stigma is justified. If a novel were good enough - in most cases - it would have been published by the professional publishing companies. The cases where a gem has slipped through the net and is self-published are too few and far between to change the perception of self-published work.

There are many people who want to self-publish for ego reasons, regardless of how good their novel is. There are others who genuinely think their novel is good enough. I absolutely know that feeling - we’re so proud of our work, it’s our baby! We’re so sure it’s absolutely brilliant. But I have to acknowledge that we authors are not the best judges of our own work.

The best way to avoid this stigma is to get your novel published by the mainstream publishers. And if it’s good enough, the odds are hugely on your side.

I invite you to read the page on self-publishing for more on why I don’t think it’s a good idea.

And I invite you to visit the pages on print-on-demand services and print-on-demand-publishers for more about the print-on-demand industry.

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