For authors who cannot afford the cost of self-publishing, there are some publishing companies that offer free publishing. These companies offer print on demand services (POD), where the only cost that the author will pay is the printing of the first copy of the book. Under this set-up, the author retains all rights to the book or material, and the company earns only a small commission for each book that will be sold.
POD and cost
Print on demand means that the publishing company will print a book or material only when there is someone who will purchase the book. The publishing company keeps a digital version of the book and stores it until they need to print a copy.
In availing yourself of POD services from these publishing companies, you will only need to shell out a small amount of money at the onset. There are no set-up fees and no minimum orders. You will be able to publish your book free of charge as well as market it. The company also handles the transaction and will pay you the royalties for every purchase.
Retail Services
These publishing companies also have retail partners that can sell your book. However, you will have to pay a retail distribution fee for this service. You may also choose to do all the marketing yourself. You just need to ask the publishing company to print copies of your book, depending on the demand that you have generated.
With free publishing services, new authors are given the chance to get their work out there without having to pay for the cost of self-publishing. Publishing companies only print on demand and make money only if the author is able to sell his book. Given the wealth of opportunities this kind of service offers to new authors, it can be expected that the demand for such will increase in the future.
