Self-Publishing

POD Publishing With Lightning Source

I have been using Lightning Source as our print on demand (POD) book printer for many years now, and have been very pleased with both the quality of their work and their delivery system.

I have found the quality of our POD books to be on a par with the output of traditional print shops, and they hold up very well after many readings. The small extra charge of having laminated covers is well worth the investment.

POD printing is not for every publisher, but it works for me. It costs about $1 to $2 more per book using the POD method, but I can order any number of books I need, even a single copy, and have them delivered anywhere within the country, within about one week, in most cases. For a 10% rush charge, Lightening Source can expedite the order and have it in my hands within two to three days.

Because I travel fulltime in a motorhome, it is worth the extra cost of POD printing because I do not have to order large quantities of books and warehouse them. Nor do I have my money tied up in inventory sitting in a warehouse. If I used a traditional printer and had to order several thousand copies of a book at a time, pay for storage space, and then pay someone to send me copies on the road as I need them, it would actually cost me more than with the POD pricing from Lightning Source.

Lightning Source also makes it easy to have books delivered wherever I need them, either to a book store that places an order, or to a campground where I am staying. All I have to do is enter an alternate delivery address, and select the shipping method I prefer.

As I have said in other articles, I prefer not to invest a lot of time and energy in marketing my books to bookstores, since they are not the most profitable venue for me. Because of Lightning Source’s affiliation with Ingram Book Company, a major wholesale book distributor, Ingram shows 100 copies of each title on hand at all times for immediate delivery. As part of this arrangement, and to avoid backorders, Lightning Source guarantees books ordered by Ingram will be printed and returned to their shipping dock within 8-12 hours.

This arrangement allows me to have my books available to bookstores, either as standard inventory or to fulfill special orders, without any involvement on my part. Lightning Source charges Ingram the wholesale price, deducts the printing cost, and credits the balance to my account. Every quarter I get a small check for books ordered by bookstores, and I never have any involvement in the transaction.

For me, working with Lightning Source is a win-win situation. I get fast delivery of quality books wherever and whenever I need them, at a reasonable price, their affiliation with Ingram gives me national distributorship, and they handle any wholesale orders I don’t care to deal with. It’s a great working relationship!

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