Today I received an early print-on-demand proof of my upcoming novel, Man in the Middle. Reviewing the paperback proof is one of the last to-do items on my checklist when releasing a new book. As a rule, I won’t release a paperback edition until I’ve held a physical copy in my hand.
It looks great. The cover image came out well on the matte-finish cover. The print is sharp, dark, and even. The binding is sturdy. The book has a barcode and an ISBN. It’s a short novel, but the book doesn’t feel flimsy or cheap. It certainly doesn’t look or feel like an anomaly compared to the other books on my bookshelves.
At the end of 2020, it’s not a major announcement to proclaim “print-on-demand is real,” but I remain surprised at the number of readers and writers who don’t think it’s real. I’m here to tell you: You can independently publish your work in paper form without an established publisher, and you can make it widely available to your readers. Print-on-demand is cost-effective, low-effort, and easy to distribute. It’s even possible for your books to wind up in bookstores and libraries.
Print-on-demand isn’t so new. The technology first came on-line in the early 2000s. By the end of the decade, the technique was starting to earn the attention of authors and publishers. But readers who picked up those early books probably recall a lot of problems that made print-on-demand seem not ready for prime time. The binding glue was often cheap or weak, and pages would come loose. Text was sometimes skewed, or the ink would be faint and not crisp, as though the machine was low on toner. Books sometimes smelled funny. (It reminded me of new-car smell.)
In my experience, the quality problems are a thing of the past. I’ve printed my novels through CreateSpace, which has now been merged with Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), and never had a quality issue to speak of. The books look and feel as professional as any I would purchase from a major publisher. The paper is good stock and not pulpy. The matte finish of the covers are eye-catching. I’ve loaned out copies of my books to friends, who returned them with the usual wear-and-tear a paperback endures when read from start to finish. The copies held up fine.
Although I won’t say it’s easy to layout a paperback book, it’s certainly doesn’t require an advanced degree or esoteric knowledge. I layout my books entirely in Microsoft Word, being conservative with my choice of fonts and design to avoid surprises (or regrets). There are free and cheap tools available as well, if you don’t want to surrender to Word, which is a byzantine piece of software unto itself.
It also helps that I don’t print illustrations inside my novels. I’ve never used print-on-demand for books requiring full-color interior, or ever published a graphic novel or comic book. But for printing traditional fiction or non-fiction books of moderate to long length (40,000 to 120,000 words), print-on-demand has been a great experience for me.
The catch here—and there’s always a catch—is that print-on-demand doesn’t guarantee your book will be stocked in bookstores or library shelves. I have had some success finding my books in libraries, but there’s no guarantee. (In particular, paperback editions of Bridge Daughter show up in online library catalogs. The Kindle edition was published by Amazon, which may have motivated the library’s to stocking it.) This is an area I need to do more research.
When I tell someone I write novels, I often hear back, “Sorry—I don’t read e-books.” It’s nice to be able to tell them they’re available in paperback. Hopefully, it won’t surprise so many people as time goes on.
Man in the Middle is my latest novel, a modern novel of conspiracy and suspense.
Set during the first week of the pandemic lockdowns, a security guard begins to see things he’s not supposed to see: Men working underground in the dead of night on Internet lines. Neighborhood patrols enforcing the shelter-in-place order. And, a conspiracy to steal millions of dollars in BitCoin.
All the while, he shows worrying symptoms he’s infected with COVID-19. It’s only a matter of days—even hours—before he’s taken into emergency care and quarantined.
Man in the Middle is available for Kindle pre-order: Buy a copy today for 99¢ and receive your copy delivered electronically on November 15th. A paperback edition will be available (of course!) shortly after the release date.
You can learn more about Man in the Middle at j-nelson.net