Print on Demand: Taking the Fear Out of Publishing

All writers know that trying to get published is no fun. In fact, according to a recent Zogby poll, being ignited in gasoline, having your fingernails torn out, and passing a kidney stone were a few of the extremes that some Americans surveyed cited as being the only experiences more painful than trying to get published.

The poll was commissioned by the Print on Demand (POD) company Lulu.com, and asked 1,400 Americans what they perceived as being more painful than trying to get published. For nearly a quarter of the respondents the answer was being rejected for a dream job. Other answers included childbirth (17%), a root canal (12%), public speaking (10%), waiting for the cable guy (7%) and a paper cut (3%). Other answers included gout, being a Democrat, being fired, and a few people said nothing was more painful.

"These experiences are all extremely agonizing situations," CEO and Lulu.com founder Bob Young said in the press release announcing the poll results. "Trying to get published in the traditional sense is not a walk in the park, and even if you do get published, there is no guarantee you will make any money. My own publishing experience is exactly why I started Lulu; sharing and monetizing your creative work shouldn't be impossible."

The difficulty in getting published is one reason writers choose the self-publishing route. Novelists may self-publish as a way to get their book out after receiving a pile of form rejection letters. There are other reasons for self-publishing as well. Poets may see it as their best way to bring out a collection in a market that doesn't value poetry as it should. And some may be writing a book geared to a small audience, perhaps even family, and find self-publishing to be the only way to publish a small number of such books.