A Definition and a Comparison Copyright 2004, Michael La

The purpose of this article is to consider Print-On-Demand publishing as an alternative for the aspiring author. It has its strengths and its weaknesses. You may wonder as you begin reading this, but in the end I'm going to say some good things about it.

To a large extent, the title explains the technology. The way that literature has traditionally been printed involves running many copies simultaneously in order to bring the price per copy down. Smaller print runs, such as advertising brochures or concert programs, cost more per copy because they are small print runs. Until recently, printing a single book was all but unthinkable.

In the case of novels, the traditional print publisher begins by publishing several thousand copies. His goal is to run off the smallest number of copies he can while getting the best possible price per copy.

These books are then sent to bookstores, which tend to prefer something along the lines of what has succeeded before. The remainder sits in a warehouse somewhere. Perhaps to be shipped as the orders come in, perhaps to be joined by any "remaindered" copies the bookstores couldn't move.

This represents an investment on the part of that publisher, hence his paranoia about experimenting with new formats or (more importantly) new authors.

Print-On-Demand (POD), as the name implies, uses a completely different process. The end result is, the price per copy on a small run is much lower. How small of a run? Try one book. Zero inventory. The book is economically produced when the reader orders it, not before.

This technology was probably invented for sales literature. Then someone realized it might be a pretty cool way to get ARCs (Advance Review Copies) out to the book reviewers before the book was actually available. Finally, someone decided to get it into the publishing mainstream.

Why is it so much cheaper to publish a single book via POD? The reasons really aren't relevant to this article, besides which they'd probably bore you. But if you care, the first link below spells it all out.

http://www.jdwrite.com/writing/pod_01.htm http://www.jdwrite.com/writing/pod_02.htm http://www.jdwrite.com/writing/pod_03.htm http://www.jdwrite.com/writing/pod_04.htm http://www.jdwrite.com/writing/pod_05.htm

I recommend reading (or at least skimming) all five of those, by the way. It's quite a comprehensive analysis of how. Then come back to this article to determine why. Or if.

Have you ever heard of the author who self-published and wound up with a best-seller? They do exist!

Now look at all the self-published authors who couldn't do that. They're the vast majority. The author who uses POD could be facing similar long shot odds.

(Keep reading. I'll say good things about POD eventually.)

POD has a definite advantage over self-publishing, in that you don't wind up with a few hundred (or more?) copies of a book in your basement because you can't sell them. Thus, it's cheaper, with no difference in quality unless you hook up with losers.

But neither option will bring you the readership that you'll get from a successful book with a traditional print publisher.

I have self published. I went to a local print shop back in the pre-POD days, ran off 80 copies at $3 a copy, and sold them to local bookstores for $6 a copy. Lots of fun, and lots of learning, but I didn't get rich. My wage per hour stunk, but that was fine with me because I honestly didn't care. I broke even and gave away the rest. A pleasant way to spend lunch hours during the work week.

Most of us, though, just don't have that kind of time. And even if we do, why bother? Take the money you'd have invested and buy some Microsoft stock, then take the time you'd have invested and write more books. You'll be happier and you'll make more money.

Having said all that, why am I recommending POD at all? In my case, it's because I've written some books that no print publisher will ever pick up. That's my honest appraisal.

If I were a mercenary type, I'd follow that up with something like "Why'd you even write those books then?" But if you are a REAL writer, you know the answer.

It's always about writing first, marketing second. Two different hats. I'm assuming you already did the writing and now are wondering what the heck to do with it.

As an example, my EPPIE 2002 finalist is too short. I wrote it back when print publishers wanted 40,000 words. Now they want 50,000. But it doesn't take 50,000 words to tell that particular story, and I'm not padding it. Even if I were willing, it'd stink and nobody would buy it. Give the publishers some credit. They know padding when they see it. The same goes for the readers.

As another example, consider my short story collection. Critically acclaimed and selling moderately well, but no traditional publisher wants short story collections from unknown authors. It's just that simple.

So, I simultaneously published these books in e-book form and POD form. E-books are cheaper and more environmentally friendly, but the paperback option is still there for those who can't or won't ever read an e-book.

(Daddy is in that group, by the way. How about your family?)

Places who publish only POD began by accepting anything sent their way. Pay your money, and do your own editing and marketing. This gave POD a credibility problem. There are POD outfits who don't operate this way, but the credibility problem will take time to heal.

As an author, your goal is to write what's in your heart, find people who like to read what you like to write, and get it out to them. (That's my goal, anyway.) If your name happens to be Tom Clancy, that equals many readers. But that's simply luck of the draw.

Many of us don't have such mass appeal. Possibly you're the sort of writer who knows exactly where you stand in that respect. But many don't, and they're flooding the POD market with stuff that most readers just plain don't want. Add to that the badly edited stuff, and the credibility problem with POD is understandable.

Ideally, what you want is for your e-publisher to simultaneously release your book in both formats without charging a POD setup fee. That way, you can direct all your promotional efforts to that single URL. However, these e-publishers have a real problem with backlog now, so if you want to travel the road I did, you'll need much more patience than I did.

Taking advantage of a free POD option with your e-book will also help your promotional efforts. Many reviewers just plain won't touch an e-book. If you've done the POD bit, in addition to being able to tell all your friends and family, "Look at this, I'm a real author because here's the paperback," you'll be able to send review copies via POD to those book reviewers.

(I told my friends and family to kiss my butt, but I'm just a crochety old cuss.)

If you find yourself with an e-publisher who doesn't offer free POD, you may wish to shop around for a POD publisher. As you do this, remember the business model. If a publisher makes all its money from writers, it doesn't need to sell a single book to a single reader to stay in business.

No matter how much praise they send your way, that's the bottom line. Writing is a calling, but publishing is a business. Those authors who can't distinguish between the two are what keep the opportunists in business. (I was such an author for most of my life.)

Some POD places are no more than thinly veiled vanity (or subsidy) presses. They have a valuable role to serve, but let's be honest. Most do no editing, and they don't care. They may not be making a massive profit from your setup fees, but they're certainly making enough to stay in business. Even if you don't sell any books to anyone except your Gramma.

(A few new POD places help with marketing and charge no fees of any kind. I've been told http://www.bewrite.net is such a place, but have yet to visit it.)

Earlier, I recommended e-publishing before print publishing for the free editing you'll receive. If you're going with POD, consider it mandatory. Either that, or pay an editor. The author who can write a mistake-free manuscript does not exist.

Still interested in POD publishing? I've done it, by the way, and it worked out well. Here are the questions you should ask yourself when you select a POD publisher:

A) Sale price of each book
1) Who decides what it is?
2) Will readers pay that much for your book?

B) Profit per sale vs. your setup cost 1) How many copies must you sell to break even? 2) Can you do it?
3) If not, do you care? How big of a financial hit are you willing to take just to see your name in print?

As a rule, US$100 or less setup cost is good and US$1000 is very bad. The latter, no matter how much publicity they promise you, is only a thinly disguised vanity publisher. You will not sell enough books to recoup that $1000 unless you are a real marketing machine. Even then you shouldn't pay the $1000 up front. Pay $100 or less and then sell all those books. $1000 or more won't get you anything that $100 or less won't.

A comprehensive list of POD publishers, along with descriptions, can be found on-line at http://dehanna.com/database.htm

The site mentioned fails to mention Booksurge (http://www.booksurge.com), also known as Digitz (http://www.digitz.net), and Publish America (http://www.publishamerica.com). The first charges US$99 and the second is free.

Another that isn't mentioned is Digital Print Australia at http://www.digitalprintaustralia.com. I've used them before. My setup cost was AUD$35 (roughly US$18), which compares rather favorably to those listed.

Their price per copy is also excellent. The quality is at least as good as what you'll find in the bookstores. If you've ever bought a paperback from Writers Exchange E-Publishing, you've seen it already. If not, Digital Print will send you a free sample. They sent mine to China.

Two problems you may have with them, though, are shipping charges from Australia if that's not where your readers are located, and the fact that they don't offer a way to sell the books on their site.

For selling the books, I used the Book Store feature on Authors Den (http://www.authorsden.com) back when it was free. It offers a secure server. I know some authors who I trusted enough to send money to without a secure server. But I suspect that most of your prospective readers won't know you that well. In fact, they won't know you at all.

Another option is the shopping cart feature at PayPal (https://www.paypal.com/refer/pal=BH2CTDYDK8RPW), which I haven't researched. But take a look. You oughta have PayPal anyway, because it lets people send you money or vice versa through email, absolutely free. They'll give you $5 just for signing up.

If the POD place only prints "trade paperbacks," which are the larger ones, your cost per book (and sale price per book) will be higher than if you can print "mass-market paperbacks." The choice is yours, but whatever you decide, visit the local bookstores and price similar-sized books. If you write like Stephen King but charge twice as much per book, readers are going to buy the author they've heard of, and that's probably not you. Yet...

Michael LaRocca's website at http://freereads.topcities.com was chosen by WRITER'S DIGEST as one of The 101 Best Websites For Writers in 2001 and 2002. He published two novels in 2002 and has two more scheduled for publication in 2004. He also works as an editor for an e-publisher. He teaches English at a university in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, China, and publishes the free weekly newsletter Mad About Books.

ISO 9000 Procedures

The basic ISO 9000 procedures include document control procedure, records procedure, internal audit procedure, control of non-conformance procedure, corrective action procedure, and preventive action procedure. Documentation is a basis upon which an ISO-compliant quality system is constructed. An unauthorized change in any information makes problems. Your mandatory document control procedure must define how you approve documents, update and re-approve amended documents, prevent the inadvertent use of obsolete documents, and ensure that documents are available where they are needed.

A mandatory records procedure is needed to specify which records are kept, by whom, for how long and how they are disposed of. These records include the records of sales activities, internal audit results and follow-up actions, results of corrective action, records of design and development reviews and any related actions, records to demonstrate the validation of special processes, and records of the product nonconformities and any subsequent actions.

An internal audit procedure requires resources such as criteria, scope, program frequency, method, report results, and keep records. The non-conformance procedure has to address how you deal any problems.

In a corrective action procedure, you should see how you decide the cause of the problem, review non-conformance and customer complaints, and decide an appropriate course of action to stop the recurring problem. With preventive action procedure, you take steps that should see how you decide the potential cause of the problem, review potential problems, and decide an appropriate course of action to stop the problem occurring.

The process of achieving ISO 9000 certification can be intimidating because it requires several procedures to follow. The instructions regarding standards and certification are written in such a way that most of us can hardly recognize what they are saying. Luckily, there are several specialists available to assist in the process.

ISO 9000 provides detailed information on ISO 9000, ISO 9000 Standards, ISO 9000 Software, ISO 9000 Consulting and more. ISO 9000 is affiliated with Home Inspections.

Understanding Film Types and ISO Ratings - Beginning Photography Basics

Beginning photographers are usually so wrapped up in learning about exposure, depth of field, and creative composition - they tend to overlook the importance of what they are recording the image onto. Whether it be film or a digital sensor - what takes place when the image hits it has a huge determining factor of what it will look like, and most especially will determine how much work you have to do in the darkroom or on the PC.

It should be noted that while I will be mentioning popular film brands, I am not promoting them. I'm not sponsored, nor am I a film sales affiliate. These are the brands I am accustomed to working with. You will need to decide for yourself and hopefully these guidelines will help you.

In my beginning years as a film photographer if you were to dig through my backpack you would find a dozen different film types and way too many rolls per type. "Afterall," I would mutter under the extra weight, "never know what I will encounter!" To a certain extent that is true, but having 10 rolls of 100 ISO color print film of varying brands is a bit extreme!

A simple guideline to follow that you can test for yourself starts with choosing the right ISO rating for the film you work with. As a matter of fact, these ISO principals are the same for digital cameras as well!

Quite simply, the ISO rating is that number on the film box. If you purchased it at the local grocery store it's usually a 200, 400, or 800. That number is the film's rating of how sensitive it is to light. The higher the number the more sensitive - the lower, the less. The mistake many beginning photographers make is the assumption that the higher the number the better because they can shoot in lower light and not use flash, and still use faster shutter speeds. This is fine if you are CSI photographer at a crime scene at night...not so fine if you are shooting a gorgeous landscape with the last of the day's light on the horizon.

Basically - the higher the ISO number the worse the quality of the image - especially if you will enlarge prints. The lower the ISO (particularly where landscapes and nature are concerned) the better the image quality. With print film - color or black & white, when you get up into the 800 and higher range you will see an increase of grain in the printed image. This becomes even more visible as you enlarge the photo. While some artsy photos are quite appealing with this grain, it is extremely unappealing in fine art landscapes or nature. Of course the higher ISO rated films have their place in photography: sports and, well, CSI night photography!

In the 125 ISO or lower range these films are extremely fine grain and generally reproduce fantastic colors! They are excellent for enlargements. Black and white film in this ISO range will have superb contrast and an incredibly smooth tonal range (the transition from white to black).

As a starting point I recommend the following ISO ratings:

50 - 125: Landscapes and scenics
125 - 160: Portraits, people photography where flattering skin reproduction is important
200 or higher: Sports

In case you are wondering, you will not find these high quality films at your local convenience store! You will need to find a camera shop or buy from a professional supplier.

Now, with a general understanding of ISO, this leads to the next part: which film types? For the sake of simplifying education I am focusing on Daylight film, which is usually what you are handed over the counter. But should you shoot with print film or slide film? (also referred to as transparency or chrome film) This will depend on what you are shooting and what will be the end result.

Color Landscapes

Most serious film photographers will agree that slide film in the 100 ISO or lower range is what they work with exclusively. Along with many other photographers, if I am working in color film for landscapes you will only find Fuji Velvia (50 ISO) or Fuji Provia (100 ISO) slide film in my bag. They enlarge prints extremely well, have unsurpassed sharp resolution, and reproduce fantastic shadows and realistic colors. If you have any aspirations of submitting your work to publishers, you will need to learn to work with slide film. Most only accept transparencies or digital files.

The disadvantages with these slide films is they are just that - transparencies. You will have to spend a few more bucks to have prints made from them, and unless you are working with a highly skilled printer the results can be sometimes be disappointing compared to the original transparency. If you want to make a digital file out of it you will need to buy a high end film and transparency scanner. Slide film is also very easy to over expose during the shoot. So until you are accomplished at right-on exposures, you may think I'm an idiot recommending these slide films.

If you are a serious landscape photographer my personal recommendation is to avoid color print films. I switched to the high-end slide films because I never found a color print film that satisfied me. However, I have no doubt there are photographers who have something to say about that.

Black and white landscapes are entirely different. There are many excellent black and white print films available, but after much testing you will only find Ilford PanF (50 ISO) and FP4 (125 ISO) in my film bag. In my bold opinion - black and white print film for landscapes and scenics does not get any better than these.

Portrait and People Photography

Until you become highly skilled with exposure, and you are working with models that have flawless skin - stick to print films. The most important factor with color portrait photography is skin tones. Using films with ISO ratings lower than 160 will bring out the red pigments in a person's skin more than if you stick to the 160 range. Go below 100 and your model will look like they have a nasty rash! I speak from experience.

Kodak makes a wonderful color portrait film called Portra 160. In my opinion it reproduces the most pleasant skin tones and the contrast is perfect. Just as important, it enlarges very well. If you want to try black and white portraits I also recommend giving Ilford FP4 a try. You will see some of the smoothest facial tones imaginable with this film!

One of the advantages with color and black & white print film is the exposure tolerance (or film lattitude) is excellent. This means that if your exposure is just slightly off, the image will still most likely come out looking very nice.

I recommend these as starting points to find what works best for your photography. It is important for you to learn for yourself what works well, and what does not. However, applying these principals will give you a significant step up towards perfecting your photographic work.

Chip Clark is a San Diego based professional photographer, with over 20 years experience in landscape photography, wildlife photography, sports photography, and portraiture.

Chip Clark's photography tutorials are available at http://www.chipclarkphotography.com/advanced-techniques-for-beginning-photographers.htm

Publishing and reprint rights are granted solely according to the guidelines set forth by Ezinearticles.com.

How to Meet Quality Standards with ISO 9001

In today’s hectic business environment, it is vital that we are all on the same page, right? But how do we know if we meet those standards? Business owners and executives can avoid the uncertainty, and that’s where ISO 9001 certification comes in.

Standardizing Quality Systems

The ISO, or International Organization for Standardization, was established in 1947 to develop international standards for everything from electronics to management systems. Having over 13,000 standards currently in place, ISO has created the auditing and certification process known as ISO 9001. This began the drive toward quality standards.

Improving Customer Satisfaction

Companies choose to implement ISO 9001 and get certified because many customers and industries require it. By keeping customers happy, they can increase sales and profitability for their business. And if an area of the company’s program appears to be too bureaucratic and non-value-adding, then it might also be an area for continuous improvement efforts.

Enhancing Company Policy and Performance

Both customers and industries alike use ISO certification as a way to evaluate and audit their suppliers and products. Through an independent verification process, customers can gain assurance of their suppliers’ products. And as a supplier becomes certified, the testing requirement is waved, which saves the company both time and money.

Developing a Best Practices Process

Employed as a “Best Practices” model, ISO 9001 utilizes the philosophy of the “Plan-Do-Check-Act” continuous improvement cycle to achieve requirements. This process approach centers around eight quality management principles used by management as a guide toward improving performance and identifying the main elements needed in a good quality system:

1. Customer Focus

2. Leadership

3. Involvement of People

4. Process Approach

5. Systems Approach to Management

6. Continuous improvement

7. Factual Approach to Decision-Making

8. Mutually Beneficial Supplier Relationship

Building Stable Processes

ISO 9001 policies, procedures and forms can provide employers, managers and employees with a systematic and consistent approach to implementing policies, plans, procedures and work routines. Instead of building their own policies and procedures from scratch, some companies prefer to hire professional writers that have already prepared a set of written policies and procedures to help on the way to certification.

Auditing a Company System

In the certification process, an independent registrar will perform an on-site audit of a company’s operations to verify that it complies with the ISO standard. If the business complies, then that company will be registered as ISO 9001 compliant.

Effective Policies and Procedures

On the way to certification, a business can meet its ISO needs by:

• Using well-defined processes and procedures to build stable processes

• Training in the audit and certification process

• Continuously improving with ISO 9001 standards

Quality Management System

With complete procedures manuals for ISO 9001 Quality Management System, required HR procedures, and an ISO training class, a template like an ISO 9001 Quality Manager Procedures Manual Series can help a business on its way to ISO 9001 certification. Sometimes the effort can be very great, but companies typically notice a remarkable difference in efficiency and effectiveness after the first year.

Chris Anderson is currently the managing director of Bizmanualz, Inc. and co-author of policies and procedures manuals, producing the layout, process design and implementation to increase performance. To learn how to increase your business performance, visit: Bizmanualz, Inc.