Print-on-demand self-publishing means a copy is printed when a customer (or store) orders it. You do not pay for 1,000 copies up front. You also do not get “offset print quality at $2 a unit” fantasies on a 50-copy run.
What POD is good for
- Debut print without inventory risk
- Amazon and wholesale orders without a warehouse
- Revising a file without pulping a print run (re-tech still has a cost)
What POD is not
- A guarantee bookstores will stock you
- The same unit cost as a 5,000-copy offset run
- A substitute for a professional cover and interior
AuthorShelf packages use POD/wholesale rails for global retail setup. You still approve print-ready files in the portal. After Title Live, reprints happen as orders happen. See after Title Live and the six-phase process.