Sometimes the best way to give hope to others is simply to tell your story. In POD People, Jeremy Robinson breaks down the lessons of his experience as a print-on-demand author into simple, easy to follow suggestions. As a fellow POD person I already learned most of these lessons the hard way but it never hurts to retrace your steps. Unfortunately for me this book came too late. I had already made many of the mistakes that Jeremy tries to warn new authors against. Amongst them are the needs for patience and professionalism. If I had to do it all over again, I would first read and follow the steps in this helpful little guide and then I'd take a long time preparing a careful route towards success.

I bought this book because of the overwhelmingly positive reviews. After reading the book myself I can only conclude the other 14 reviews are either friends of the reviewer or they read a different book. The premise of the book is "how to beat the print-on-demand stigma." In reality, this book demonstrates nearly every reason why POD books have a stigma.

1. It's under 160 pages even with generous spacing.
2. It uses non-standard fonts such as Impact instead of those used in professional publishing.
3. The cover is amateurish.
4. The last 30 pages of the book is a bunch of re-produced interviews (most of which cover the same questions).

The author explains it would have been hypocritical for him to not publish the book in a POD format even though he's signed with a traditional publisher and agent. In reality no traditional publisher would sign this book. Even if it had quality content, a book must be at least 160 pages to fit the profit model of most traditional publishers. It's more realistic that this book was pitched his publisher and rejected.

A large section of the book is devoted to getting reviews of your book. Although it's a long shot to have a POD book reviewed, it is possible. However, the author gives none of the proper guidance to having the book reviewed rather than simply "send it out." Your chances of having your book reviewed increase if you set up your own publishing moniker rather than simply publishing under the name of the POD service (such as LULU or Booksurge). But the author doesn't provide any of these steps.

I normally don't write reviews at all, but really got me typing on this one was the author's section on morality. I don't think anyone selling a book this light on content should be lecturing on honesty and integrity. Shame on you, Mr. Robinson. I'd return the book but I don't think it's fair for Amazon or Lulu to eat their share. I'll have to settle for the ten cents I might get at a yard sale.

If you're an author who's serious about POD publishing, check out the work of a legitimate expert on the subject such as Aaron Shepard. (I'm not affiliated with Shepard in anyway - I just know his books have helped me immensely.)

I bought my copy 2 weeks ago and it is already marked up and highlighted.
Jeremy's message is clear: The best marketing plan in the world won't make up for a shlocky book! Write the best book you possibly can. Get a PRO to edit it and design your cover. And, be HONEST.

To me this is a "why to" book more than a "how to"

Definitely got my money's worth.

Good companion books are How Not To Write A Novel and Publicize Your Book.

Jeremy Robinson is the success story every POD author longs for! Now, he's written a book offering his advice to other struggling POD People telling you how he did it. The information he provides here, based on his own POD experience with [..], is a tool every self-publishing author should invest in!

Jeremy offers advice on formatting your manuscript, getting author blurbs for your cover, creating a cover that stands out and doesn't look amateur, setting up a blog and website, email etiquette, getting book reviews, book signings, and even Amazon Marketing 101. It's all here.

Jeremy approaches his advice in an easy and comical manner. But this is not a complete "how-to" book from start to finish. He constantly reminds the reader to do their own research, but he touches on these subjects and lets you know what did and did not work for him. He also provides numerous websites for you to seek out for help.

I read this book in one setting and kept a highlighter handy, constantly marking things I wanted to come back to later. His advice and personal success story makes this a much needed reference for anyone considering POD today.

Thank you, Jeremy!

Yes! Another book that describes the POD business model as something other than a technical advancement to the traditional publishing model. Publishing POD requires different tactics and a different understanding of the publishing business. Copying what one knows or understands about the traditional publishing industry and then trying to shove that knowledge into the POD world is like shoving a round peg into a square hole. It just doesn't fit. Jeremy Robinson understands that well and POD People does a good job of explaining the advantages of POD to those who are open to understanding its differences. Those differences make for unique marketing opportunities (which this book also covers) and lucrative results if one is open to letting-go of pre-conceived notions. Kudos, Jeremy! - Brent Sampson, author of Self-publishing Simplified: Experience Your Publishing Dreams With Outskirts Press