Many experts claim that on-demand publishing is the “wave of the future.”  It is inexpensive, convenient, and environmentally sound, so what’s not to like?  Unlike traditional publishing, on-demand publishing uses digital technology to store the text of a book.  When an order comes in through Amazon’s Createspace or other on-demand publishing services, the book is printed on the spot and shipped out to the customer.  Traditionally, a publisher had to invest large sums of money in a book, printing thousands of copies that may or may not sell.  This is an obvious potential waste of money, space, and trees.  Print / publish on-demand means that you only print what is needed, avoiding extra costs, storage problems, and wasted natural resources.

Business owners can benefit from on-demand self-publishing in a number of ways.  As the publishing industry changes, it is becoming more common for experts in various fields to publish their own books through on-demand publishing services like Createspace.com.  There is a difference between “self-publishing” and “vanity publishing.”  “Vanity publishing” is a term typically used for the process of paying someone to publish a creative work simply for the purpose of bragging rights and personal attention.  “Self-publishing” means that the author maintains complete control of the project when making it available to the public.  With publishing companies becoming more and more demanding, often insisting upon changes that threaten the integrity of the work (and taking years to release a title), it is reasonable for experts in certain businesses to go the on-demand self-publishing route in order to ensure that their readers get solid, trustworthy content.  This can also be a great addition to a business’s website, and to its income.
On-demand publishing sites can lead you through the process of creating hard copy books, ebooks, and kindle books that will help you to share your industry knowledge and insights with others in your field.   If the book becomes popular, it grants at least two major benefits – establishing you as an expert in the field and bringing in direct income from book sales.  It should be noted that the profit margin on self-published books is DRAMATICALLY higher than it is for traditionally published books (easily several dollars per copy, depending on the cover price).

Let’s say you run a business in a big university town like Boston, MA, Pittsburgh, PA, or Madison, WI.  In these cities, you have a good chance of attracting some pretty intellectual customers, and some pretty intellectual young employees.  No matter what your field is, it looks great for you to have a book available on Amazon.com that gives some insight into your career, your business, how you run your company, or any other information that pertains to your field.  Whether it is self-published or not, the fact that you have something to say about your industry, and that you took the time to write it, tends to impress potential clients, business partners, and employees.

And then there is the financial aspect.  It never hurts to add another source of potentially unlimited residual income.  People have made millions off of self-published on-demand books.  The key is web development.  Like any product, you could have the best book in the world, but no one will buy it if no one knows it exists.  Any company that really wants to compete should invest in professional web development to make sure its website is running smoothly, looking great, and attracting as many targeted visitors as possible.  It’s also a good idea to coordinate your web development with a link to your on-demand publishing site.  With the proper ad page, potential customers for your business have a new option – to buy your book.  For business people who have the ambition to do the work necessary to set this up, it can be a great additional source of income.  While you certainly would not want to give away any major trade secrets in your book, the right web development company can entice viewers to purchase your book, as well as whatever other goods or services you may be providing.  For instance, a law firm might offer a book on private citizens and the law, a manufacturing company might offer a book on consumer advocacy, or a gourmet food shop might offer a book of recipes.  And, of course, there is the option to give discount codes to special customers, or create special offers.  The application will be unique for each company and circumstance, but this strategy can have tremendous potential to help take a business to a new level.

J Daniel Agency provides website design and website development so businesses in Madison, WI Milwaukee WI and beyond!