If Ya Can't Beat Em..

...Call 'em names...

Well, I did refrain from namecalling when I first mentioned the overtures I'd received following my ellimination from the ABNA contest. I have to admit that I was cynical about the motives for offering me a POD contract, and perhaps about the motives behind the ABNA contest in general. I mean, what better way to create a potential client base for a fledgling online venture than to provide several thousand unsuccessful candidates, all dressed up to get their work finally published and now nowhere to go...

But I have to admit that, to date, my dealings with CreateSpace, the POD arm of the ABNA contest, have been nothing but satisfactory. The good people at CreateSpace have been responsive, encouraging and professional, and while they've offered me no "magic bullet" to getting published in a traditional format, I'm inevitably being won over by their soft but supportive approach to finally seeing my completed manuscript actively FOR SALE on their site.

The biggest thing that's deciding me, aside from their quick response time, is the fact that to their credit, so far, there has been no high-pressure sales pitch; although they offer a "Professional POD Package" for a fee of $50, they make no big deal of it. It seems quite ok with them if I want to stay with the basic program. Their offer of a free "proof" copy of my MS seems genuine, as is their promise to create a sales page on their website. My draft copy of Author bio and cover blur is up there now, waiting my final approval after checking out the proof copy they tell me is on the way.

I've long believed in, touted, as a matter of fact, as the only logical way to save the planet, that we harness the power of modern communications technology to eliminate the incredible waste inherent in manufacturing items "on spec", many, most perhaps, of which languish in showroom,s or almost as bad, end up in remainders sales and second-hand stores where the original creators reap no benefits from their sales. Why not develop the capability to produce, on demand, and to the customer's specifications, whatever gizmo, widget or complex machine the customers desires?

The same logic holds true for books. The convergence of POD and Amazon's ability to exploit the "long-tail" of consumer demands is coming into its own - and my book is moving a step closer to being available at CreateSpace as a Print-on-Demand title only. If it's any good, the customer reviews and vast customer outreach potential of the web and Amazon will ensure that it actually becomes a legitimate in-demand publication. If it's basically wasted words, then it probably makes sense for it to simply fade away into POD Heaven.

Watch for it at CreateSpace. "Mai Shangri-La": a novel of the near future by Robert J. Rubis