Print On Demand: The Environmentally Sound Publishing
written by Laura Pfalz

In a world which is only growing in turmoil and environmental problems, it can become overwhelming very quickly. However there are simple things that everyday people can do to slow and possibly eliminate the deterioration of our planet. Print on demand is a very simple change which is a step in the right direction. Apart from e-books, there is no better way, environmently speaking, to publish.

For those who are unfamiliar, print-on-demand (POD) publishing is the process of publishing one book at a time as orders are placed, as opposed to mass producing books in the hopes that they will eventually sell. Of course, it's doubtful that even the most popular authors will sell every single copy of their book, and what happens to the excess? Unfortunately, they're often destroyed. Think of the trees that are being wasted during this process. With print-on-demand, the only books produced are those which are paid for and given directly to a consumer, rather than sitting on shelves collecting dust in the hopes that the copies will be sold. Even if an author is the consumer and buys several copies of their own book, it's very unlikely that they will destroy the excess. More often than not, they will give copies to friends or relatives, or donate them, if they can't make a sale.

Print on demand is also often utilized by internet companies, who handle most of their business electronically. Publishers who utilize print-on-demand technology, usually have little paperwork and accept manuscript submissions via e-mail. Traditional publishers reject approximately 98% of submissions, and these submissions come via regular mail printed on paper. That means approximately 98% of these manuscripts are thrown out or on a rare occassion, returned to the author. The publishing industry has been known as one of the most wasteful industries, but print-on-demand could drastically change this.

It isn't difficult to support print-on-demand technology. If you are a writer, consider seeking out publishers who utilize print on demand technology. Don't mistake it for vanity publishing (sometimes referred to as "publish on demand"), which you have to pay for to be published. All of my books to date have utilized print on demand technology, and I haven't paid a dime to get published. Non-writers can support this cause too, by buying books printed using print-on-demand technology. There are thousands, if not millions of books available which use this method of publishing. And don't forget to support e-book authors as well! Remember that saving trees can help save our world.