| llion adults in the United States consider | | | | These agents’ collective opinion is that a |
| themselves creative writers but less than 5% | | | | publish-on-demand book seriously hurt an |
| have ever been published anywhere. 172,000 titles | | | | author’s chance at being commercially |
| were released in 2005. It has been estimated that | | | | published. Agents were asked to rate their |
| at any one time there are between 5 to 6 million | | | | response from 1 - significantly hurt, to 5 - |
| manuscripts looking for a publishing home. Many | | | | significantly helped. The average rating was 2. |
| writers are turning toward publish-on-demand | | | | 28% declared a POD title to be neutral (a rating |
| (POD) houses like iUniverse, AuthorHouse and | | | | of 3) but half of those specified that a POD title |
| Publish America to get their books into | | | | would only help if the sales reached a significant |
| readers’ hands. About 25,000 titles will be | | | | level, from 5,000 to 10,000 copies. Just a handful |
| released by POD houses in 2006. Does a | | | | of publish-on-demand titles have reached that |
| publish-on-demand book, sometimes called vanity | | | | level of sales. The average number of copies sold |
| or subsidy publisher, help a previously unpublished | | | | for a POD title is around 100. |
| writer get closer to the brass ring of a | | | | The book publishing industry has never been easy |
| commercial publishing contract? Or does it bump | | | | to break into and these same literary agents see |
| them down a rung on their climb up the publishing | | | | the environment getting a bit more challenging in |
| ladder? | | | | the next year or so for unpublished writers. |
| Writers often comment that a publish-on-demand | | | | Combine that with the significantly increased |
| book will at least “get their name out | | | | number of unsolicited submissions agents say |
| there” or that a POD book will show that | | | | they’re receiving and writers need every |
| they are capable of writing a 50,000 to 100,000 | | | | boost they can get toward agency representation |
| word manuscript. But does a POD book really help | | | | and the ultimate goal of commercial publication. |
| get a writer commercially published? That question | | | | Unfortunately, contrary to what quite a few |
| was asked of nearly 60 successful literary agents | | | | writers think, that boost isn’t going to |
| in the Hill and Power 2006 Survey of Literary | | | | come from a publish-on-demand book. |
| Agents. | | | | |