Quality

POD/Print quality is very important, as you do not want the pages falling off the spine. You also want the option of white paper or cream. You also want to make sure the publisher produces professional cover art. Ask to see cover art samples. You want your book to be produced in the most professional manner, don't settle for less. It is the publishers job to add the correct pagination, headers, title, copyright page and correct TOC if needed. A good publisher will make sure all parts of the book are professionally produced - not just accept what you give them. Authors write and publishers publish!

Service

Distribution

This is one of the key to factor in choosing a company. You want them to lay the platform for your book to be successful. Therefore you want the best distribution possible. Do not settle for just distribution to Amazon - Amazon is not the only game in town or in the world for that matter. At a minimum you need - Amazon, Powell's, Gardeners, Barnes and Noble, Baker and Taylor and Ingram. (this section is the most important benefit to authors as per author interviews) As an added bonus you really should make sure your publisher also distributes to public libraries, university libraries and bibliography database sources.

File Submission

Some companies are limited in what files they accept - however the truth of the matter is the best results are going to come for the native file that the manuscript was written in. One misconception is that everyone thinks a PDF is a good thing. FACT - a PDF is not a source file. A PDF is a snapshot of the original file in the first place. You cannot create a PDF unless you have a file to create it with - therefore the native file does exist somewhere. Don't give the PDF to the publisher, give the native file whenever possible. If you submit a PDF and the publisher is not pro-active, they will use the PDF solely and substandard results will apply.

Royalties

Price

Author beware.<red flashing lights> Do Not under any circumstance get caught up in paying thousands or 10's of thousand's to any one publisher. This is just crazy. For a good all around package that includes layout, cover and distribution you should not have to spend more than $1000.00 (does not include marketing items). Yeah you may want to spend a few hundred here and there on some marketing items - however you should be able to get everything you need and a little more from a publisher as far as POD/Print publishing for 2 grand or less and that includes some marketing items. We can promise you one big regret once you start getting into the crazy numbers. And for the love of life - do not fall for marketing items that sound too good to be true. As an example - any company that says they are taking you to Hollywood and want you to pay thousands of dollars - they are lying to you. Yes, they may make a screen play and yes they may actually mail it to somebody with a Hollywood address - however I promise you, no one is going to make a movie about your book at this point until you sell enough copies to get noticed. Think about it - how many books that are even on the NY Times Best Seller list ever get movie rights?? Be realistic with your book, don't get suckered into to buying things you do not need or will not bring you real, true exposure.