A Democratic Way To Enter Publishing

Last night I interviewed Susan Driscoll, CEO and President of iUniverse which is one of the largest Print On Demand self-publishing companies. During our 90-minutes together, there was an honest tone to the exchange which will resonate with listeners. According to Driscoll, iUniverse publishes around 400 books a month or 4,800 new books a year. She told about the variety of reasons that people want to publish their books. iUniverse provides a democratic way for anyone to enter publishing--whether you have dreams of a bestseller or want to get a single copy of your book to give to your family member.

While obviously Driscoll has a huge interest in the success of the company she leads, I was impressed that repeatedly throughout the exchange, she presented other options for listeners. For example, she encouraged authors to try and get a traditional publisher first, then turn to iUniverse. Also if you have a high volume sales potential, then maybe you want to start with iUniverse then switch to a more traditional self-publishing route. Or if you have a full-color children's book that you want to self-publish, Driscoll said that iUniverse would not be a good place for that type of book. Apparently the POD technology doesn't handle full-color work and she had other recommendations. From her long career in publishing, Driscoll understands that iUniverse isn't for everyone and there are many options on the publishing landscape.

After our teleseminar, I cut the interview into several bite-sized sections and also added links so you can download all of it or part of it. Then listen to it on your iPod or computer. Everyone who registered will receive the replay page link later today. After I set up the replay page, if anyone signed up at asksusandriscoll.com, instead of the confirmation page, they reach the replay page. I hope you will listen to the interview. It contains valuable insight for every writer.