The publishing industry, like so many other industries these days, has undergone radical changes. I’ve written for a traditional publisher since 2002; I recently made the switch to a newer, less traditional one.
In traditional publishing, it takes at least 9 months for a new book to arrive on the shelves of your local book store. The writing process takes less than half the time; editing, typesetting, printing and distribution adds months to the overall process. By that time many books are literally “old before their time” – especially if the topic is related to technology.
I was approached in May by a fairly new publisher, PactT Publishing. The company’s business model involves “print on demand” publishing. Print on demand (POD) is a printing technology in which new copies of a book are not printed until an order has been received. Print on Demand uses digital printing rather than the traditional letterpress or offset printing which means that edits can be made with each new printing. Digital printing also means that a book is available immediately in e-book and e-reader format; traditional printers generally wait until a book proves to be successful before they convert to “e-format.”
I am currently working on two new titles for PackT – ACT! By Sage 2011 Cook Book and ACT! by Sage Reports and Dashboards Cook Book. I’m even more excited to announce that both books have been accepted into the new “RAW” (Read as we Write) program. RAW is a cutting-edge new program that enables customers to access books while they are being written. The RAW program provides customers with downloadable chapters months before the full book is available and sends new updated chapters as they are written.
Buying a RAW book offers customers the opportunity to gain immediate access to content, share in the editorial process of producing a book and to receive a substantial discount on the final product. As soon as the author has written a new chapter, Packt will add it to the eBook and notify customers who can download it immediately. In addition to early access, customers have the opportunity to provide feedback and suggestions for future updates.
It’s still too early to tell if the RAW program will prove to be successful. PactT is envisioning an online community of readers , other users and the author.
For more information please visit my website.
