In Defence of Print on Demand Publishing

Honest Publishing uses Print on Demand (POD) publishing. It’s certainly no secret, and we feel no shame in letting people know this. We take pride in our output because we work only with writers whose work we love, and whose work we think you’ll love.

Hence, it depresses me whenever I hear POD pooh-poohed by sneering type-set snobs, as if POD books are somehow less worthy. As with all fresh approaches, scepticism over POD (often expressed by the anxious proprietors of older, clunkier publishing models) remains fashionable. Large publishers turn their noses up at POD, and some most bookstores refuse to stock POD books. Fortunately, their reasons for doing so are diminishing by the day.

In the years since it first appeared, POD publishing has moved on in leaps and bounds and yet more leaps. It is not only more cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and convenient than type-set publishing, but also as clean, clear, and crisp as any “traditional” print. Suggesting otherwise is nothing more than outdated elitism.

Perhaps most importantly, it is a key reason why we, a small independent press, can exist. That is extraordinarily exciting to me. POD has democratised publishing on a huge scale, and it has allowed us to unearth some amazing writers.

So let the snobs laugh for now. In the meantime, we’ll get along with embracing the future and welcoming fresh, dynamic talent.

Speaking of talent, we’ve recently signed an agreement to publish a third writer. We’re hugely excited to be working alongside her, just as we’re thrilled to be working with the arresting talents of Paul Kavanagh and Bogdan Tiganov. Stay tuned for a full update!

Chris Greenhough