What is POD?

POD (Print-On-Demand) book creation and publishing assists authors with getting their manuscripts into print as an alternative to more traditional methods, which may not always be available to the author. Our ^™ (short for Australian Print-On-Demand) Publishing Packages and Book Creation Service offer a one-stop service for authors who want to see their creative masterpieces or family histories etc. in print.

Where can I read more about the Book Creation Service?

Our ^™Lite Book Creation Service offers fast and easy creation of family histories, poetry collections, personal diaries and travelogues, or for documenting your life experiences etc. in a professionally printed and bound book to share with colleagues or family and friends etc

Take advantage of our Promotional Special and create your book today for only AUD$149.00!

Various queries are covered throughout these FAQs. Click HERE for a list of features, inclusions and other information.

Why should I POD publish?^*

Every writer dreams of getting published by one of the world's major publishing houses and having their book on the bestseller lists next to all the big name authors, but that's a very difficult market to break in to. You need extraordinary amounts of patience waiting for the 3-6 month turn around time, and then a good measure of moral resilience for the many rejection slips that may come your way! Even scoring a contract with a traditional publisher does not guarantee a huge financial return for your time and efforts, nor does it mean your book will always be available, as many novels are quickly retired by the larger publishers. With ^™ your books can always be available, printed commensurate with demand for the term of your agreement.

So why do I have to invest my hard-earned cash for an ^™ package?^*

Well, the short answer to that is you don't! If your manuscript is 90,000 words or less, you can chose to submit your work for our fee-free ^™ Bronze option, where a small minimum book purchase requirement applies, or you can keep submitting to the traditional publishers for as long as you have the stamina to do so. Our ^™ publishing packages are specifically designed for those authors who wish to see their book in print NOW!

Why is there a minimum author purchase requirement for the ^™ Bronze package?^*

When we were looking at improving our services and minimising author costs, we discussed this option with our family of authors as well as posting a few topics at various Writers' forums. The overwhelming response was that as most authors purchase at least 25 copies or more of their book in any case, the purchase requirement wasn't really an issue. Instead, it means that authors can now opt for completely fee-free publishing if they so desire - something that's quite unique for POD and an option we're very proud to offer. Please Note: The fee-free publishing option only applies to our ^™ Bronze package for manuscripts up to 90,000 words.

Will I lose all my rights with ^™?

No way! Equilibrium Books only asks that you assign us Australian POD publishing rights for the duration of your 2-year agreement period. The author retains ALL other legal rights to their work. A free 2-year renewal option is included for ^™ Gold packages. Agreements for Silver packages may also be renewed at a cost of AUD$75.00 per year. Renewing your agreement will keep your book in print and available for sale. (Agreements for Bronze packages are not renewable, and the Book Creation Service is free of any contractual obligations.)

How soon will you respond to my submission query?

This is one area where we really try to excel. One of the biggest frustrations we hear about is how long it takes to hear from a publisher once you send them a manuscript. Well, at Equilibrium Books we will usually respond to you within the hour (depending on the local time here of course, but certainly within 24 hours) to confirm the receipt of your query or manuscript, and then try to get back to you within 2-3 days, depending on our submission workload, but you should definitely hear from us within 7 days. Please ensure that email from Equilibrium Books is allowed, should you be using a spam blocker.

Will you publish reprints of books previously published?^*

From a marketing point of view, a previously unpublished work is likely to offer better sales potential than one that has been published before, which has possibly already maximised its sales potential. This is why we request that you advise us in your submission query if the work has been published previously in ANY format. That way we are better informed to make a decision about your book's suitability for a reprint. In all instances of a book being submitted to us for reprinting, as well as having to meet our normal criteria for publication, we will also take into account any copyright issues, its genre, potential market appeal, and the format in which it was previously published, before making a decision.

What about royalties and marketing?^*

With any form of POD publication, much of the book's promotion and marketing falls upon the shoulders of the author, and we certainly recommend that the author set up a web site and/or blog etc. to promote their book, linking to the relevant page on our site so that your visitors and readers can find out more about your book and easily place a secure, online order.

All of our commercially published titles are listed and sold through our online Book Store, with small discounts offered initially (where applicable) to help boost sales. We will also provide a free, print quality promotional flyer proof and web banner for all books published with our ^™ Silver and Gold packages, as well as some linage advertising, or a larger ad for ^™ Gold packages. Additionally, a 300dpi PDF postcard proof is now included as part of our Gold packages. These double-sided postcards can be easily printed at a copy shop (for around $0.75 cents to $1.00 each, depending on quantities ordered), and used as handouts at book stores, conventions or other similar events.

Part of our standard database registration process includes listing with the Nielsen BookData Online/BookFind Online services, which enables any participating book store to search for and subsequently order any of our titles. Third party stores who may choose to order or carry your book will expect a hefty discount however, and this will be reflected in the royalties paid to our authors.

Equilibrium Books pays its contracted authors a royalty based on a flat rate of 13.5% of sale price, including all author purchases! (Most mainstream publishers usually only pay around 9%.) This means that royalties are calculated at 13.5% of the actual price paid for the book, excluding shipping, whether it be at full cover price, discount or trade etc. For example, a book sold at its full cover price of $AUD25.95 would return a AUD$3.50 royalty per book sold, or at a trade price of AUD$15.57, AUD$2.10 royalty per book sold.

How is the discount calculated for Authors purchasing their own books?^*

Discounts for contracted authors are based on the relevant ^™ package discount rate with the applicable author royalty advanced and added to the discount. For example, for books published with ^™ Bronze, the author discount is 22.5% off the cover price. Based on a retail price of AUD$25.95, the discount would reduce this to AUD$20.11 per copy. Royalty is then calculated at 13.5% of this discounted price and applied accordingly, bringing the price per copy down to AUD$17.39, which equates to a 33% total discount. The same method is applied to ^™ Silver and Gold packages where the author discount is 27.5% plus 13.5% royalty for a total discount of 37.25%


Why do your books retail for slightly higher prices than mass market paperbacks?^*

Well, primarily, the first answer to this is quality! Our A5 format softcovers are of a greater size and quality than a standard paperback, with thicker covers and higher internal paper weight. Many mass market paperbacks are printed on poor quality paper, by the thousands or even tens of thousands, which means they can be produced more cost effectively. POD by its very nature means that books are only printed on demand, in much shorter print runs, resulting in higher production costs, which are therefore reflected in the book's cover price. At Equilibrium, we keep our margins as low as possible to ensure our cover prices remain competitive.

So will you print anything that lands on your desk?^*

No way! Unlike vanity publishers who charge extraordinary fees and expect you to purchase large volumes of books, thus printing anything in order to receive their income, Equilibrium Books will not, and we'll only print what we think we can sell through our own store and other outlets. If the submitted manuscript is poorly edited the author will be expected to have the manuscript professionally proofed, at their own cost, however, basic typographical correction will be included as part of our ^™ Silver and Gold packages. Equilibrium Books also won't print fan fiction or anything else it deems unsuitable for the general market, and your manuscript will be carefully assessed before a publishing agreement is offered.

Will my book make it to the shelves of my local book store or library?^*

Equilibrium Books supplies many independent book stores as well as national library suppliers like James Bennett and ALS Library Services, however, third party distributor costs and hefty discounts expected from many book store chains are not always economically viable. Heavily discounted sales made to book stores and trade outlets will also signifcantly reduce author royalties. However, authors are also free to purchase stock at their discounted price to arrange book signings or to place into stores for sale or return, or for sale by consignment etc.

If your book is not on the shelf at your local library, feel free to ask your librarian to order it in for you.

Do you accept international submissions even though your service is based in Australia?

Our publishing and book creation services are primarily offered to residents of Australia, but we'll also look at submissions from other countries (USA, Canada, United Kingdom and New Zealand etc.) on an individual basis. All submissions must be in English language.

I have a great design for a cover - can I use my own artwork with ^™?

Absolutely - in fact we encourage it! The only requirement is that the images be of a commercial print quality, full cover panel size, with at least 300dpi resolution, and provided to us in our required format, free of any copyright or licensing restrictions.

How are your covers created?

Our packages do not include artist services, so we cannot provide a fully customised drawn or painted cover. However, wherever possible, we try to include an author's suggestions or ideas when designing a cover. We provide basic digital artwork and also have a large range of stock images and designs available, and, as mentioned above, you may also provide your own artwork. Browse through our Book Store pages to see examples of the wide range of cover designs we have already produced.

Can I make changes to my book once it's been printed?

Some minor text changes can be made once a book has been setup and printed from its author/editor's approved final proof, however, a minimum fee of $75.00 will apply for each new print setup. For ^™Publishing Packages, changes that would result in an increase or decrease in page count are not usually allowed and would require the creation of a new edition of the book, meaning additional package charges would therefore apply.

Do you publish poetry?

Due to its limited market appeal, Equilibrium Books will no longer be accepting Poetry Collections for commercial publication, however, our ^™Lite service can be used for this purpose.

Will you publish short story collections?^*

We are happy to accept single-author short story collections or anthologies for consideration, provided they meet our standard guidelines. Multiple-author collections and journals are also acceptable, however certain conditions apply. If you are an editor of a project please query us for further information.

Can I include Colour or Black and White graphics with my book?

Colour photos, text or graphics etc. can be included as a two-page insert for books published with an ^™Gold package only, however, a reasonable number of black and white graphics, maps or illustrations etc. (usually up to 12 or 15 depending on book size) can be included with all ^™Lite, Silver and Gold packages. All images must be provided full size, with minimum 300dpi resolution, in an acceptable format, free of any copyright or licensing restrictions. Please note that books printed with a colour image insert may carry a higher cover price.

I think my manuscript may need some professional editing - can you help?^*

Manuscript editing and proofing services are becoming increasingly more expensive we have found, and can sometimes cost as much as $2000 depending on the level of service you require. We usually recommend an online search of services in your local area. Alternatively, you will find links to two online services on our Submissions page, whom you may contact for a quote. However, as an additional service to our contracted authors, if needed, we will include basic typographical proofing for no additional cost as part of our ^™ Silver and Gold packages.

Why are you sometimes temporarily closed to new submissions?

At times we get swamped with new submissions, so in order to make sure we have sufficient time to dedicate to each and every one of them, sometimes we have to close to further submissions until we catch up.

Does Equilibrium Books have a Terms of Trade and Privacy Policy?

Yes, and we're very protective of our authors' and customers' privacy. You can read our terms and privacy statement HERE.

^*Does not apply to the ^™Lite Book Creation Service.