Print-On-Demand Publisher Profile: Virtual Bookworm
September 27, 2005
Virtual Bookworm is a print-on-demand (POD) publisher that has been in business since 2000. It is not associated with any corporate publishing houses. Unlike many POD publishers, Bookworm does screen manuscripts for editorial quality and marketability. That means their reputation for quality books is a bit higher than publishers such as Lulu. Another good sign is that they do maintain an online bookstore that is relatively easy to find from the front page. Do not be fooled though, the responsibility for marketing your book will be yours. Do not expect many casual, “impulse” sales.
The most basic publishing package at Bookworm starts at $360 for soft cover, which is one of the lowest prices other than Lulu. This includes an electronic proof, a copy of the book and the assignment of an ISBN number. There are many “extras” that you can purchase but looking that them, I would advise people to go with the basic package and take care of the other things themselves.
The average price for a 200 page paperback is about $14, which is a little high for the fiction marker (like most POD) but a pretty good price for non-fiction market. The royalty payout is 50% of net receipts. Like most POD publishers, they will make your book available on Amazon.com and other online outlets, but have no presence in traditional bookstores.
Overall, Bookworm is a solid choice for people looking for POD. The startup costs are reasonable and the author payouts are reasonable. Their reputation for working with writers is good. Bookworm is definitely worth considering.
See also:
Print-On-Demand Publisher Profile: PageFree Publishing.com
Print-On-Demand Publisher Profile: Books by Bookends
Print-On-Demand Publisher Profile: iUniverse
