I think the POD discussion is a good one to have now because traditional publishing just isn't working to most writers' benefit. Somebody has to eventually do POD publishing right, and I think Flying Pen Press is on the right track
May I inquire as to how "traditional publishing" isn't working to most writers' benefits? (I'm not using the quotes in to be snarky, but to quote you) Additionally, you say that someone has to do POD publishing right. May I ask what FPP is doing differently to make this happen?
The biggest stigma we face is the association of POD with vanity presses.
I disagree. POD presses have a faulty reputation for a number of reasons. One of the big ticket items is that they lack the funds and/or strong enough presales and selling capabilities to do large print runs. The small quantities don't make it worth a distributor's time to try to push the books, therefore they'll decline to rep a POD company. I'm not talking about Ingram and B&T - they are warehouse distributors. I'm talking about distributors that have sales teams all over the country that are meeting with the chain, indie and library buyers on the national and local levels.
Since buyers know POD companies have small runs and little money to have first rate editing teams, they generally decline to purchase POD books. Provided you can get some stores to buy your books, you have to discount them, and this is going to eat into your pay. Just because the book is in the store doesn't mean they'll stay sold. Returns can kill a POD company faster than anything else because they still have to pay for the print run. It's a double-edged sword and the blade be mighty sharp.
Our standards for recommending mansucripts to the publisher are high, and we're committed to publishing books that the public will want to read.
Benevolence is great, but it doesn't pay the bills, and your claim that you're committed to publishing books that the public will want to read is a non-statement. Again, please know that I'm not being snarky, but sharing some realities with you. And facts are that the genre buyers at the chains and indies don't know what your standards are. That holds true for any new publisher. All buyers care about is that there's demand for a book and that the publisher and author are working their tails off to a large enough degree that their efforts are creating demand. This takes money. Lots of it. It's only when you've been in business for a number of years that you begin to catch the notice of the industry buyers. That is how your standards are set.
Good books sell, regardless of whether they're printed once a week as they're sold or whether there's a warehouse full of them waiting to be sold. Makes absolutely no difference to the buying public how they're printed.
Oh, this simply couln't be more wrong. Do you know this for a fact? Books sell for a lot of reasons, but it all begins with having stock. If I had a nickel for the times authors have told me about a huge event they missed because the printer couldn't get the books printed in time, I'd own Hawaii.
You're thinking in a perfect world scenario where printers guarantee their delivery dates, and, believe me, publishing is anything but perfect. Just try to get a timely print run around BEA time or the holidays. I'll say it again; you must have stock sitting on the shelves or you'll get caught with your pants down more than once - I guarantee it. Even if you do a small digital run of 250, it's far better than printing onesies and twosies. But, again, it takes money and relative confidence that those books are going to move.
Starting a publishing company is an expensive proposition with the traditional model. Why not reduce the risk if it's possible, print quality books, and pay a bigger royalty in the end? I think it makes sense, and I'm excited to be in a company that's willing to shake things up and do it right.
What exactly needs to be shaken up and done right? I see this statement all the time about how publishing needs to be fixed, and you know what? It ain't broken. It works just fine. It's achingly hard work, very expensive, the learning curve is huge, and you cannot take short cuts. Ever. If you're willing to work for a cut of the sales, then more power to you. But you have to be rock-solid sure that there will be sales in which to draw your salary, or you'll be working for free. This requires distribution.
I wish you nothing but the best of luck, but I get the feeling there's a lot you don't know about the industry, and it'll come back to bite you on the behind. POD can work, but it's rare.