Print-on-Demand Publishing

Most print-on-demand printing services are in the U.S.. It is one of the most affordable ways to get your book/e-book distributed worldwide. If you are thinking, “you get what you pay for,” think again. The books in most cases are as good of quality as those in your local store or library.
 
CreateSpace
CreateSpace is an Amazon.com company. There is no setup fee or charge unless you order books from them. Book prices are fairly low for printing rates. Royalties are fair and higher than most in some cases. The books are of the same quality as you would find in a bookstore. They also offer free ISBNs, free distribution some templates to help you get started, a cover creator, and plenty of visual proofing to get an idea of what your book would look like. The color and quality of a book is high, customer service is great and helpful, and they also offer paid services should you require them. Colored ink costs more to print than a black-and-white interior would. The negatives here would be, that shipping to Canada is by courier (either way) and costs fees to cross the border (I usually let the courier handle the paperwork). The other would be that the distribution royalties are lower than a few places. E-books are available to complete through their sister company, Kindle™.
Source: http://www.createspace.com
 
IngramSpark
This company works in USD. There is a charge for setup and a yearly fee to keep your book in the distribution market. Ingram itself is a well-known American distributor of books. They have now branched out and offer printing and a large range of distribution throughout Canada, the USA, Australia and New Zealand. They offer online tools: print cost calculator (even figures in shipping), a cover template generator and some guides. They do everything from paperbacks, hardcover, business and textbooks, and graphic novels. They offer a large range of sizes, dust jackets (hardcover only), gloss or matte finish, paper size choices, and more. The book quality is good. Printing is best in CMYK colors. Colors seem a little darker when I tried it, which may partly be because of how CMYK works and the fact that my images were not in CMYK format. They do offer the option of placing your book (for a price), in one of their widely distributed magazines. The book quality is very good, but they are still lacking in customer service. You have a better chance of getting help over the phone than by email, which is quite slow.
Source: http://www.ingramspark.com
 

 
Lulu
These guys offer discount prices on larger quantities. One good thing about them, is that they list in Canadian dollars. One 36-page color book comes to $15.95CAD while going through CreateSpace, the cost would be $3.65USD (conversions: $4.75CAD). That is a huge difference in cost. They do offer a variety of formats, such as hardcover, coil softcover, photo books, calendars, perfect bound and saddle-stitch. Services are available at a cost, to help you if you need it. You have the options of adding your own ISBN, no ISBN (no distribution this way), or use one of their free ones. Setup is free for both e-books and books, and they even have a cute thank you note area that you can add for when you sell a book. I wasn’t able to see, which places they distribute to, aside from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Ingram. These may be the only places and by far, a lack of distribution.
Source: http://www.lulu.com
 
Blurb
This is another company with Canadian dollar listings. They publish photo books, trade books, magazines, and e-books. The company does offer discounts if buying in volumes, however, the costs are even higher than Lulu. Formats for covers are anything from basic to dust jackets, luster or matte, Proline uncoated, Proline Pearl Photo, and image wrap. Books are in hardcover or soft. To remove their logo, add another 25% on to the cost per book. Most of the do-it-yourself is free. There are some charges for things like converting the e-book if you want this done. Sizes for each category of book is limited.
Source: http://www.blurb.com
 
Print-on-Demand Pros

• If you know what you are doing, then it’s quick.
• Costs vary, but you can find some with good distribution and lower costs.
• It is usually free.
• Quality printing at lower the cost.
• Order as many as you want.

 
 
Print-on-Demand Cons

• If you don’t know what you are doing, it will either take you some time, or you will have to pay for the service if available.
• You have to do all the marketing yourself.
• Some have to be shipped from the US and are in USD.
• You won’t have a bunch of books to try to sell.