POD, E-Book, E-Publishing, Self-Publishing, and Some Other Book Publishing Terms

Book publishing is changing quickly. As a point of reference for other blogs (and to be elaborated on and updated as publishing continues to change) here are some definitions of key terms and one note.

Note that the distinctions between publishers (e.g., vanity vs. self-publishing) and the merits of any one business model are subjects of hot debate right now. That said, we must make careful distinctions about

For example, traditional publishers might now publish a book in both e-book and print-on-paper formats; some of those print books might be POD. For another blog about key questions in book publishing, see Books: Burning Questions … and Some Answers and More Questions.

© Laura Edlund 2010