Many say the stigma of self-publishing is still there when your book is at a print-on-demand (POD) shop. I've tried it, and it's just not true. POD publishing is new enough that if you can keep your attitude proud and confident, you can carry it off.

I used Lulu (www.Lulu.com) to publish my book Vocal Vibrance: The Complete Technique for Singing and Speaking  (by Suzann Kale). And it's now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and has had a few reviews published.

Yes, a lot of its success will rest on my shoulders, rather than a traditional publishing company's marketing department. But you know what? A while back I had a book published by Collier/Macmillan (The Complete New York Guide for Singles  by Susan Cartoun), with an advance and a book launch party at the then Studio 54, and still - most of the success depended on my booking my own promotions.

Many traditionally published authors complain that their books are not given enough push by the marketing and sales departments. In fact, most of the marketing dollars are spent on already established authors. The rest of us, whether we're published by The Man, or whether we take the POD route, have to hustle.

The main difference between traditional and POD publishing is that marvelous thing you get from The Big People called the advance. For a mid-list novel, an advance may be from $1000 to $5000. With POD publishing, you start from zero and build from there.