I learned the other day that Warren Ellis is unleashing an interesting experiment on the world in the form of a new book, called Shivering Sands. What’s experimental about a well-established author releasing a book is that he’s doing it via Lulu, an independent print-on-demand service.

I’ve been a big fan of POD for as long as I’ve known about them so I’m looking forward to seeing them get more publicity and seeing how Warren’s book fares in this type of release. There’s something great about being able to release a book on your own with very little upfront cost. I created my own book with Blurb a couple years ago and was very happy with the print quality and the ease of the thing – these POD’s take care of everything from printing and prepress to managing orders and shipping. Easy!

My lady friend Sarah Sharp has also released a POD book called “Changing States”, also with Blurb, containing photos and writing about her trips to all 50 states, something I totally wish I could go off and do and will really do, really, one day, when I’m not so busy, really……………..[imagine me sighing wistfully as these dots line up across your screen]……………….