Stan Cotton's book publishing venture is becoming more common - and less pricey. With small printings, he doesn't have all his capital tied up in inventory, he said. Books and booklets also can be treated as works in progress. If chapters or subject areas within a book need improvement or culling, Cotton will revise the manuscript or layout using desktop publishing program Quark 4.0 on his Macintosh computer. The changes are made in the next print run, he said.
Cotton can run the book with different covers or content, and has turned it into booklet content.
Each time, he watches to see which one sells best. He runs small ads on Web sites or the Wall Street Journal, and sells his books from his Web site. Eventually, he plans to offer his book for sale as an electronic book online.