Today, it is easy to publish anything yourself quickly and with great quality. Self-publishing has many benefits. With self-publishing, authors exert all the control over the book. However, this also means that the author bears the financial risk of the whole enterprise.
When self-publishing, the cover, editing, copywriting, and release of the book all become the responsibility of the author. It is important for self-publishers to make sure they do not release a low-quality book, for this will hurt their reputation.
Writers, editors, proofreaders, etc. Now many of these professionals are readily-accessible as freelancers and can be of great service to self-publishers. According to advocacy website Author Earnings, independent authors are now earning more from e-books than authors who are handled by publishing companies.
Big name authors, such as Stephen King, have realized that they can bypass a publisher and go directly to Amazon, where they receive more of a revenue for their work. Though there are many benefits to self-publishing, many still go the route of traditional publishing. However, there are many benefits to traditional publishing.
When signing with a publisher, an author will receive an advance. Books from a publishing company also have greater access to mainstream media. The only people who still look at the publisher as a source of credibility are journalists, who in turn will review and bring attention to the book.
Getting a book published by a publishing company is a big process, often taking 2 to 3 years. Plus, if the author does not have an existing audience, it is nearly impossible to get a deal with a publishing company.
Building an audience has never been more important. With the internet, readers want and expect to be in communication with their favorite authors. Many authors today have Facebook groups, Twitter accounts, and e-mail chains. There are many different outlets available for authors to build an audience, so it is vital they take advantage.
It is impossible to write for everyone, so finding a niche audience is very important for an author. Publishing companies have implemented the use of data and analytics into their decision- making process, identifying reading trends every year to find out which genres, titles, etc. Audiobooks are another driving force in the publishing business, especially with the ubiquity of smartphones, audiobooks have risen in popularity.
Audiobook sales in the U. Audiobooks do not replace reading, but instead allow people to explore books that they otherwise would not have time for. People often listen to audiobooks while performing menial tasks such as cleaning, driving, etc. People also finish more books when listening to them instead of reading, leading them to purchase more as well. The publishing industry has been turned upside down by the rise of technology in recent years.
Though, what will never change about publishing is the necessity of telling a good story. Sharing of documents became easier with the Internet services being introduced in the late s and e-book Readers became more reader-friendly. The cost of this device then was more than USD , which was too high for it to be viable and was discontinued within a couple of years. These devices are literally putting the library or the bookstore in our hands, and all this without moving out of our chair.
From the long-term perspective, one can also argue about the environmental benefits of adopting e-books, as no paper and no transportation is required for e-book publishing. Publishers have been using digital technologies for writing, proofreading, graphic designing, and printing for quite some time. However, what has really changed in the last decade is the impact of these technologies on the way we communicate, promote, market, and especially the way that we read digital content.
The omnipresence of smartphones and the internet means that we have easy access to our preferred choice of digital content. In terms of cost comparison between e-books and printed books, e-books are cheaper to publish.
A more recent development has been the emergence of self-publishing, wherein authors instead of waiting to be accepted by large publishing houses, publish their material themselves through self-help portals. I know what I want from my literature, I know how easily I want to access exciting new ideas and stories, how wide and varied a choice I also would like. I also know that I would like a more interactive way of finding new writers and stories to entertain and inspire me.
One thing plays at the back of my mind when thinking about this topic. It is that I sincerely hope it will be a democratic — rather than autocratic — change. It's really down to all of us to enable this to happen. Adam Charles is the director of the soon-to-be-launched iWriteReadRate , an online resource for writers. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. We are experiencing the exciting and scary new world of writer meet digital.
The traditional publishing industry is like the blacksmith when the automobile came onto the scene. Unfortunately, most are dealing with it the same as the blacksmiths did — not too well. Change or perish.
Great feedback Duane and Michael. Thanks for taking the time to get in touch.
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