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by Karen Newcombe
In this week's Indie Reader, author C.L. Bell's article, The Fortress Walls Have Been Breached, Captain, reminds us just how far and how fast the self-publishing boom has make book publishing a reality for aspiring authors. The article also describes the amazing success that many authors are having, and the satisfaction previously unpublished authors feel at putting their book out there and letting readers find it.
Many of these books, which would not have been published under the traditional system, have shot onto the best seller lists. "During the week 22-27 July 2013 (and most weeks), four out of the top 20 titles on The New York Times eBook Bestseller list were self-published," says Bell in the article.
If you have any interest in writing a book, or in how technology hath wrought a batch of change upon the business world, it's an article well worth reading.
I know, I know, I LOVE print books too, and I still buy them by the boxload. But books have undergone a lot of technological change before and they've managed to survive just fine. There was the transition from scratching on a potsherd to writing on papyrus sheets and scrolls made of many sorts of materials, from copper to lambskin parchment.
Parchment was later bound into books and folios, entirely supplanting the scroll, and likely causing no end of confusion, as demonstrated in this famous YouTube video:
We all know the story of the printing press, but that was the last major innovation, way back in 1450. Publishing did not change substantially for 560 years. Maybe it's time for a little shakeup, eh?
The great thing about digital publishing is that anyone can write a book, and anyone can publish their own book – you no longer have to convince the middle man that your book is worthy. You publish it, you sell it, and the market decides if they are interested. Even if they aren't interested now, they might be in two, or five, or twenty years.
Digital publishing does not mean you are limited to eBook formats. When we published David Evans's book, Achieving Zero: My Life and Love of Consulting Engineering, David chose to offer it in both print and eBook formats.
So visit Indie Reader and check out the article by Bell - links to both are up the page - just click on the images or the in-text links.
I help people navigate the book writing, publishing and marketing process. If you want to write a book, but don't know how to get started, don't have the time, or simply aren't a writer, I can help you write, publish and market your book.