How Self-Publishing has Changed the Book Market and Industry
Since the onset of self-publishing, the book industry has undergone some major changes. Here are four ways that the popularity and success of skipping traditional publishing has transformed the book market and indeed the entire book industry.
1. The Book Market Is Flooded
With the onset of self-publishing, a much larger number of books have entered the marketplace than in the past. While this is great news for readers, it can be a disadvantage for authors who want their book to be the one chosen from the millions of available titles. This makes it more important than ever that authors consider how to make their book appealing to readers. For self-publishers, this includes knowing what readers want from their genre and making sure it’s marketable, as well as avoiding bad editing, awful covers and clichéd content.
2. The Self-Publishing Stigma Is Fading
For a long time, rejecting traditional publishing in favor of self-publishing repelled critics, publishing companies, booksellers and readers. But as self-publishers become more successful (and some make millions of dollars by publishing their books themselves), the shame of self-publishing has for the most part gone away.
3. You Can Write About Anything
Without publishing companies and agents controlling the market, authors have more freedom to write the stories they want to read. This means there is more genre bending happening and different narratives being told than in the past. Self-publishing has show that fantasy and erotic fiction in particular have been underrepresented by the publishing industry.
4. Book Sales Happen Online
Online book sales, especially the sale of e-books and other digital reading materials, have jumped in the last several years. At the end of 2012, nearly half of the print and e-book sales in the U.S. took place online and those numbers are still going up. Self-publishers and their frequent use of online selling venues may have something to do with this trend. Whether or not this is the case, online book sales and the popularity and affordability of e-books means the Internet may be the best place to publish your next book.
Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at freedigitalphotos.net.
