Is self publishing beating the traditional method? Are self-published writers threatening conventional publishing consolidation? Those are some of the most common questions among publishers today. While some of them state that trade publishing is advancing by leaps and bounds to merge in the near future concentrating the control in just a few hands, some others consider that self-published authors are gaining ground and organizing to work together, which will definitely lead to a stronger and more powerful share in the publishing field.
The fact is that self publishing has started to develop a very important market share. According to the latest researches more than 12% of all digital sales are from self published authors. This becomes even more significant when it comes to particular genres such as crime, romance, science-fiction and humor, where sales increase to 20%.
Some technological advances have played an important role in this growth: print-on-demand, for instance. The POD technology has given self publishers the required method to produce a high quality product that perfectly competes with traditional publishers’ books. Several years ago, the quality difference between a self-published and a traditional published title was quite noticeable.
On the other hand, online book sellers have attracted millions of readers into an online environment and unfortunately, bookstores are not as popular as they used to be a few years ago. With the arrival of e-books and tablets, readers are now able to carry a portable library. These advances encourage readers to purchase thanks to the easy access and portability offered by technology.
The thing is that wanting it or not, self publishers are becoming more popular and, at the same time, they are turning more organized. In the last year, self-published writers have set up organizations and they have created educational and instructive websites to promote and help self publishing activities. Step by step, they are consolidating as a united front too. The self publishing market presence is changing and becoming stronger and they are starting to influence the market with entrepreneurial mind.
So, the question is: Are they proving an absolute revolution in the publishing market that threatens traditional companies? That’s most unlikely. Both sectors have great chances to work together. However, it is really hard to deny the fact that self-publishing opens amazing chances for authors and readers and it is having an unstoppable impact on the publishing industry. The landscape is changing and this new solution, as a result of the technology advances, is already a vital part of the publishing world.
Is Self Publishing Taking Over The Market?