Skip to main content

Is self publishing confined to digital publishing?

Off late there has been a lot of discussion going around self-publishing and how it is becoming popular in India. The title refers to a query that came up on the WRIMO India group the other day.

So is self-publishing just about digital publishing or it goes beyond the virtual as well. The answer would be no, self-publishing has indeed crossed over to print as well. However, the scope has been limited.

Self-publishing as a concept actually grew from print, when some writers with enough resources who grew tired of the dominance of traditional publishers, went to a printer and got their books printed. They would then market these on their own, lugging them from one bookstore to another. 

Digital publishing actually took self-publishing to an all new level. Ease of technology, motivated many authors, facing rejections from traditional sources to actually go ahead with self-publishing. The acceptability of self-publishing has grown so much that many authors now prefer to make it their first choice instead of traditional.

But self-publishing in print is still not that popular. Issues like marketing, sales, and distribution along with sheer logistics do prevail. Most of the players in this area focus on vanity publishing. Some even disguise vanity publishing as self-publishing and seek huge monies from authors.

Digital is and will remain the best avenue for authors going for self-publishing their books. It is futuristic in its approach, very convenient to use and the reach is immense. I have sold books in countries like Denmark and Australia via the digital mode, something which I don't think would have dared with the print format. 

As for the money the author makes, digital is better here too. The logistics cost is quite less. You are not physically delivering the book to someone's place. It is a wireless technique. Makes it cost effective meaning savings for all parties involved. The author, the facilitator and the reader all save some.

In India, we are still to go a long way to recognize and appreciate the work of self-published authors. Digital also needs more penetration which will take time but gradually, things will shape up in a good way for authors and readers alike.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Also read

Does India need communal parties?

I think, it was Tan's post on this blog itself, Republic Day Event, where this question was raised. My answer. YES. we need communal parties even in Independent, Secular India. Now let me take you, back to events before 1947. When India was a colony of the British Empire. The congress party, in its attempt to gain momentum for the independence movement, heavily used Hinduism, an example of which is the famous Ganesh Utsav held in Mumbai every year. Who complains? No one. But at that time, due to various policies of the congress, Muslims started feeling alienated. Jinnah, in these times, got stubborn over the need of Pakistan and he did find a lot of supporters. Congress, up till late 1940's never got bothered by it. And why should we? Who complains? No one. But there were repercussions. The way people were butchered and slaughtered during that brief time when India got partitioned, was even worse than a civil war scenario. All in the name of religion. And there indeed was cr...
40 comments
Read more

Did You Ever Love Me? Book Review: Can Rithvik singh turn heartbreak into a homecoming?

Did You Ever Love Me? by Rithvik Singh is a tender contemporary poetry collection about love, heartbreak, longing, self worth and learning to let go. Its greatest strength is emotional accessibility: Singh writes directly to readers who feel intensely and care deeply. The collection offers comfort without pretending heartbreak is simple, though its simplicity may occasionally feel familiar to seasoned poetry readers. Did you Ever Love Me? Have you ever loved someone so completely that, after they left, you were left wondering whether they had ever understood what they had been given? Not merely whether they loved you, but whether they ever noticed how much you loved them, how much patience you offered, how many small things you remembered, or how often you chose to stay when leaving might have been easier. There is a particular loneliness in that question because it rarely arrives at a dramatic moment. More often, it finds you while you are doing something completely ordinary. Yo...
1 comment
Read more

A decade of live free: The Kaftan Company Marks 10 Years with Middle East Expansion and 'Homebody' Nightwear Collection

India's first kaftan-only brand grows from a single idea to 1000+ SKUs, four categories, a Hyderabad flagship and global fulfilment and now targets the 21–34 "homebody generation" Hyderabad, 7/9/26: The Kaftan Company (TKC), India's first brand dedicated exclusively to kaftans, has announced its expansion into multiple markets across the Middle East as it completes ten years in business. The announcement comes alongside the launch of Homebody, a nightwear collection built for women aged 21–34 who have stopped treating a night in as a consolation prize. Founded in 2016 by Prakruti Gupta Rao and Navin Rao, TKC set out to take a garment that Indian women wore at home but rarely talked about and make it a category in its own right. A decade on, the brand has grown into the widest-range kaftan player in the market with over 1000 SKUs spanning women's wear, maternity, kidswear and men's loungewear, a presence across Myntra, Nykaa Fashion, Tata CLiQ and Zivame, relat...
Post a Comment
Read more