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

What if you could undo every regret? An uncomfortable conversation with The Midnight Library

Have you ever replayed your life at night, wondering how things might have turned out differently? The Midnight Library by Matt Haig asks you to sit with that question. Through Nora Seed’s quiet despair and imagined alternatives, the novel explores regret, possibility, depression, and the fragile hope that living at all might be enough. Have you ever wondered if one different choice could have changed everything? You probably have. Most people do. Usually at night. Usually when the world goes quiet and your mind decides to reopen old files you never asked it to keep. The job you did not take. The person you loved too late or too briefly. The version of yourself that felt possible once. You tell yourself that if you had chosen differently, life would feel fuller, cleaner, less heavy. The Midnight Library begins exactly there, in that familiar ache. Not with drama, but with exhaustion. Not with chaos, but with a woman who feels she has quietly failed at everything that mattered. Mat...
Post a Comment
Read more

Debate : Do the ends justify the means...

Note : Give it all a fair thought before you jot down... Flaming and religion-bashing will not be tolerated. Your participation is gladly appreciated. I dunno if you folks remember this incident; a couple of yrs back, the UPSC exam had a question where the emainee had to assert his views on *revolutionary terrorism* initiated by Bhagat Singh. As is typical of the government, hue and cry was not far behind... Anyway, let us look at some facts -   Bhagat Singh was an atheist, considered to be one of the earliest Marxist in India and in line with hi thinking, he renamed the Hindustan Republican Party and called it the Hindustan Socialist Revolutionary Party. Bhagat Finally, awaiting his own execution for the murder of Saunders, Bhagat Singh at the young age of 24 studied Marxism thoroughly and wrote a profound pamphlet “Why I am an Atheist.” which is an ideological statement in itself. The circumstances of his death and execution are worth recounting. Although, Bhagat Singh had a...
30 comments
Read more

Epitome of equality

First of all This is not to demean any religion.. I am a Hindu by birth, but yes I respect all religions .I offer my daily prayers , fast on holy days , but there was something that was disturbing me . God as per me was a Friend, someone who was by my side always , someone who was a dear friend , but this is not what everyone else thought , for others he was the Judge who gives his verdict always and punishes anyone and everyone . Walk into any temple and you would see , if you have money , you will be treated in a way as if you are the ONLY disciple of the God . I have had too many experiences where I was treated as a second class citizen in the temple . Why? Well I could not afford giving thousands as donation. This is not how it should be , God looks at each one of us with the same divinity .As I mentioned God for me is a friend, so tell me, do we chose friends based on their bank balances? Do we give our verdict on them ? then how can God do it? I know many of us would ...
32 comments
Read more