already do for themselves. The tools and
knowledge to professionally publish are
becoming ever-more democratized,��� says
Mark Coker of The Digital Reader.
Still, says Concord-based author David
DeLong, who has published four books with
both big traditional and indie publishers,
says, ���I would definitely encourage people
to explore independent options.��� He adds,
���Just go in with your eyes open.���
The advent of self-publishing is closely
tied to technological advances. In this case,
it���s linked to the rise of online retailing and
the increase in ebook readers and tablet
computers. The surge in self-publishing is
also related to a process called print on
demand (POD). POD means that instead
of online bookstores printing hundreds of
books and then storing them, new technology makes it affordable for them to print
one book at a time when an order is placed.
While the domain of traditional publishing houses remains actual book stores,
most self-published writers sell their
books online. According to blogger Mike
Shatzkin���s article, ���Where will bookstores
be five years from now?,��� it is predicted that
within three years, 75 percent of books will
be sold online (50 percent as ebooks and
25 percent as printed books). One could
liken the trend in ebooks to the revolution
in the music industry over the past decade,
where music stores came out the losers.
According to local authors, there are
many benefits to publishing your own book.
18 ��� north bridge magazine
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SPRING/SUMMER 2013