With consolidation in the publishing industry, major publishing houses have become tougher to crack and self-publishing has become an increasingly popular alternative. The Miami Herald Says Technology has fueled the trend toward self-publishing. Not only has the Internet made it easier to market and distribute books but digital technology has also made printing cheaper and given authors more flexibility in the number of copies they want.
And that’s encouraged a growing number of new authors to drop the idea of distributing manuscripts and take matters into their own hands.
writing yes, but selling
Yes, authors are writing and publishing their own books, but reaching the market is another issue entirely. There are so many obstacles, getting reviewed, getting distributed, and now that bookstores are focusing on selling those on the bestseller lists (to be able to compete with the chains and the internet), it’s tougher now than ever to reach the marketplace. It’s part of the whole phenomenon of books being sold outside of bookstores (K-Mart, etc.) and the increasing focus on the bottom line.