10 Ways Self-Publishing has Changed the Books World

The wider cultural significance of self-publishing - that's the topic of an interesting Guardian article by Alison Baverstock, Course Leader for the Publishing MA at Kingston University, who recently researched the growing trend to self-publish: 10 ways self-publishing has changed the books world 

 Here are the first 4 of her conclusions and results:
1. There is now a wider understanding of what publishing is – and that it is more difficult than it looks.
 2. Gone is our confidence that publishers and agents know exactly what everyone wants to (or should) read.
 3. The copy editor, a traditionally marginalised figure, is now in strong demand.
 4. The re-emergence of the book as precious object.

Braverstock also formulates this different, more faceted look at the self and publishing: "Self-publishing means recognising, and preserving, content that has value for someone – but the process does not have to yield an income to be worthwhile."

Additional Links

• Mark Corker: The Secrets to Ebook Publishing Success (free e-book from the founder of the e-book platform Smashwords
• Reddit-Thread with 270 comments, notes and shared experiences: I just released my first book through Amazon's Indie Kindle Direct Publishing program.
• Pencey Pages (Author Blog) 10 Things I’ve Learned in My First 6 Months of Being a Self-Published Author
• Salon Magzine: I'm a self-publishing failure by John Winters