We’re in the middle of a great self-publishing era, thanks to the availability of many online resources that help people write books and publish them. But does this era have the momentum to continue growing from here? Or could we be facing the collapse of the self-publishing era entirely?
The Modern Self-Publishing Era
Let’s take a look at some of the factors that have led to the modern soul publishing era.
- The availability of online printing. One of the most notable influencing factors is the availability of online book printing. Once you’ve written a book and have edited it to perfection, you can easily find an online book printer and have your work printed in a matter of weeks. Distribution isn’t always easy, and even excellent books sometimes go years without significant sales, but the printing aspect is totally under control.
- Tools and resources for writers. We're also living in an era with ample tools and resources for writers. Do you want to learn more about your target demographics? You can conduct an online search. Do you need feedback on what you’ve written? Join a forum or community. Are you unsure why your book isn’t selling? Hosting a focus group or collecting survey responses could give you the information you need.
- Easily accessible marketplaces. There are also many easily accessible marketplaces. Whether you’re selling your book as a physical copy, a digital copy, or both, you can list your book in a matter of minutes and start selling it in the span of an afternoon.
- Rabid consumption. Self-publishing also has a significant probability of payoff, representing a $26 billion industry. As long as you have original content that’s well written and targeted to a specific demographic, you can earn a slice of this pie. Even if you don’t get international recognition or any prestigious awards, you can easily make back whatever you spend on your self-publishing endeavor.
- Potential for massive success. There’s also the potential to be a massive success after self-publishing. If your book strikes a chord with people, and if it hits at just the right time, you could end up selling millions of copies and becoming rich practically overnight. This isn’t a common occurrence, but it’s a sufficiently motivating one for many writers.
The question is, will this era continue?
Reasons for Optimism
There are some reasons to be optimistic about the future of the self-publishing era.
- Freer access and more tools. Every year, it seems like the publishing world is freer and more accessible, with more tools and resources available to writers than ever before. Printing and publishing are getting cheaper, more marketplaces are emerging, and social networks and forums are growing in both impact and utility.
- Potentially insatiable appetites for content. It’s also reasonable to suspect that appetites for content are practically insatiable. There’s never going to be a time when people don’t want to consume content, which means there’s always going to be demand for people to produce that content. As populations around the world grow, we can hypothesize the demand for content is only going to grow.
- Social focus on individuals. Social media platforms and culture in general are increasingly focused on individual contributions, rather than contributions from organizations and institutions. As a self-publisher and an individual author, you can demonstrate more authenticity and win more people to your cause.
Reasons for Pessimism
However, there are also some reasons for pessimism.
- Consolidated mega-platforms. Despite the fact that it’s possible to publish and promote your work however you see fit, we need to acknowledge the presence of consolidated mega-platforms that dominate the web. Gargantuan social media platforms and forums can sometimes make it difficult for individual voices to emerge from the ether.
- Oversaturation. We also need to acknowledge the risk of content oversaturation. With the popularity of content marketing and self-publishing, there are more authors and content creators than ever before. This makes it extremely difficult to stand out as a new content creator and this problem may only get worse in the future.
- The rise of visual content. Increasingly, consumers are preferring visual content to written content. There are many reasons for this, including the fact that visual content is simpler and more intuitive for most people. If preferences for more visual content continue to grow, written published works may decline in popularity.
It’s hard to say whether the self-publishing era will continue to grow as it has, but it seems unlikely that it will end abruptly anytime soon. Despite the fact that there are some real challenges in this industry, and some real causes for concern in the near future, there are enough motivating factors for self-published authors to continue turning out new work and continue seeing excellent results.
COMTEX_414776134/2757/2022-09-19T05:08:33