The Kobo eReader Touch, an Amazon Kindle, an Aluratek Libre Air, and a Barnes & Noble Nook, left to right, are displayed in this photo, in New York, Tuesday, June 14, 2011. It’s perhaps no surprise that 2012 saw an explosion in online self-publishing, with a wealth of platforms – including Kobo Writing Life, Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, and iBooks Author – offering authors an alternate avenue.THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Richard Drew