Publisher’s Weekly posted a recap article of the recent Miami Book Fair, and went to great lengths to expand on the importance that was placed on self-publishing at this year’s event. As one of the most respected book events in the country and celebrating almost thirty years of books and authors, featuring information sessions on a publication process that was once relegated to vanity press and desperate writers means it is now becoming the norm.
This year’s event featured a panel with some of the biggest names in professional indie publishing, including Mark Coker of Smashwords and Matt Cavner of Vook, among others. The panel included talks not only on why an author might consider self-publishing, but also some of the key considerations that still must be understood by the author in order to be happy with the outcome.
The prominence that self-publishing is gaining has meant greater accessibility to “undiscovered” authors, but also greater creative and marketing control of their books by even those authors with an established audience. While some might see the inclusion of discussions on self-publishing as meaning that it is now an acceptable alternative to traditional publishing, others have argued that eventually the process by which a book comes to market will be more author-centric across the board as self-publishing surpasses traditional.
PW will be including a full write up of the panel discussion in a December feature article.
Mercy Pilkington is a Senior Editor for Good e-Reader. She is also the CEO and founder of a hybrid publishing and consulting company.