NPR: Self-Publishing Now The First Choice For Authors
On an NPR special yesterday, host Audie Cornish interviewed Mark Coker, the founder of one of the largest self-publishing companies, Smashwords. Mark shares his personal outlook on the future of self-publishing in 2013. Here are the main takeaways:
1) If you want to be a published writer and are willing to work for it, you’re in luck
According to a recent survey, the number of self-published books in the U.S. has almost tripled in the past six years. E-Books are becoming easier to create and tons of services and companies are popping up to help guide you through the publishing process. All it takes is hard work on your end to make your book a reality.
2) Self-publishing is now the first choice for authors
“There’s always been a stigma associated with self-publishing,” Coker admits. However, this stigma is quickly fading as self-publishing begins to earn more and more respect. More authors are choosing to self-publish and even traditional publishers have developed a newfound respect for the alternative.
3) Traditional publishers are going to become more and more irrelevant
Traditional publishers oftentimes search for the needle in the haystack—books and authors who they believe have the greatest potential. However, oftentimes this is a difficult guess to make because they cannot predict which books are going to become bestsellers. So, in their search for the best of the best, they exclude other candidates who are capable of producing bestsellers. These candidates are the ones who are now turning to self-publishing.
4) Self-publishing pays more than traditional publishing
According to Coker, “you’re going to earn four to five times more per unit that you sell than you will if you work with a traditional publisher. Traditional publishers only pay 25 percent net, whereas as a self-published author, you’re going to earn 100 percent net.”
5) Now everyone has the freedom to publish
Writers no longer have to face the challenges of traditional publishing companies but are able to produce books on their own, without restrictions and rules. Even if new authors are “only publishing to a market of one” they at least have the freedom to publish and get their work out there. Coker believes that “every writer is great and wonderful and has something to share with the world.” However, it is up to the readers to decide if “what they’re sharing is worth reading.”
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By: Sabina Muslimovic