Suyati Technologies
  • Services
    • Custom Development
    • Salesforce
    • Analytics
    • Enablers
      • RPA
      • Cloud
      • Testing as a Service
  • Intel
    • Blog
    • eBooks
    • Webinars
    • Case Studies
  • About Us
    • Management Team
    • Advisory Board
    • Our Story
    • Testimonials
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
Suyati Technologies
  • Services
    • Custom Development
    • Salesforce
    • Analytics
    • Enablers
      • RPA
      • Cloud
      • Testing as a Service
  • Intel
    • Blog
    • eBooks
    • Webinars
    • Case Studies
  • About Us
    • Management Team
    • Advisory Board
    • Our Story
    • Testimonials
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
Suyati Technologies > Blog > The Democratization of Publishing

The Democratization of Publishing

by Nayab Naseer March 13, 2014
by Nayab Naseer March 13, 2014 0 comment


Until recently, publishing was an elitist set-up, under the control of a limited few publishers. Though technically anyone with access to a printing press could publish, the huge investment required to make print runs, coupled with the difficulty in distributing the books to bookstores globally, made such independent publishing attempts a non-starter.
Publishing was once autocratic
Established publishing houses worked on a business model of promoting a few authors, and then trying to sell a large number of copies off them. Most authors faced repeated rejections, and many of such rejections were owing to commercial considerations, rather than literary reasons. Even highly talented authors who eventually made it big faced rejections multiple times. The reasons ranged from the publisher simply not seeing a large market for the book, to the author not being charismatic enough. The situation with mid-level authors, and those whose works appealed to a limited geographical market were worse off – they were almost totally excluded from mainstream publishing.
The ‘Indie’ revolution
The ‘indie’ revolution is changing this closed-door landscape, and throwing open publishing to just about anyone who is interested. The convergence of three emerging technologies at the turn of the century laid the groundwork for it:

  1. Desktop publishing replaced traditional typesetting, making it possible for individual authors to bring their own book to press.
  2. The new Print-On-Demand (POD) technology, powered by nimble inkjet printers makes it possible to print books individually, at costs comparable to per unit costs of print runs. This spares authors the huge capital outlay needed for making print runs.
  3. The masses started using the Internet for retail.

Subsequent technological improvements made eBook readers, tablets and smartphones popular, giving rise to eBooks. The popularity of eBook readers such as Amazon Kindle Reader, and Barnes & Nobles’ Nook, along with the many advantages it offers, threatens to make print books extinct.
DIY publishers
Many platforms, such as Amazon, Smashwords, Lulu and others have leveraged the technological advancements to offer DIY publishing services, which includes eBook stores, and Print-On-Demand services. Such platforms offer a place for indie authors to market their books.
Flexible services
DIY publishers not only allow just about anyone to publish, they also offer flexible services. It is actually possible for authors to publish eBooks without spending a single penny. Even rolling out a high standard book, with professional editing & cover design, and investment in publicity would not set the indie author back by more than a couple of thousand dollars. Since all eBooks look and feel the same, there is now a level playing field where indie authors can compete with the high priests of publishing on talent, rather than on the extent and depth of resources.
Democracy in action
Though there is still considerable scope for further democratization, especially with regards to distribution channels and how the mainstream press treats indie publishing in reviews, the dominance of the “elite” of publishing is now a thing of the past. The world of publishing is now democratic. That there were 391,000 new self-published e-book titles and 234,931 self-published hard copy titles in 2013, in the US alone, confirms this fact.
Learn more on publishing by visiting our Publishing page, or Email us: services@suyati.com
Image Credit: Kristin Brenemen on Flickr

0 comment
0
FacebookTwitterLinkedinTumblr
previous post
6 steps to a guaranteed twitter presence at SMMW14
next post
Riding on ebooks, Indie authors outsell traditionally published authors

You may also like

Einstein Analytics & Salesforce CRM Empowering Sales Teams

February 7, 2023

Resolve Cases Easily with Interactive Einstein Search Answers

February 7, 2023

2023 AI Landscape: Key Developments

February 7, 2023

An analytical breakdown of DataOps and its core...

January 5, 2023

Watch Out for These 5 Cloud Computing Trends...

January 5, 2023

How Artificial Intelligence is Improving Customer Experience

January 5, 2023

Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2023

January 4, 2023

How can Enterprises Benefit from DevOps?

January 4, 2023

Leveraging DevOps Capabilities in the Telecom Sector

January 3, 2023

Know more about the Salesforce Winter ’23 Release...

December 12, 2022

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Keep in touch

Twitter Linkedin Facebook Pinterest

Recent Posts

  • Einstein Analytics & Salesforce CRM Empowering Sales Teams

    February 7, 2023
  • Resolve Cases Easily with Interactive Einstein Search Answers

    February 7, 2023
  • 2023 AI Landscape: Key Developments

    February 7, 2023

Categories

  • Twitter
  • Linkedin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Services
    • Custom Development
    • Salesforce
    • Analytics
    • Enablers
      • RPA
      • Cloud
      • Testing as a Service
  • Intel
    • Blog
    • eBooks
    • Webinars
    • Case Studies
  • About Us
    • Management Team
    • Advisory Board
    • Our Story
    • Testimonials
  • Careers
  • Contact Us

© 2022 Suyati Technologies


Back To Top
Suyati Technologies

Popular Posts

  • MongoDB vs. Couchbase

    May 26, 2013
  • 2

    What is Salesforce CRM and What Does it Do?

    February 19, 2014
  • 3

    A step-by-step guide to configuring emails in MS Dynamics CRM

    April 27, 2017
  • 4

    Top 10 ETL Tools for Salesforce Data Migration 2021

    January 4, 2021
  • 5

    Steps to Migration – Salesforce Classic to Lightning

    September 1, 2021
© 2022 Suyati Technologies

Read alsox

The year that was for Linux and Open Source

March 2, 2015

Top seven advantages of Microsoft Dynamics AX: Make it your...

September 16, 2018

Cloud Computing set to revolutionize big businesses

June 21, 2016
Suyati Logo

Leaving So Soon?

Know more about business technology platforms for your enterprise.

Thank you!

We're glad to have you as part of our community. You'll start receiving updates shortly. Please feel free to contact us anytime with feedback or suggestions.

By continuing to use this website you agree with our use of cookies. Read More Agree