Book by Book by Jim Breslin

 

We’ve heard the analogy that the publishing industry is following music into digital disarray. Swarms of readers continue to learn about downloading content to e-readers or tablets, just as they’ve learned to download music to iPods. But while the business to consumer side is akin to the music industry, I’d like to suggest the artist to business side is starting to reflect the movie industry.

Small independent films are made on a sparse budget. If it’s a great story with a narrow audience, the movie may find a small audience. Occasionally, the independent movie reveals the potential to reach a mass audience and is picked up by a big studio. A similar trend is underway in publishing.

Amanda Hocking published her own series after rejections from publishers. After the series found a place on the Amazon best sellers list, she signed a sweet deal with St. Martins. In the same week, Barry Eisler turned down a contract from St. Martin’s Press so he could publish independently. Just last week, Ann R. Allen blogged about a friend whose independently published book did well on Amazon UK and was also approached by an agent.

The term self-publishing has been fading; replaced with the term independent publishing. This trend is evident in the blogs, web sites and twitter feeds of writers throughout the world. For some, using the new term is semantics, but the change does reflect a truth. These entrepeneurs are taking publishing seriously. They understand how to form networks with other creative individuals. They enjoy collaborating with professional editors and graphic artists to design the book. They are rapidly learning about sales and marketing.

Surely but slowly, it appears the wall between the traditional and independent author camps is being dismantled. It’s going to be fun to watch the landscape as this wall is dismantled - book by book.