http://ooligan.pdx.edu/a-brief-history-of-self-publishing/
As the link points out I thought a history on self publishing would be a nice angle to look at in my research. The article starts by looking at the history of the movable ink press, first in China, then later in Europe by Gutenberg. This innovation was great boost to literacy and reading in a populace ravaged by illiteracy (it was the dark ages after all, what do we expect).
It also discusses the importance of the home press to people such as Ben Franklin, Virginia Woolf, and William Blake. I think this goes elucidate the facts around the history of self publishing which has taken a great deal of flak over the years. Without this sort of publishing where would great deal of the political/philosophical pamphlets have come from and without those could powerful social movements actually been galvanized?
The article also discusses the history of the zine, a self published, small time (in general) project that is often somewhat radical and would as such be unlikely to get published in some mainstream way.
Essentially self publishing has served a certain niche for great portion of history and this should be reflected in how people value it as an option.
Friday, December 14, 2012
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2011/jun/16/ebook-needs-good-editor
This article raises several important pieces of information about e-books. As we discussed in class editing will invariably result in a superior final product. Editors are trained to take things and rip them apart in constructive ways that only result in better projects. However, the article is making a commentary on how often the electronic book process, since it skips by the publisher is often left more or less unedited. I think this shows a gap that will fill in over time. We're in a transitional period where the technology is still finding itself out and the advantage of the ebook does stand up to scrutiny in the sense that the process of electronic publishing does lend itself to being more free and open. However, the article does stress a need for the author to find an editor on their own before going through the process, and since many of the electronic publishing sites are starting to include editing in their list of services provided I think it's only a matter of time before the gap in quality between the ebook and the print book (or pbook as the article refers to it) level out and it then becomes a simple matter of preference in medium when people purchase them.
This article raises several important pieces of information about e-books. As we discussed in class editing will invariably result in a superior final product. Editors are trained to take things and rip them apart in constructive ways that only result in better projects. However, the article is making a commentary on how often the electronic book process, since it skips by the publisher is often left more or less unedited. I think this shows a gap that will fill in over time. We're in a transitional period where the technology is still finding itself out and the advantage of the ebook does stand up to scrutiny in the sense that the process of electronic publishing does lend itself to being more free and open. However, the article does stress a need for the author to find an editor on their own before going through the process, and since many of the electronic publishing sites are starting to include editing in their list of services provided I think it's only a matter of time before the gap in quality between the ebook and the print book (or pbook as the article refers to it) level out and it then becomes a simple matter of preference in medium when people purchase them.
http://libraries.pewinternet.org/2012/04/04/the-rise-of-e-reading/
The above article points out some interesting facts that provided a bit of a wake up call to me. It points out that about one-fifth of American adults have read some sort of electronic reading material. While this number does not shock me all that match, the next factoid it tossed out there really hit home with me. It says:
"Those who have taken the plunge into reading e-books stand out in almost every way from other kinds of readers. Foremost, they are relatively avid readers of books in all formats: 88% of those who read e-books in the past 12 months also read printed books. Compared with other book readers, they read more books."
I myself have never been particularly fond of the electronic medium, but I do know that I fit the above statistic. Over time the amount that I read has dwindled, and if I were to embrace an electronic reader of some wort I probably would start reading more again.
It also points out that each medium seems to serve a particular purpose which would support other things I've read, that they are not in competition, but that they are simply tools and the right one is needed for the right job.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Publishing Is Broken, We're Drowning In Indie Books - And That's A Good Thing, was an article that I read for one of my other courses that discusses the merits of electronic authorship and publishing. It suggests that the ease of publishing allows material that would otherwise not be viewed by the public to be read. It also raised the point that if the sites that do the publishing set up some sort of editing/gatekeeper process they can take a currently mixed bag of good and bad and set up a system that allows a textbook case of "marketplace of ideas" to operate simply with users and writers. It's an option that will make editors out of the public, much like the internet tends to do and along with this it also has been proven that more than just garbage is put out via electronic books publishing.
Books are not dead, and for that matter neither are bookstores. Perhaps big book chain stores are going to take a hit, but the digital age has done that kind of damage to most companies that have their business model based in the style that came before the digital age and have not adapted. (How many people over the age of maybe 15 have actually experienced a Video Arcade for instance? They died out with the invention and mass production of the cheap and effective home console.) However, the death of these kinds of chains does allow for a growth of the small time independent stores that can work off of local clientele and an atmosphere of "buy local" (not to mention the ever self-indulgent hipster market). The model clearly exists just by looking at how music changed as a result of Napster back in the 1990s.
http://theweek.com/article/index/212130/borders-goes-bankrupt-the-end-of-the-bookstore
The above link points out several important things. Borders was not a failure because it sold books. Border's was a failure because like any business that fails, it did not live up to the changing style in which people live. There is a demand for eBooks (and whether or not this is positive or negative is a discussion I will save for a later blog) and to be successful as a company working in books this must be acknowledged.
The link also points out that while Border's is gone that books themselves are not (we can always rely on human sentimentality and nostalgia to keep things alive).
The above link points out several important things. Borders was not a failure because it sold books. Border's was a failure because like any business that fails, it did not live up to the changing style in which people live. There is a demand for eBooks (and whether or not this is positive or negative is a discussion I will save for a later blog) and to be successful as a company working in books this must be acknowledged.
The link also points out that while Border's is gone that books themselves are not (we can always rely on human sentimentality and nostalgia to keep things alive).
I have decided upon Dr. Finer's suggestion to develop this idea further by looking more specifically at how the market was changed by the introduction of not only eBooks, but of the technology itself. Things like the Kindle and the Nook have been so successful while others that succeeded so well in the 90s are now bankrupt and bought out. (i.e. Borders). From there I will look at some of the advantages this presents to authors as well the intriguing opportunities it presents to publishers, editors, and booksellers.
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