The world of publishing is changing thanks to the Internet.
People aren’t willing to put their fates in the hands of traditional gatekeepers anypmore.
Writers aren’t just writers anymore.
In a lot of ways,writers are the new publishers.
Many of them benefit from doing so.
But I’m not just talking about theprint-on-demandkind of self-publishing.
There are a handful of new web services and tools that kick it up to the next level.
Blurb
Most publishing platforms are all about walls of text.
Whether fiction or nonfiction, it’s easy to produce a book without any pictures.
But what ifwords aren’t enough for you?
Or what if you just want to simplify the whole self-publishing process?
That’s when you turn toBlurb.
They provide a handful of desktop and online apps as well as a few plugins for Adobe software.
Digital booksare available to be made in Fixed-Layout and Reflowable formats.
In essence, rather than managing their own staff, they use a community-sourced approach.
Everyone collaborates to produce a final product using Booktrope’s tools to aid in the process.
Both print and digital books are supported.
Unlike traditional publishing, Booktrope revenue isonlybased on the sharing of royalties amongst the creative team.
That royalty is 70% and paid monthly.
They do not offer any kind of advance against royalties.
How does Git fit in?
It’s used for the book’srevision history.
If you want to publish an updated version of the book, a simple
is all that’s needed.
If you don’t have your own Git repository, you’ve got the option to use GitHub.
GitBook has its own marketplace where published books can be distributed forfree, fordonations, or forprofit.
Revenue is transferred to your U.S. bank account or PayPal account.
There are no selling fees except when users purchase using PayPal.
You retain all rights to your books.
Unbound
Have you run out of ideas to write about?
Or maybe you havetoo manyideas running through your mind?
That’s whatUnboundis all about.
It’s an ingenious twist on Kickstarter for writers.
While authors can submit ideas for not-yet-written books, Unbound may request evidence of your writing quality before accepting.
Unbound is a UK-based company but will accept non-UK authors based on writing quality.
Final Thoughts
Let’s be clear about one thing: the publishing game isextremely difficultto break into.
While these services will certainly make iteasier, by no means will they make iteasy.
It’s going to take a lot of sweat and tears on your part.
If you need a bit of help along the way, check out thesemotivational TED Talks.
Image Credits:Open Book Via Shutterstock
