Self-Publishing Resources

Posted By Sue Collier on August 24, 2010

The buzz around the blogosphere is all about Seth Godin and his claim that he is finished with traditional publishing. (If you don’t know who Seth Godin is, well, get out from under that rock! Then read his bio here; basically he is a hugely influential marketer with a popular blog. He’s traditionally published lots of well-selling books over the years, including a dozen bestsellers.)

In his blog post yesterday, he announced, “Linchpin will be the last book I publish in a traditional way.” He goes on to call the “architecture of [the] industry…fundamentally broken.”  He pretty much blasts the industry: “Traditional book publishers use techniques perfected a hundred years ago to help authors reach unknown readers, using a stable technology (books) and an antique and expensive distribution system.”

This is exciting news for those of us in the indie publishing industry who’ve felt this way for a long time. Self-publishing is losing much of its stigma (in spite of the trad holdouts who talk about the so-called lack of “street cred” with self-publishing) as savvy authors realize they can circumvent the gatekeepers and reach their readers directly. With heavyweights like Seth Godin on board, the stigma will continue to decrease. That said, however, authors need to have a platform if they want to have any amount of success.

Literary agent Rachelle Gardner makes a good point about this in her blog: “Godin says he is moving to electronic publishing only. If you agree with his perspective, you may want to consider it too, but keep in mind that he has a gigantic platform. (I’ll be interested to see if Godin stays ‘finished’ with traditional print publishing.)” Yes, Godin already has a built-in stable of readers eagerly awaiting his next book—regardless of which form it takes. Because without the platform, the chances of a new author getting signed with a traditional publisher are very slim. And if you’ve got the platform, why not reach them directly by self-publishing? Gardner herself admits that “the traditional publishing industry is shrinking” and “it could serve you well to consider the viability of self-pub from the start.”  

Says Godin:  “The thing is–now I know who my readers are. Adding layers or faux scarcity doesn’t help me or you. As the medium changes, publishers are on the defensive…. I honestly can’t think of a single traditional book publisher who has led the development of a successful marketplace/marketing innovation in the last decade. The question asked by the corporate suits always seems to be, ‘how is this change in the marketplace going to hurt our core business?’ To be succinct: I’m not sure that I serve my audience (you) by worrying about how a new approach is going to help or hurt Barnes & Noble.”

Will he completely shun the printed book? He admits he doesn’t know exactly what form his future projects may take, print or electronic (both?). What he does know is that he is simply weary of the traditional publishing process—and how slow it is. (As someone who was recently traditionally published, I have to agree with that!)

I don’t think we’ll see the total demise of the printed book in our lifetime; too many people still love the tactile quality of paper books. But as a girl who loves her Kindle, I think a lot of e-reader holdouts just haven’t given it a chance.

The writing is on the (electronic) wall: Traditional publishing as we’ve known it is on its way out.

Categories: Seth Godin, author platform, authors, book author, books, business of publishing, distribution, do-it-yourself publishing, self-publishing
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