The self-publishing boom is a new phenomenon of the electronic book culture. Information technology makes it possible for authors to upload their work to a bookshop and decide how they will be published. It is the author who decides about the price tag, the distribution location (i.e. whether the books should be sold in Hungary or on global sites) and the key formatting features of the book.
It is the author’s job to transfer the scientific or fictional work to the potential readers. That is where the name of the new book movement comes from: independent publishing.
The success of the book as a self-promotion tool is unstoppable. What contributes to the fast spreading of the concept is that the publication is free for the author, as the publishing process is automated. The author is rewarded by a multiple of the usual ten percent royalty. His or her share is at least fifty percent depending on the number of contributors in the distribution process.
Team efforts serving independent publishing similar to Publio Publishing have surfaced all over the planet. The often uncombed works of the new authors have caused an unprecedented boom. The deluge of text has not swept the good books aside, quite on the contrary: more and more people fish from the abundant offer. There are more writers now but more readers, as well.
The author’s edition is no new phenomenon in the world of the book. Our great poets and writers were looking for subscribers for their planned books. In Hungary and everywhere in Europe the practice was that the writers managed their own publications. It is worth to mention in this context that the first printed book appeared self-published in today’s interpretation. Gutenberg did not have any retailers, distributors, publishers, not even readers. The work was important for him, he dedicated several years to it, he ignored everything else, he focused only on finishing the book. His creation reformed human civilization.
The whole world is open for today’s authors. The books uploaded to the Publio page appear on the big global portals: Amazon, Smashwords, Kobo, Sony, Barnes and Noble. Publio is in direct partnership with Apple: the Publio books has been leading the sales hit lists in the iTunes iBookstore for months.
It is now possible to write and publish: no matter how long the text is or what it is about. The work can address the whole world or be meant for a small interested group, an audience of specialists or a local circle of readers. For adorers of poetry, crime story fans, lovers of fictional novels or connoisseurs of documentary. It can be for a couple of offsprings, close friends or buddies. The only thing that counts: the author should know and feel that their message is important.