Early examples Self-publishing has a long history.
John Locke,
Jane Austen,
Emily Dickinson,
Nathaniel Hawthorne,
Martin Luther,
Marcel Proust,
Derek Walcott, and
Walt Whitman are some successful examples. In music publishing,
François Couperin self-published some of his keyboard music in the 18th century, and
Joseph Haydn self-published his oratorio
The Creation in 1800. '', self-published by Laurence Sterne In 1759, British satirist
Laurence Sterne self-published the first two volumes of
Tristram Shandy. Later, authors like
Jane Austen and
Walt Whitman found success through self-publishing throughout the 19th century. In the early 20th century,
Ezra Pound sold
A Lume Spento for six pence each while
Franklin Hiram King's self-published
Farmers of Forty Centuries was subsequently published commercially.
Virginia Woolf chose to self-publish her final novel
Between the Acts on her
Hogarth Press, in effect starting her own press.
Irma S. Rombauer, the author of
The Joy of Cooking paid a local printing company to print 3000 copies; the Bobbs-Merrill Company acquired the rights, and since then the book has sold over 20 million copies.
Stigma Traditional book publishers are selective in what they publish, and they reject most of the manuscripts submitted to them. After selection, they then assign an editor to polish the work even further, a proof-reader to check for errors, and a
book designer to produce the
cover. It can be challenging for a self-publishing author to produce a book to traditional professional standards. Before the advent of the internet and
POD (Print on Demand), most self-publishing authors had to resort to a
vanity press, which was costly and acted as a barrier to publication. Now, ebooks can be published at virtually no cost, which allows for books of varying qualities to be published. One blogger estimated that as much as 70% of self-published books are so bad, they are unreadable. Studies on self-publishing have highlighted concerns about quality control, as the lack of traditional editorial oversight can result in a wide range of content quality. A 2014 survey by Digital Book World found that traditionally published books tend to earn higher critical reviews compared to self-published titles, though some self-published authors achieve commercial success. Also, some self-published authors are now taking a professional approach, using services like critique groups,
beta readers, professional editors and designers to polish their work to a professional standard equivalent to traditional publishing. Such authors are achieving success equivalent to traditionally published writers, lending respectability to self-publishing. Self-publishing is also common among editors of
academic journals. The study showed that a quarter of them publish 10% of their own articles in the same journals they edit (which is problematic for ethical reasons). Despite the growing popularity and success of self-publishing, some stigma remains. The lack of gatekeepers, such as agents and editors, can raise concerns about quality-control. This may result in prejudice against self-published works from readers and reviewers. However, many self-published authors invest in professional editing and other services to achieve comparable production standards. The rise of AI technologies has also created concerns about the lack of
quality control in the self-publishing industry. A startup, Spines, plans to publish 8,000 AI-generated books in 2025, sparking fears about originality and content standards. Writers argue that AI-driven publishing lacks genuine care for books, potentially leading to a decline in quality.
Technological changes Rapid advances in technology have been a major driving force behind to growth of self-publishing. Print-On-Demand (or POD) technology, which became available in the mid-1990s, makes it possible for a book to be printed after an order has been placed, so there are no costs for storing inventory. Further, the Internet provides access to global distribution channels via online retailers, so a self-published book can be instantly available to book buyers worldwide. Advances in
e-book readers and
tablet computers have improved readability, making ebooks more popular. Amazon's introduction of the Kindle and its self-publishing platform,
Kindle Direct Publishing or KDP, in 2007 has been described as a tipping point in self-publishing, which "opened the floodgates" for self-publishing authors. The
Espresso Book Machine (a POD device) was first demonstrated at the
New York Public Library in 2007. This machine prints, collates, covers, and binds a single book. It is in libraries and bookstores throughout the world, and it can make copies of out-of-print editions. Small bookstores sometimes use it to compete with large bookstore chains. It works by taking two
pdf files, one for the text and one for the cover, and then prints an entire paperback book in a matter of minutes, which then drops down a chute. The
Library Journal and Biblioboard worked together to create a self-publishing platform called Self-e in which authors submitted books online which were made available to readers. These books are reviewed by
Library Journal, and the best ones are published nationwide; authors do not make money this way but it serves as a marketing tool. The development of artificial intelligence has significant implications within self-publishing. Proponents believe that AI's ability to streamline tasks that are less accessible when going through traditional publishers make it a positive change in the literary environment. However, critics argue that using AI to co-write books has led to mass publications of low quality literature and legal questions about who these books belong to. Notable legal debates have already become relevant. In September 2023,
Game of Thrones writers accused
OpenAI of violating copyright law by using their writing to optimize ChatGPT's ability to generate realistic-sounding responses. == Production and control ==