Self-Publishing Offers Opportunity for Authors

One of our Stories To Tell clients recently told me, “I want my book published by a big house and to be on Oprah Winfrey.”

I applauded her ambition, but had to tell her it’s getting harder and harder to publish with the traditional commercial publishers.

Publishers Weekly said 2009 would be the worst year in decades for the publishing industry.

At the same time there has been an explosive growth in non-traditional publishing including:

• Independent Publishing ( presses with fewer than 10 titles per year)


• Self-Publishing (DIY publishing by the author)

Some would be best-selling authors are learning that non-traditional publishing can lead to a contract with a commercial publisher. Among authors who achieved such success are:

• Spencer Johnson and Kenneth Blanchard, The One Minute Manager


• John Grisham, A Time to Kill


• Irma Rombauer, The Joy of Cooking

Non-traditional publishing has also been good news for authors seeking a much smaller distribution. In 2008, independent publishers and authors who self-published books used print-on-demand services (books are not printed until an order is received) produce thousands of titles with runs of fewer than 75 copies. Top categories of small-run books include:

• Family histories


• Genealogies


• Memoirs

Publishers Weekly article

For more on non-traditional publishing

Biff Barnes, Editor