Publishing in the Modern Age: The Rise of Self-Publishing

Skills, talent, knowledge, and the like can either spread information or exist for appreciation and sometimes both. This is why publishing plays a vital role in different industries, not just scientific research.

Advancements technology have contributed to the changes in the means of publishing over the years. Art and the academe have adapted to these methods. You can witness this through the ways people disseminate their creations to the public.

Here are three types of art that experience innovations in publishing.

Written Art

These days, a writer doesn’t need to be established or have an agent to figure out how to share their writing with others. Inquiries like “how to publish my poetry book?” usually will yield results that can teach them the ways of self-publishing. Companies, like Izzard Ink, helps writers self-publish their stories.

An example of which are chapbooks. Compared to published novels, chapbooks resemble pamphlets in appearance. They are usually printed in folded 8.5 x 11 sheets of paper and later stapled in the middle. For writers who wish to showcase their poetry, the page count doesn’t go above 40 pages.

Prints aren’t the only ways writers can publish their stories. The internet has also paved new ways to publish writing online. Blogs, for example, allows writers to post their writing online in hopes of building up a reader-base that is large enough to warrant ads on their site.

Writers can also publish their work through electronic publications or e-pubs. Writers can look to sites like Amazon if they wish to publish a digital version of their chapbooks.

Visual Art

Printing

You can publish traditional and digital art in many ways. One of which is through zines.

Zines are like chapbooks where t it’s up to the artist to print their creations on paper and staple it to resemble a pamphlet. Oftentimes, art found in zines is in the form of visual novels or comics. It doesn’t stop there, though. Artists can also make cardboard prints and stickers from art that doesn’t necessarily tell a story.

Another means of publishing is through the internet. Just as writers can post their writing on blogs, artists can do the same even on social media. This is a great way of reaching out to audiences from all over the world, which can result in the steady growth of one’s fan base.

Artists who have the significant following can monetize their popularity. Some offer commissions, while others take to websites like Redbubble so they can sell zines, stickers, and prints to interested buyers.

Music

Cassette tapes, vinyl, CDs are all means of circulating music to the audience. These are still available to this day. But it’s impossible to deny that their hold over the market has dwindled due to streaming platforms.

Sites, like Soundcloud, are more friendly to artists who are starting out their careers. Anyone with internet can access them, as well.

The price tag (or the lack thereof) is no joke, either.

There are two kinds of streaming platforms: one paid and the other not. It’s possible to access streaming platforms like Spotify or YouTube without subscribing. But those who do choose to pay can enjoy the bonus of not having ads interfere with their experience.

With this, you can gather that publishing in the modern age is friendlier to any kind of artist who doesn’t have a following yet. Artists who don’t have huge followings can profit off their craft with the help of self-publishing.

Scroll to Top