Why Most Commercial Publishers Are About to Become Extinct Like the Dinosaurs

I truly have nothing against commercial publishers. In fact, up until just recently, all my books and articles were published by commercial publishers. I appreciate all the acquisitions editors that I encountered twelve years ago, who helped to shape the writing that I do today. However, you would have to be in serious denial not to realize that a fundamental shift has occurred in the publishing world. The traditional media outlets and publishers are falling like dominoes and there is a very good reason why. The game has changed and unless publishers change too, they are going to become extinct like the dinosaurs.

So what caused such a big shift? Mostly the Internet and the fact that most anyone can produce a quality book or publication, all from the comfort of their own home. But I think it is more than that. I think there has been a fundamental shift in the way people are thinking about the world. People are realizing that all the boxes that once defined our lives are just imaginary and that with a lot of self-confidence; we can create our own boxes.

That is what happened to me. I got tired of the commercial publishers slowing down the process and then taking too much of the money. I got tired of having to play by their rules because that is the way it has always been done. Instead of just continuing to accept such a raw deal, I decided in 2009 to self-publish my own book. It is actually my seventh book. The other six were published by commercial publishers, along with dozens of printed and online articles.

And here I am, struggling to get people to read my book, which by the way has received outstanding reviews. True, I have to do all the marketing and promotion, but these days, any author that wants to see their book be successful has to do the same; regardless of who the publisher is. There are just too many books out there for any of them to stand out without a lot of effort on the authors part.

So, should you self-publish too? Well, I don’t know. That is a tricky question. There are lots of options out there, ranging from vanity and print-on-demand publishers to creating your own small publishing company. I personally chose the latter, but it means a lot more work and money on my part. The best choice for you depends on your particular circumstances.

What I suggest you do is sit down and think about what you want to accomplish. If you just want to publish a single book in a an effort to get your name out there and you could care less about how much money you make and how much control you have over the process, then I would suggest going with a commercial publisher, if you can. However, if you know you are sitting on a great idea and the commercial publishers are not giving you the shot you deserve or interfering too much, then I say go for it. Throw yourself into it and hang on for a wild ride. Just whatever you do, always believe in yourself and your dreams. As long as you do that, anything is possible; even selling a million books, which is what I plan to do one day.