ERIC Number: EJ972570
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012-Apr
Pages: 34
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0024-2519
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Self-Published Books: An Empirical "Snapshot"
Bradley, Jana; Fulton, Bruce; Helm, Marlene
Library Quarterly, v82 n2 p107-140 Apr 2012
The number of books published by authors using fee-based publication services, such as Lulu and AuthorHouse, is overtaking the number of books published by mainstream publishers, according to Bowker's 2009 annual data. Little empirical research exists on self-published books. This article presents the results of an investigation of a random sample of 348 books from a total population of 385,173 titles available from ninety-three fee-based publication services in 2008. Major findings include publication patterns within the nontraditional publishing industry, availability of self-published titles online and in libraries, state of bibliographic and cataloging control, and subject content of self-published books. The findings provide a baseline "snapshot" of books available from publication services in 2008, a time when the self-publishing industry was established but was still small enough to study overall. The article concludes with implications for librarians from this study of self-published books. (Contains 12 tables and 6 footnotes.)
Descriptors: Writing for Publication, Personal Autonomy, Fees, Empowerment, Electronic Publishing, Publishing Industry, Comparative Analysis, Bibliographic Databases, Access to Information, Technological Advancement, Delivery Systems, Web Sites, Models, Authors, Role, Library Services, Decision Making
University of Chicago Press. Journals Division, P.O. Box 37005, Chicago, IL 60637. Tel: 877-705-188; Tel: 773-753-3347; Fax: 877-705-1879; Fax: 773-753-0811; e-mail: subscriptions@press.uchicago.edu; Web site: http://www.press.uchicago.edu
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Adult Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A