By Kyndle Fuller
I have a confession: I wasn’t an ebook reader until very recently. I mean barring the use of an ebook for school (because money) I never read an ebook for pleasure. My friends have been trying to get me on the ebook train for months and even told me it would change my life! I can’t say my life has changed—it’s in my nature to want to hold a physical book when I’m reading—but ebooks do provide better functionality, I have to admit. Ebooks also exemplify how publishing has become more diverse as a field. There has been a recent rise in self-published novels because of the new technologies accessible to authors, like programs and services to create and publish their own work. Through the rise of Kindle Direct Publishing, self-publishing is becoming an increasingly accessible route for authors, therefore changing the publishing industry and how readers access books.
The history of self-publishing was relatively boring until the early 2000s. Alan Scherstuhl in his Publishers Weekly article, titled “Just Do It (Yourself): A History of Self-Publishing,” opens with “The history of self-publishing, like that of publishing itself, is a history of access. Who has the opportunity, skills, and resources to write, design, layout, print, and distribute a book?” (Scherstuhl 2022). This is evident in the beginnings of self-publishing as self-published books were often only printed in small amounts, since authors didn’t have the resources to produce large print runs. Publishers Weekly trade paperback sales charts caused a turning point for self-publishing in the 1970s as it helped self-publishers get noticed on a larger scale (Scherstuhl 2022).
Of course, everything changed when Amazon released the Kindle alongside its self-publishing services in 2007. Schershult ends his article with Bowker’s data, the company that gives ISBNs to self-published books, showing that by late 2012, the amount of self-published books had risen 287% since 2006 and that “Amazon reports that more than 1,000 KDP authors earned royalties surpassing $100,000 in 2020.” (2022). The shift in publishing that Amazon caused is noticeable to this day as it thrives more than ever. Kindle Unlimited anyone? I’m a newfound fan.
Speaking of Amazon, their Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) is a program geared toward authors who want to self-publish their work. KDP launched in 2007 right before a large rise in self-published books in 2009. This is likely not a coincidence as this program made self-publishing such an accessible and easy option for authors. The KDP website homepage has lots of information for prospective authors, but what is really interesting here is the permanent banner which is updated every month. The banner has the previous month’s total author earnings, the most recent being April 2026 with authors earning a combined total of $67.7 Million (Amazon). That alone seems really appealing! The “earn” page boasts about the high royalty rates that authors get by using this platform. The real cherry on top? Accessibility. Authors can earn money through a platform that gives them all of the tools they need to succeed. It’s a big reason why authors use it, just check out the testimonials. Self-publishing, and this platform, gives the author full creative control over their work as well, which effectively draws users in. The easiest option for authors to start out making books is by creating an ebook using their programming. This “simpler” option is what has rerouted the publishing industry to digital. Traditional publishers are finally coming around to the idea of picking up previously self-published authors as well, which could incentivize self-publishing work to get noticed first.
Bowker’s data shows that self-publishing is thriving more than ever. Jim Millot in his “Self-Publishing Is Thriving, According to Bowker Report” article goes over marketing manager Andy Kovacs’s list of the top reasons for this trend. Millot says that there is an increasing number of publishing and distribution services that are both inexpensive and high-quality (2023). KDP is a prime example. The most common format option for self-published authors—on the platform—is an ebook, which is contrary to major publishing houses. Ebooks are less expensive and can still be a high-quality product. The uptick in the creation of ebooks has made ebooks more popular from a reader’s perspective as well. One of the most important and interesting facts from Millot is, “According to Bookstats, which collects online sales data in real-time from Amazon, Apple, and Barnes & Noble across the print book, e-book, and digital audiobook formats, self-published authors captured 51% of overall e-book unit sales [in 2022] and more than 34% of e-book retail revenue,” (2023). This proves that self-publishing ebooks is a lucrative, worthwhile pursuit for authors, and they’re beginning to recognize it and take advantage of the platforms available.
Another reason for readers jumping on the ebook bandwagon: anonymity. Fiction is the most self-published genre, but romance in particular tops the charts. Kelvin Smith and Melanie Ramdarshan Bold in their textbook, The Publishing Business: A Guide to Starting out and Getting On, explain the anonymity aspect in a chapter titled “Print and Digital Publishing.” They explain that readers can hide what they are reading better on a phone, so if they are reading something, like romance or erotica, they aren’t showcasing that to everyone around them (Smith and Bold 2018). Readers are likely to feel less embarrassed and more inclined to read in public. Not everyone on the “T” knows what romance you’ve picked up today, how exciting!
While ebooks are meant to be accessible there are flaws. File delivery is a large component that determines an ebook’s accessibility, as mentioned in the essay, “Ebooks and Accessibility” by Alistair McNaught and Huw Alexander. Yes, ebooks are compatible with assistive technology devices, can perform text-to-speech, use color contrasts that are easier on readers’ eyes, and can resize text to be bigger (McNaught and Alexander 2014). But, that is a lot for a first-time author to learn to code. The people who are often creating the ebook file won’t necessarily know about what accessibility needs that readers have, and there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach here. KDP is meant to be an “easy-to-use” option for self-publishers, but that doesn’t mean they know exactly what tools to use. Some commands like the emphasis and italics commands appear to do the same thing on the front end, but when a text-to-speech program is applied they are rendered differently out loud. This can make the reading experience harder and less enjoyable.
A positive here is a conscious awareness of the accessibility needs of readers and how that is becoming more common practice while also acknowledging that ebooks can be used as an educational tool for creators. Changing mindsets and the new opportunities for digital creation is making publishing and reading more accessible. It will take time to understand the needs of audiences and people who are willing to learn. Ebooks are still a fairly new technology that self-publishers and publishing companies alike are trying to figure out.
Overall ebooks are an emerging form of storytelling because of the rise in self-publishing. This allows many new opportunities for creators to get their stories out in the world and make a profit doing something they love. Ebooks also aren’t the only emerging form—audiobooks are right behind them. It’s only a matter of time before major publishers catch up and take this new digital route. I may still prefer physical books, but I’m acknowledging the value an ebook can bring to my everyday life; next time you sit down with your Kindle, or another e-reader of your choosing, and consider what luxuries it provides you—there’s many and it’s amazing!
Bibliography
McNaught, Alistair, and Alexander Huw. “Ebooks and Accessibility.” Essay. In Ebooks in Education: Realising the Vision, 34–49. London, United Kingdom: Ubiquity Press, 2014. https://doi.org/10.5334/bal.
Millot, Jim. “Self-Publishing Is Thriving, According to Bowker Report.” PublishersWeekly.com, February 17, 2023. http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/91574-self-publishing-is-thriving-according-to-bowker-report.html#:~:text=In%202021%2C%20there%20were%202%2C300%2C336,a%20major%20self%2Dpublishing%20platform.
Scherstuhl, Alan. “Just Do It (Yourself): A History of Self-Publishing.” PublishersWeekly.com, April 19, 2022. http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/88987-just-do-it-yourself-a-history-of-self-publishing.html.
“Self Publishing | Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing.” Kindle Direct Publishing. Accessed February 27, 2024. https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/.Smith, Kelvin, and Melanie Ramdarshan Bold. “Print and Digital Publishing.” Essay. In The Publishing Business: A Guide to Starting out and Getting On, 2nd ed., 150–71. New York, New York: Bloomsbury Visual Arts, 2018.
Author Bio
Kyndle Fuller is a BA and MA publishing student at Emerson College. She is involved on campus as a Head Copy Editor for Wilde Press, a copy editor for Page Turner Magazine, and during her semester abroad she was a Co-Head of the Editing Committee for Black Swan literary magazine. She has previously been published in ASGARD literary magazine, but this is her first on-campus publication. She is also a freelance proofreader and excited to pursue a career in publishing. In her free time, Kyndle enjoys reading, hanging out with her friends, traveling, and spending time with her dog.
