Ever since authors became bolder and started publishing their own books, traditional publishers have been forced to constantly reinvent themselves. Traditional publishers can’t have great authors publishing their own books so they are now snatching up most new talent coming up in the self-publishing industry. This is a predictable turn of events since self-publishing became big business. The following are some of the ways that the publishing industry has been changed by self-publishing.

1. Everybody now has a better understanding of what publishing is. For a long time, the knowledge of how the publishing industry worked was only for agents, editors, and publishing houses. The most effective publishing used to be the latent kind but not anymore. The secrets that agents held so close are out and now anybody can publish anything.

2. Our confidence that editors and agents know what everybody wants to read has been significantly eroded. In the old days, authors used to believe that agents knew what kind of books the market was asking for but not anymore. Authors now know the books that people are clamoring for, thanks to technologies such as social networking and improved communication.

3. The copy editor is back in demand. He was once a marginalized figure, but the copy editor’s skills are needed now more than ever especially in the self-publishing industry. Authors of today can do many things but self-editing is one of the things that still remains elusive. This is where the services of a copy editor are required.

4. The book is now a precious object (again). A select few publishers are now marketing limited-edition luxury books which only they can supply. People are also self-publishing their photos from various occasions in book form to make unique memory books.

5. Authors’ roles are changing. The media has undergone recent fragmentation and publishers are now relying on authors to do marketing which is a learning process for the authors. Authors are now meeting their readers in festivals, blogs, and on social media. They no longer rely on publishers to introduce them to their readers as they used to do.

6. Agents’ roles are also changing. In the past, agents used to find investors to work with authors to produce and sell their books. Now, since authors don’t need someone to find a market for their books, agents are forced to find more creative ways to get paid. Multi-faceted agencies are toning down publishing work in favor of other services such as film deals. Agencies that only deal with books are struggling.

7. New business opportunities and models are coming up in the self-publishing industry. These opportunities are usually publishing-related. Writing patterns are also changing with new ones such as ghost writing and team writing coming up.

8. Self-publishing is not only about selling books. A person who has decided to self-publish takes full responsibility for managing and producing content. It doesn’t matter if it is to produce a single copy of a book to keep at home or to sell thousands of copies online.

9. Self-publishing brings happiness. When an author manages the production and sales of his content, he feels a big sense of accomplishment.