Just today Bertelsmann, the huge transnational media conglomerate that owns Random House, the largest trade publishing company in the world, announced revenues were down for the first quarter and the company experienced a huge loss, even greater than the huge loss for the same quarter last year. And Church Publishing, the publishing arm of the Episcopal Church, declared it is suspending acquisitions because of the current market decline in general trade publishing.

In stark contrast, this week’s article in the “Lexington Herald Leader” written by Scott Sloan is titled “Self-publishing Grows During Recession.”In this article Sloan describes the experiences of two authors who have successfully published their works. He quotes Alice Pope of “Writer’s Digest” as saying,” self-publishing can be just as much the author experience as those picked up by major publishers because these days, it’s mostly up to the author to publicize the book and market it.” Victoria Cochrane writes, at BestSyndication.com, “Because many publishing houses have been known to edit and pare down individual style, self-publishing has become the preferred method of choice for many authors.”

As someone who has been a proponent of support services for authors who wish to self-publish for more than 30 years, these words are music to my ears. But they also ring true. The fact is that the democratization of publishing and free speech through self-publishing is a result of vast technological advances that make self-publishing just about on a par with commercial and trade publishing. From the ease and cost efficiencies to print on demand to the publicity and marketing advantages, especially for niche markets, on the Internet, the time is right for authors who wish to self-publish.In addition to the marketing opportunities found in blogging, microblogging, and social networking, there are also many other ways for authors to target their audiences and gain attention for blurbs, reviews, and opportunities for writing articles on the Internet.

For example, Dorrance Publishing and its other imprints utilize the Internet very successfully in gaining attention for authors and books by writing and publishing news releases. Just one news release can garner tens of thousands of hits and reads in a few days. This attention has resulted for us in book signings, appearances, and national media interviews. Someone has compared self-publishing companies to "American Idol" for Writers. Authors who self-publish must think big and work with the companies which support them in targeting their audiences and getting out the word about their talent and their messages. Once the word is out there, the consumer can judge if they want and need the product.