Jill Barshay reported on the "publishing situation" per last week's annual Book Expo in Los Angeles. In the report, she cites John Rose of the Boston Consulting Group, who has a cutting edge, but potentially problematic view:
"Rose says publishers should think about a world where any writer can publish a book cheaply online and any reader can download it freely."
How do publishers stay in business then? If the idea is that they go away, how can all the authors of the world possibly get their book read by a larger audience? Publishers, though riddled with business model issues, still provide many great resources that are unavailable to individuals. How do authors feel about the value of publishers? Are you at the point where you feel you can do everything yourself?
I'll be posting more thoughts on this issue and more after attending the Book Expo last week. In the meantime, you can read Barshay's full article here.