Mark Coker - 2017 Publishing Industry Predictions

[Lex DeVille]

Mark Coker - 2017 Self-Publishing Industry Predictions

I've enjoyed reading these the last several years. Interesting insights and things to consider for those in the self-publishing arena. This year Mark has several interesting points as well.

 

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[MTF]

Sounds more like an open hate letter to Amazon and fear mongering than predictions. How about some positive predictions:

• The ebook market continues to grow worldwide. There will be more money to make with translations, and since Amazon doesn't have a strong position in many countries, it's an opportunity for other platforms to step up their game and gain a share in those countries.
• Increased competition will force independent authors to find new ways to make money off their writing. This means more online courses, consultants, coaching, subscription sites (pay $20 a year to get access to all of my releases), apps, etc. and other creative ways to differentiate yourself from the crowd. Many of these projects can generate more income than books, especially those enrolled in KDP Select.
  
• More authors are starting to realize that KDP Select sucks, and they will slowly pull out their titles and distribute them to other retailers or sell them on their own site. Eventually the only people who will use KDP Select will be new authors looking for increased, albeit limited Amazon-only exposure. Successful authors will slowly reduce their dependence on Amazon.
  
• If people are losing trust in Amazon and trying new authors and prefer to buy books from authors and publishers they already know, more authors will utilize content marketing and social media marketing to build trust. This means more blogs, YouTube channels, podcasts, Instagram profiles, Facebook groups, etc. Professional authors will most likely utilize cross-promotion with other authors, thus dominating Amazon's bestseller lists, and that will drive away scammers from Amazon.
• Authors tired of competing on the overcrowded ebook market will try selling physical books or other physical products related to their niche. One recent example of a successful launch of a self-published physical book/product is The Mastery Journal.

In the end, the self-publishing industry, just like any other industry, is constantly evolving. This can be a great thing for everyone willing to think of their self-publishing business as a business rather than just a writing career.

 

[Lex DeVille]

Sounds more like an open hate letter to Amazon and fear mongering than predictions.

You caught that, huh?

Thanks for sharing your insights!