Dog Ear Publishing Rides Wave of Self-Publishing Tidal Wave

(March 28, 2014) INDIANAPOLIS – The self-publishing industry continues to grow, spurred on by technological advances and author motivation. An analysis of U.S. ISBN data by Bowker, a book research firm, shows that the number of self-published titles in 2012 rose by 59 percent to more than 391,000, and that figure has risen 422 percent since 2007. That same report from Bowker, released in October 2013, shows e-books also are gaining numbers, making up 40 percent of the ISBNs that were self-published in 2012, as compared to just 11 percent in 2007.

One company that has been working with self-published authors for years – and weathered the changes as the industry continues to evolve – is Dog Ear Publishing, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.

Before the days of Amazon.com, desktop publishing and print on demand, publishing a book was very expensive and hard to accomplish. "You really had to like yourself a lot to spend that kind of time and money," said Miles Nelson, Dog Ear Publishing partner and co-founder with Ray Robinson and Alan Harris. Now, anyone with a computer and a little bit of skill can write a book, lay it out, print it one at a time and sell it at online bookstores.

Online marketing and e-books have further revolutionized the industry. "Online bookstores outsell brick and mortar bookstores," Nelson said. "E-books allow people to sell books without maintaining any inventory, and POD (print on demand) allows books to be printed as they're sold."

Traditional publishers who had looked disdainfully on self-publishing are now deeply involved, Nelson said. "They are late to get into it, so they are taking the worst part of the industry" and moving production facilities overseas, reducing the quality of their books. "Dog Ear's approach is that we're a local, domestic, U.S.-based company," he said. "You have a question, and we'll provide a caring voice to answer that question."

Although competition is increasing, Nelson remains sure Dog Ear will continue to succeed. "Those four major dominant players don't provide a great experience for the author, so that's why we feel confident we'll be around for a long time. We're finding also that as the industry continues to mature, the author is demanding more." For instance, authors now demand a professional edit, a custom cover design and unique interior design – templates no longer cut it.

"If they're going to put their name out there, they're now interested and willing to have a professional editor edit their book," Nelson said. "They're looking for a high-end, high-quality interior and cover design. They're not looking for a template-driven solution for their book, which our competitors offer. We've always taken the approach that every book is unique and deserves a unique design."

Authors also understand that they need to market their book, so marketing services are more important than ever, Nelson said. "By using social media and author websites that we create, authors can have a shopping cart to sell books. If you can sell books, you're going to keep much more of the sale than if you sell the rights to a traditional publisher."

When Nelson imagines the future of the industry, he speaks with excitement. "There's going to be new advances that we can't even imagine, just like e-books surprised everyone. When they first came out, it was hard to imagine that a lot of people would want to read and consume books that way. I feel there's always going to be a place for printed books and I think there's going to be a place for e-books. I see a resurgence in audio books. Now you can download an audio book and listen to it on the phone. We offer printed, e-book and audio book services," he said.

"My hope is that Dog Ear will continue to thrive because authors will demand high-quality books. They'll insist on high quality copy editing, and they'll want a real professional to lay out the book and design the cover, and I think that's why we'll still be around. As long as authors continue to want the best for their book – and we're finding that they want the best for their book – they know what to look for and they know what to demand."

For additional information, please visit www.dogearpublishing.net

About Dog Ear Publishing, LLC
Dog Ear Publishing offers completely customized self-publishing services for independent authors. We provide cost-effective, fast, and highly profitable services to publish and distribute independently published books. Our book publishing and distribution services reach worldwide. Dog Ear authors retain all rights and complete creative control throughout the entire self-publishing process. Self-publishing services are available globally at www.dogearpublishing.net and from our offices in Indianapolis.

Dog Ear Publishing – self-publishing that actually makes sense.