Self-Publishing as a Cultural Phenomenon

As the curator of the Self-Publishing Hall of Fame, I've been following the self-publishing phenomenon not only in book publishing and blogging, but also in art, music, and movies. Below are four web sites that are helping self-publishers in other fields to sell their works:

Deviant Art — This site is helping little-known artists to promote their original art as well as sell prints of many of the entries. A wonderful site for up-and-coming artists.

CdBaby — Founded by a musician, this site helps garage bands and other unknown musicians to sell their self-produced music CDs. The site has sold more than a million CDs already!

Pure Volume — This site allows you to sample the work of many new musicians and groups. You can even download many songs for free. You also have the option to pay to download some songs after you listen to them. It's another great web site for singers and musicians who have produced their own music.

IndieDocs — This more commercial site features all sorts of movies including experimental, self-distributed, IMAX, and more. Plus books about movies, producers, directors, and reference.

There should be sites, I think, also for songwriters, poets, and others who are self-publishing or promoting their works. I love that the web allows for this kind of exposure, thus enabling people to get started without a lot of money but still get exposure to millions of potential customers and fans.

One of my newest entires in the Self-Publishing Hall of Fame is Denmark's Hans Christian Anderson, whose birthday on April 2nd is celebrated as International Children's Book Day. Not only did Hans Christian Anderson self-publish his first two books of poems as well as a travelogue and another book (First Attempts), but he also paid to have his first book of fairy tales published. For more details on his Hall of Fame entry, see The Self-Publishing Hall of Fame.

Article Author: John Kremer

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