Online Publishing With Web 2.0
For centuries the printing process was an exclusive one, the subject of only those who could afford it or could move people who could. With the reduction in price printing became accessible to more people, but with publishing applications going web 2.0, publishing a book can now be cheaper than going to a movie.
For those looking to get published, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that accessibility and quality should not be tied, and that no matter how easy, the marketplace still determines which published works survive. That said, applications for publishing in web 2.0 have made publishing accessible to an unprecedented degree, allowing users to put their projects into the world. Books, comic books, sheet music, research papers, photo albums, and journals are all possible, and as we take a closer look at the publishing opportunities awaiting us in web 2.0, we’ll see that these aren’t the wire bound books the copier down the street once offered.
With that said, online publishing applications truly have made the process simple, giving new voice to authors of every type. As we look at the applications, Lulu, Qoop, Blurb, and WeBook, we’ll be thinking of how easy it is to publish, whether there are tools to make it easier, and what kind of options they give us.
All the applications offer a chance to print in soft or hard cover (and wire bound if you like), and offer choices for paper. Several of the applications have layout tools that let users put the book together as they like, and one of the applications has tools to let users work collaboratively. All of the applications make it easy for entry level users to print books, and several offer tutorials to help get users started.
Each has an online store, one that allows users to showcase their books and sell them. For all of the applications this week this is done through a web page (either an author page or book page) that lets the user send links, promote, and gain social bookmarks.
Distribution is also possible with a few of the applications, where ISBNs (a number that is assigned to each printed book on the market) can be assigned. Online stores and tie-ins with distributors (like Amazon) are also possible, with profit sharing arrangements. We’ll be looking more closely at what the applications offer, but if you’d like to get a head start, there is the Listio search: books+publish.
Next in this series: WeBook: Social Book Publishing
New to Listio? Our tag cloud search offers an easy way to narrow your hunt for the perfect web application or service. No more second guessing of search terms. Just click on one tag, then as many more as you'd like to narrow your search results. It's easy and ensures you get to the listing you want. Finding web 2.0 was never so easy.
Tags: books, create, personal, Printing, publishing
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