When we read a blog, can we safely say that its author is a self-published writer? And the answer is yes: we can safely say that the author of a blog is a self-published writer. That means that anyone could become a writer online and that includes you! All you need is a blog (hosted on a free domain, but preferably on your domain to avoid any data loss) and the will to succeed. A blog is a space where an author can publish his/her thoughts. It doesn't matter why people blog. Whether they blog for fun or for financial revenue (generated through AdSense ads, other ads, paid entries etc) all blog authors are self-published authors.
Successful bloggers are powerful bloggers. They are consultants for other bloggers, for businesses that want to achieve similar online recognition and so on. These people prove that blogging could be the path to a successful career. All you need is a brilliant idea, dedication and perseverance.
Some young talented writers start a blog hoping that a publisher will discover their art online and make them an offer for a hard cover chance. Many of these authors blog daily just to collect their entries and turn them into a book or an eBook using a free publishing service such as the ones offered by Lulu. Then they offer their work for free or for a small fee, or they start a slid marketing campaign to sell it both online and offline. Some are really successful. Others still spend their time online trying to make it to the top of the search engines and to become the crème de la crème of the blogosphere.
There are so many wonderful poems and literary works online waiting for you to discover them! All you need to do is start browsing the blogosphere or some high quality article directories like Associated Content or Ezine Articles.
Some bloggers consider their blogs private spaces. Yet they should understand that a blog becomes public if it is cached in a search engine and submitted to some directories, if it's a part of any blogger community or interlinked with any other blog or website. So even a "private" blogger is a self-published author.
Self-publishing doesn't refer solely to literary work and words. Publish your artwork and photography online and guess what: you become a self-published author. Any original contribution you sign with your real name or with a pseudonym and publish online wears your copyright and it's your sole responsibility. Even when you choose to hire a ghostwriter, once the deal is done, if you were not smart enough to check the accuracy and originality of the content you paid for, you become responsible for what you publish.
Practically, self-publishing means that you publish your work alone - without being paid in advance by a traditional publishing house for your work.
The Web is full of surprises. HowStuffWorks started out as a collection of self published articles on how stuff works. Today this is a billion dollars business. I'll not waste your time with similar examples. Have a brilliant idea and you'll reach fame in no time, even in such a highly competitive world as the WWW!
Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Publishing
Author: Michael Russell
