Self-Publishing and Collection Development

The current publishing environment has experienced a drastic change in the way content is created, delivered, and acquired, particularly for libraries. With the increasing importance of digital publishing, more than half the titles published in the United States are self-published. With this growth in self-published materials, librarians, publishers, and vendors have been forced to rethink channels of production, distribution, and access as it applies to the new content. Self-Publishing and Collection Development: Opportunities and Challenges for Libraries will address multiple aspects of how public and academic libraries can deal with the increase in self-published titles. While both academic and public libraries have started to grapple with the burgeoning issues associated with self-published books, many difficulties remain. To develop effective policies and procedures, stakeholders must now tackle questions associated with the transformation of the publishing landscape. Obstacles to self-publishing include the lack of reviews, the absence of cataloging and bibliographic control, proprietary formats for e-books, and the difficulty for vendors in providing these works.General chapters will include information on reviewing sources, cataloging and bibliographic control, and vendor issues. Information addressing public libraries issues will highlight initiatives to make self-published materials available at the Los Gatos Public Library in California and the Kent District Library in Michigan. Chapters on academic library issues will address why self-published materials are important for academic institutions, especially those with comprehensive collecting interests. Several self-published authors focus on how they attempt to make their works more suitable for public libraries. Finally, the book concludes with a bibliographic essay on self-publishingAs the term "e;traditional publishing"e; begins to fade and new content producers join the conversation, librarians, publishers, and vendors will play an important role in facilitating and managing the shift.

The current publishing environment has experienced a drastic change in the way content is created, delivered, and acquired, particularly for libraries. With the increasing importance of digital publishing, more than half the titles published in the United States are self-published. With this growth in self-published materials, librarians, publishers, and vendors have been forced to rethink channels of production, distribution, and access as it applies to the new content.Self-Publishing and Collection Development: Opportunities and Challenges for Libraries will address multiple aspects of how public and academic libraries can deal with the increase in self-published titles. While both academic and public libraries have started to grapple with the burgeoning issues associated with self-published books, many difficulties remain. To develop effective policies and procedures, stakeholders must now tackle questions associated with the transformation of the publishing landscape. Obstacles to self-publishing include the lack of reviews, the absence of cataloging and bibliographic control, proprietary formats for e-books, and the difficulty for vendors in providing these works.General chapters will include information on reviewing sources, cataloging and bibliographic control, and vendor issues. Information addressing public libraries issues will highlight initiatives to make self-published materials available at the Los Gatos Public Library in California and the Kent District Library in Michigan. Chapters on academic library issues will address why self-published materials are important for academic institutions, especially those with comprehensive collecting interests. Several self-published authors focus on how they attempt to make their works more suitable for public libraries. Finally, the book concludes with a bibliographic essay on self-publishingAs the term "traditional publishing" begins to fade and new content producers join the conversation, librarians, publishers, and vendors will play an important role in facilitating and managing the shift.

Foreword, by Mitchell Davis
Introduction, by Robert P. Holley
1 E-Book Self-Publishing and the Los Gatos Library: A Case Study, by Henry Bankhead
2 Supporting Self-Publishing and Local Authors: From Challenge to Opportunity, by Melissa DeWild and Morgan Jarema
3 Do Large Academic Libraries Purchase Self-Published Books to Add to Their Collections?, by Kay Ann Cassell (Rutgers University)
4 Why Academic Libraries Should Consider Acquiring Self-Published Books, by Robert P. Holley
5 Digital Authoring, Electronic Scholarship, and Libraries: From Walled Garden to Wilderness, by Donald Beagle
6 Book Vendors and Self-Publishing, by Bob Nardini
7 Ingram and Independent Publishing, by Robin Cutler
8 Review Sources of Interest to Librarians for Independently Published Books, by Eleanor I. Cook
9 Self-Publishing and Bibliographic Control, by Robert P. Holley
10 Self-Publishing and Libraries: The Slush Pile Is the Platform, by Tom Bruno
11 An Indie Author in a Library World, by AlTonya Washington
12 The Romance of Self-Publishing, by Elizabeth Nelson
13 Alacrity House Publishing, by Frankie L. Colton
14 Self-Publishing: A Bibliographic Essay, by Joseph D. Grobelny