It's notoriously hard for budding writers to find an agent and get published - but entrepreneurial authors are doing just that thanks to the rise of e-readers.
The technology has allowed writers to bypass the more conventional path by which established publishers and agents will only print work they deem worthy.
But the rise of e-readers, such as the best-selling Amazon Kindle, has allowed aspiring authors to bypass the hassle of finding representation as well as the cost of printing, binding and delivering books.
Digital trend: The popularity of e-readers has prompted a growing number of authors to self-publish rather than rely on conventional means
Russ Grandinetti, vice president of Kindle Content for Amazon Digital publishing, told USA Today: 'It's possible for any author to make their book available with little or no upfront cost and reach a global audience.'
He said digital publishing 'gives a chance to a great book that otherwise might have been overlooked'.
The company allows authors to sell their works via the Kindle Bookstore. Writers even get an incentive to use the platform, by rewarding them with close to 70 per cent of the sale price if they set a download fee of between $2.99 (£1.86) to $9.99 (£6.20).
And Amazon isn't alone in luring authors to use their services and reach readers directly with less costly distribution models.
Sony's online ReaderStore gives its writers 70 to 85 per cent of the sale price, and Barnes & Noble got in the game back in October, with the launch of the company's self-publishing platform PubIt , offering writers royalty rates between 40 to 65 per cent.
The digital trend has also enabled some writers to also enjoy unprecedented success without the help of publishing vets.
Of note is German novelist Oliver Potzsch, who made that point with his novel Hangman's Daughter. The book is Kindle's fourth highest seller and has ranked as high as number one thanks to sales reaching over 100,000 copies.
A survey quoted in USA Today revealed that 20 million people read E-books last year, which prompted a growing number writers to take advantage of the trend.
And it shows no signs of slowing down.
According to the Association of American Publishers, digital book sales make up nine per cent of the overall market. Sales reached a staggering $345 million (£214.26 million) early last year, a 171 per cent increase over the same period in 2009.
Conventional or digital, similar obstacles remain - solving the problem of how to get published is just the first step of getting readers click a cover and turn the page.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1355304/A-novel-idea-How-authors-bypassing-agents-self-published-e-books.html#ixzz1Dj5oaOKZ
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