Suw Charman-Anderson writes in Forbes about how tools and processes in self-publishing are becoming cheaper and easier:
[T]here is a growing repository of advice about the fine detail of self-publishing, from guides to how to format your Word document for Smashwords to how to pick a print-on-demand supplier to marketing and promotional strategies. True, there’s a lot of hot air written about self-publishing, especially the marketing and promotion end, but there’s also a lot of incredibly useful advice out there too.
That lowers the barriers to entry for newcomers quite considerably, allowing them to get up to speed much faster than was possible just a year or two ago....As author services companies expand their offerings, as tools are developed and expanded, it will take less and less of the self-published author’s time to set up and maintain their business. And whilst hiring freelances might take more financial outlay than many authors are willing to do at first, it will still be become easier for them to get going under their own steam, and to then transition to a freelance-based model when their income can support it.
You can follow Suw on Twitter here. We're particular fans of her because she founded Ada Lovelace Day.
