Publishing has seen major changes in the past couple of years. In an industry, where publishing your own work was once considered impossible, unmanageable, and only for the privileged, many paths to showcase your work to the entire world have now been unlocked. Similarly, “self-publishing” has drastically changed over the past ten years with print on demand, Amazon, and social media marketing.
In 2018 we can expect bigger developments and changes in publishing and self-publishing due to the increasing effects of the digital world on the print realm.
Here is a list of the top ten trends in publishing:
Additional visual books:
As people encounter books out in the world and off the traditional shelf, 2018 will see an extra lavish and luxury status of increase in books.
Fusion digital-print content:
Books will have a digital element, like subscription-based e-mail content, access to discussion and fan forums, links to supplemental and additional video content, and more.
Authors and publishers who have gained an audience and influence in the digital space will turn to print as an approach to not only monetize content but also to build their credibility and authenticity.
More books than readers:
Previous trends were such wherein books that didn’t trade were taken off the shelf to make room for the ones that did, thus, heightening competition in the field.
eBooks, on the other hand, never go out of print. It may seem inexpensive and easier to enter the ebooks arena; however, the digital advantage is swiftly fading, as the number of books is increasing exponentially whereas the readership is unable to keep pace. We may see the competitive benefit and advantage in both these arenas level out in 2018.
Kindle Unlimited:
With eBooks being available absolutely free with this kind of subscription model, books entering into Kindle Unlimited now have one-tenth the margin of what the case was earlier.
Besides, eBooks with the traditional and old-fashioned eBook pricing will not be able to compete with the free, unlimited books available with similar subscription models, thus further diminishing the eBook advantage and benefits of the past five years.
Professional approach:
As the competitive market gets fiercer, so do the efforts to stand out and get noticed.
The cloud-based collaboration apps and design tools make the book covers look sleeker and mean that marketing will cost more. Hence, the need to use professional eBook design services will become more apparent in future.
Cover trends:
Bright colours, bold typography, and engaging photography are some of the publishing design trends from the year 2017, which are here to stay for a while.
Less-is-more:
High distinction and contrast, neutral colors, an abundance of white space—book designs and marketing materials will continue to highlight and stand out by discovering innovative and creative ways to maximize the power of less.
Collaboration is the way forward:
In order to sell your book, you will need to build your audience and following.
Authors can support each other in the form of giveaways and reviews. This basic marketing method will become ever more predominant, as competition in the publishing world skyrockets.
Collaboration and association projects between digital influencers were common in the year 2017, and we shall see bloggers, authors, and influencers in both the digital space and the print working together in order to leverage and influence each other’s audience for the sake of mutual benefit.
Self-publishing has always favored savvy, confident, business-minded authors, but what we’re seeing in the year 2018 is other cultural and media trends dominating the markets and methods. The year 2018 offers many more tools, better access to instructions, more and better materials than ever before, and when it comes to your project, what you want to do with all this is more up to you than ever