Independent Publishers Tap New Opportunities While Industry Experiences Sea of Change

 One of the biggest challenges in the publishing business is getting media attention for a book published by an independent publisher. 

Now, with the addition of new publishing channels, like Apple's App store and Amazon's Kindle, independent publishers are on a more level playing field.

This was the case for self-help author Jim Donovan's book, "This is Your Life, Not a Dress Rehearsal." In Donovan's case, though the book was a best-seller in Japan and elsewhere around the globe, it received limited exposure in the United States, primarily because it was not launched from a major NY publishing house. 

"It's a great book and has done well everywhere in the world, except in the US," says the author. Donovan's hope is that now, with the book available in these new formats, a new generation of readers will have a chance to learn about it and the new technologies will enable his publisher, Austin Bay Publishing, to create that all important buzz.

While the publishing industry in New York is, in the words of a leading industry executive, "in a state of introspection," savvy independent publishers are using the leveraging power afforded by new book formats and social media to make their mark. 

A decade ago, driving a book to the best seller lists required enormous marketing and advertising budgets and a room full of publicists and PR people.

Today, an ambitious author with a laptop, some friends and an understanding of the new technology landscape can accomplish the same feat. The tens of thousands of dollars spent on a TV commercial can be replaced by a YouTube video, some Twitter followers and a few Facebook friends; all for the less than the two martini lunch. 

If that's not enough to put fear into the old boys in their ivory tower, USA Today announced recently they will be including Kindle sales figures in their reporting for the Best Seller lists.