Digital publishing or electronic publishing is a way to distribute written and artistic works quickly and globally without investing a lot of time and resources into their publication. There are advantages in publishing digitally because it is environmentally superior to using paper and ink production that uses up natural resources and water. When works are produced electronically they can be easily searched and edited and changes are not costly to make at any point during production. Works can be uploaded to the Internet or sent out on CDs and DVDs. This makes this method of publishing ideal for the scientific community because they can publish current research without the timely delays normally occurring with printed publications. Many works are found on the Internet and sold as e-books. New technology has developed e-book readers that are portable and eliminate the need for a computer set up. Online anyone can publish whatever they want to simply by creating a website or uploading their work to another website for viewing. Making money with digital publishing may be slightly more difficult than with traditional publishing. There could be a higher profit potential however because there are virtually no natural resources like paper involved. Once created, the digital product only needs to be marketed and delivered electronically. There are no production costs, binding, packaging or mailing costs involved unless a person is selling their product on CDs or DVDs. Digital publishing software offers anyone the opportunity to create intellectual works and sell them without going through traditional publishing channels. It also offers writers the opportunity to freelance and ghost write for others. Electronic publishing can greatly broaden the reach for digital books and manuals. These works can be sold worldwide at the touch of an electronic button. Delivery is instantaneous and payments likewise are faster to the author. Books that are published and recorded digitally are never out of print and can be accessed through digital libraries and outlets such as Amazon and other online booksellers. There are many digital publishers who would purchase electronic submissions. Digital journals, e-magazines, e-books, online newspapers and magazines and podcasts are all types of digital publishing. For authors who want speedy results and faster payments using digital publishing for their works is an alternative to going through the very time consuming process of selling their works through traditional outlets such as print magazines and book publishers. They can even sell their works directly by placing ads up on auction websites such as eBay. Delivering the product following receipt of payment is just a mouse click and delivery is instant to the purchaser. One problem that may occur with digital publishing is the ease with which written works can be plagiarized and copied. There is very little to stop this activity even with protective devices such as CopyScape services that will show if a piece has been published on the Internet previously. Digital publishing has brought speed and distribution reach to the publishing industry unlike any other method. It is usable and accessible to anyone with a computer and can bring great written works to any remote area of the world.

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 22nd, 2001 at 7:09 am and is filed under Free Writing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.