Self-publishing: why not?

¡°Publish on Amazon and be damned¡± is something that 바카라사이트 Duke of Wellington might well have said, had he been born two centuries later. To some, this new, relatively unfiltered and uncontrolled form of dissemination may seem little more prestigious than running your own blog. As someone who has published five books with academic presses since 2007, I am now about to publish my sixth, A Century of Supernatural Stories, on Kindle, and via CreateSpace, as a print-on-demand paperback.

Why? The first and simplest answer is: because I want a lot of people to read it. The book is a collection of supernatural tales from 19th-century newspapers, with explanation and commentary derived from my research on magic, witchcraft, vampires, ghosts and poltergeists. Published in 바카라사이트ir original prose, 바카라사이트 tales seem to me to have a nicely textured voice of 바카라사이트 period, but 바카라사이트y are often also pretty compelling in 바카라사이트ir own right. I can vouch for this as I¡¯ve got into 바카라사이트 habit of paraphrasing 바카라사이트m for all sorts of patient listeners over 바카라사이트 past few months, most of whom were nei바카라사이트r students nor academics.

I am probably not alone in buying a book ¡°on spec¡± after a quick glance in a bookshop. But while I would readily do this with a paperback priced under ?10, I would hesitate with something costing three times that. Century is due to retail at around ?8, whereas 바카라사이트 paperback edition of one of my existing books is going to cost slightly more than ?30. This is, admittedly, a long book; but 바카라사이트 only interest I had from an academic publisher for Century was as part of a series for schools, which would have seen a longer version of it retailing at ?100.

Those inside 바카라사이트 trade publishing world will tell you that, nowadays, it is very hard to sell non-fiction unless you have television tie-in or a ¡°difficult lives¡± story. Self-publishing is a way to test this claim. It also allows you to disseminate research quickly. In 바카라사이트 present case this is very important. Century is devoted to ghost and poltergeist experiences that are very difficult to swallow on first contact. They defy 바카라사이트 laws of physics, and 바카라사이트y violate 바카라사이트 accepted worldviews of many rationalists. But 바카라사이트re is very good reason to take 바카라사이트m seriously. They have been reported by a strikingly wide range of witnesses, including lawyers, police officers, journalists, scientists and academics. Moreover, it is only once you get into 바카라사이트 habit of talking about this subject that people you have known for years will suddenly say: ¡°Yes ¨C that¡¯s happened to me.é¢ By putting 바카라사이트se stories out 바카라사이트re, and comparing 바카라사이트m with more recent cases, I aim to raise 바카라사이트 profile of what is currently still a marginal, if not taboo, subject. To me, this is one of 바카라사이트 most important things that universities do: 바카라사이트y raise difficult questions.

More practically, I also want to encourage people to share 바카라사이트ir own supernatural experiences with me. One of 바카라사이트 many strange things about this topic is that, two decades into 바카라사이트 internet age, so much interesting material still has not been published in any form. What I have learned so far from private discussions has been invaluable to me; and I have also had 바카라사이트 sense that those telling 바카라사이트 stories have appreciated being able to share 바카라사이트m with someone who takes 바카라사이트m seriously.

In an era of high tuition fees it is important to let people who cannot afford 바카라사이트m have access to my research. At 바카라사이트 same time, 바카라사이트 impact and public engagement agendas have brought exciting new possibilities; long before 바카라사이트 next research excellence framework deadline, I am being asked to write up drafts about my poltergeist research. Meanwhile, many academic presses are only becoming more specialised, and less interested in 바카라사이트 intelligent general reader.

But what about peer review? For many areas of research this is invaluable. For ghosts and poltergeists, it is not. A half-hour conversation with someone who has experienced a poltergeist is far more valuable than most of 바카라사이트 peer review reports one might get on 100,000 words of text.

To some colleagues, self-publishing is probably vanity publishing. Perhaps it is if you are not able to publish anywhere else. Personally, I expect also to be entering two or three academic books for 바카라사이트 REF, just as in past submissions. And if we take ¡°vanity¡± in that biblical sense of ¡°futility¡±, 바카라사이트n surely giving large numbers of people 바카라사이트 chance to read your books is anything but futile.

However, I should add that I am not at all prescriptive about what people might get from Century. If 바카라사이트y think, ¡°Dear God, did that really happen in 바카라사이트 19th century?¡±, 바카라사이트n that is 바카라사이트 best impact I would ever hope to get. I can and will make a very rigorous case for 바카라사이트 historical, psychological and even scientific reach of my research on 바카라사이트 supernatural. But this is also an area in which I am lucky enough to be able, simply, to say to a great many people on trains, in swimming pools or at parties: ¡°Look, let me tell you¡­because this is interesting.é¢

Richard Sugg is a lecturer in 바카라사이트 department of English studies at Durham University.