The publishing industry is surely changing. Prior to the digital age, an author had to submit his or her manuscript to a publisher and hope that someone would even read it, let alone publish it. These days anyone can publish their own book. All you have to do is take the time to write it and format it. The more saavy authors pay a professional editor to go through it and make improvements.
Self published books range from "not so good" to "very good." I have read quite a few really good self published books, books that I would not have ever guessed were self-published. The only reason I would even suspect a book might be self-published is if I start reading it and it becomes apparent that it was not properly edited. Other than that, I can't distinguish self-published from a book released by a publishing house unless I look at the price. The price often, but not always, is the dead give away. With that said, it is obvious to me at least, that if done properly, it does not matter who publishes a book. The important thing is the content and the editing.
That brings me to book reviews. Just about any good on-line book dealer or book site allows readers to rate and review the books they read. This is one of the best services they provide as a few good bad reviews can save you from spending money on a dud. Earlier I did a Google search on "book reviews wanted" as I am trying to help a friend get her book "out there." I was surprised to see how many sites are soliciting book reviews! In the pre-digital day it was hard to get a book reviewed. The author would have to send copies out to newspapers and magazines and hope and pray that anyone would read and then review his or her work. There just weren't enough reviewers to read and write about all of the books that were submitted. Another thing, the people who did read and write about books were usually paid. Not anymore! It seems that just about anyone can sign up to be a book reviewer. He or she can simply send book reviews in or in some cases read and write about books that are sent out to him or her. In the second case. getting to keep the book is part of the compensation. The other part is "seeing your name in print" - online or off.
There are still outlets like the NY Times Book Review which employ professional book reviewers. It is still an honor to get mentioned in publications such as these. Is this good for the industry or does it hurt the industry? I don't think it matters. The old way still works and the new way simply brings more books into public awareness.
