Seventeenth and eighteenth century
musicians faced a slow economy and many chose not to publish their compositions
with the traditional publishers of their time. Some publishers paid for neither
paper, ink nor the hours the composer spent producing a piece of music that
often lived on after they were gone—passed down from generation to generation.
Numerous musicians chose to self-publish their
music to promote their work as composers. They retained ownership of the metal
plates and were able to print further impressions whenever extra copies were
needed. Many of the composers are known to us today and include George Philipp
Telemaan, Johann Sebastian Bach and Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach.
Today we—as writers—have e-books and
print-on-demand and many authors have chosen to self-publish just as writers
and composers did in earlier centuries. Eighteenth century authors often faced
problems when they offered their writings for publication. The majority of
booksellers chose recognized authors rather than take a chance on an unknown
writer and risk their currency and reputation. Without a patron or sponsorship
from an established author and rejection of an unknown’s work a constant, a
number of authors chose to self publish.
In 1901, The Tales of Peter Rabbit
received a few rejections, and Beatrix Potter self-published. The firm of
Frederick Warne & Co. who at first rejected the stories soon picked up the
book and turned it over to the youngest brother—Norman. The company published
22 additional books during the next 40 years and in 1906 Beatrix and Norman
became engaged. Tragically Norman
passed away before the wedding.
Marcel Proust paid to have his masterpiece
published 101 years ago. Swann’s Way remains a literary classic.
Written and self-published by Irma S.
Rombauer in 1931, The Joy of Cooking has sold well over 18 million copies. The
jacket was designed by her daughter Marion. Later versions, edited by her family,
can be found in kitchens all over the world today.
Non-democratic nations have often banned
publication of books written by prominent writers who opposed a regime’s
ideology. Fans often manually reprinted a copy that would be considered
illegal—another form of self-publishing and a way for a book to reach the
reader.
How many of you have or intend to
self-publish and how many have chosen traditional publishing?
