This chapter expresses everyone’s ability to be a publisher and the fact that anyone can publish anything from text, to audio, to photos, to video and make it instantly available to millions of people around the world. I think it was a pretty cool how the book went in depth about the history of publishing, dating back to cave painting and the invention of the printing press. Publishing’s history goes back before the written and spoken word, back to cave paintings to describe the hunt through picture writing. Then came Sumerian script followed by Egyptian hieroglyphs which became an important to maintain their empire for writing at least time was used as a communication device as well as a way to distinguish authority for only the elite were educated. Many of these cultures would use papyrus, or an early form of paper, to write down these words. The most famous collection of papyrus scrolls was the Hebrew Bible, a testament to the power of documentation. Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press led to the first mass production of books in history and made bookmaking a reality in the 15th century. His invention allowed rapid creation of metal movable type in large quantities.
This history of communication through writing and the many forms of publications have led us to the self-publication we have today. With the emergence of the Internet, sharing information and documents is as easy as clicking ‘Send’. The ease of today’s printing has led to print-on-demand and self-publishing. Print-on-demand or instant printing has become beneficial in educational areas, specifically for teachers and professors at university, making teaching easier and more efficient. Self-publishing to a writer is a powerful concept for it spreads their thoughts and words to a wide audience and also allowing them to be in control of the physical aspect of their work.
Like the other chapters, this chapter emphasizes the power of the communication tools we have available to us at this time. The content that we have the potential to distribute with self-published and print-on-demand could be compared to the speed of light. Sometimes I don’t think we completely comprehend the power of the media and that it is frequently underestimated. Vehicles that this chapter didn’t touch on were distributing your words and thoughts via Youtube and videoblogging. These types of channels completely cancel out the need for print-on-demand distribution and are able to spread work through a click of a button. Youtube and other creative outlets like this have once again made it easy for everyone to become an author and be published on print or via video.
Yes. Your last paragraph is the best. I think people do underestimate the power of self-publishing and the speed and the reach of "publishing" on the Internet. As communicators we need to respect that but we can also take advantage of it, right?
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