[LINK] "Self-Publishing Taking Off in Russia"
Window on Eurasia's Paul Goble reports on the popularity of self-publishing in Russia.
Some three million Russians want to self-publish their books, according to Elena Gorelova in today’s “Vedomosti;” and an entire industry is emerging to help them do so, creating yet another means for Russians to reach out to one another largely bypassing the restrictions being imposed by the state.
The Internet plays many of the roles that samizdat did in late Soviet times, but most posts on it are relatively short and thus do not lend themselves to the easy dissemination of larger works or the reproduction of these works in hard copy either for broader dissemination or more permanent holdings.
But those who have prepared such works seldom can find publishers who will handle them given the rising costs of paper and printing, the declining purchasing power of Russian consumers and institutions, and editorial concerns about quality or even getting in trouble with the authorities.
Consequently, Russians are beginning to do what many in the West are already doing: turning to “the services of electronic samizdat” which include firms that format, publish and sell the works of such authors (vedomosti.ru/management/articles/2016/02/26/631462-biznes-na-grafomanah).
Among the largest of these firms is Ridero.ru, which has offices in Yekaterinburg and Cracow, but many more are getting involved, Gorelova says. “There are approximately 29,000” self-published authors in Russia now thanks to Ridero, and their numbers are increasing by approximately 200 a day.
Some three million Russians want to self-publish their books, according to Elena Gorelova in today’s “Vedomosti;” and an entire industry is emerging to help them do so, creating yet another means for Russians to reach out to one another largely bypassing the restrictions being imposed by the state.
The Internet plays many of the roles that samizdat did in late Soviet times, but most posts on it are relatively short and thus do not lend themselves to the easy dissemination of larger works or the reproduction of these works in hard copy either for broader dissemination or more permanent holdings.
But those who have prepared such works seldom can find publishers who will handle them given the rising costs of paper and printing, the declining purchasing power of Russian consumers and institutions, and editorial concerns about quality or even getting in trouble with the authorities.
Consequently, Russians are beginning to do what many in the West are already doing: turning to “the services of electronic samizdat” which include firms that format, publish and sell the works of such authors (vedomosti.ru/management/articles/2016/02/26/631462-biznes-na-grafomanah).
Among the largest of these firms is Ridero.ru, which has offices in Yekaterinburg and Cracow, but many more are getting involved, Gorelova says. “There are approximately 29,000” self-published authors in Russia now thanks to Ridero, and their numbers are increasing by approximately 200 a day.