Self-published

A good friend of mine has just published his first book. In addition to sharing his delight at this accomplishment, I was also chuffed to have been featured on the cover. (Okay, you can’t really tell it’s actually me, but an aspiring cover girl on the wrong side of 30 needs to start somewhere.) In addition to the physical book, he’s also set up his own complementary website and a blog.

The digital generation might scoff at printing an actual book these days, and deem a webpage to be passé, but to me it’s further proof that independent media content is thriving and that we can expect this trend to continue. Already there are numerous recording artists opting to release albums directly to the public without the help of the big labels, YouTube seems to go from strength to strength, with copycat or competitor sites continually emerging. Even feature films (such as Jackass 2.5) are dispensing with the red carpet, choosing instead to provide free public access via an online launch. It has never been easier to be part of the media landscape, and it’s also gratifying to know that print lives on.