Self-Publishing Debate Between People-Powered Publishing Struggle, Libraries, Publishers, Information Industry, etc.,

PS. This debate gets a new life with a  link that is now @ Toronto Public Library's Information for Self-Published Authors.

“Whatever you may have heard, self-publishing is not a short cut to anything. Except maybe insanity. Self-publishing, like every other kind of publishing, is hard work. You don’t wake up one morning good at it. You have to work for that.” Zoe Winters; 

“In old days books were written by men of letters and read by the public. Nowadays books are written by the public and read by nobody.” Oscar Wilde (Goodreads) 

-- See more quotes about writing, reading and publishing, here

Library side of the debate:
The following is the summary of three articles to show the true colors:

"In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the concept of book self-publishing for fiction and nonfiction began to loom large in the North American publishing universe. As traditional mainstream publishers consolidated and were often loathe to take chances on unknown writers whose books might not turn immediate profits, some authors found that fewer and fewer publishing venues were open to them. As a result, new self-publishers—collectively called “author services” or print-on-demand (POD) publishers—appeared alongside subsidy (or vanity) publishers. Against the background of an increasing corporatization of mainstream publishing, book self-publishing can theoretically be situated as one of the last bastions of independent publishing. This article examines how academic and public libraries dealt with the book self-publishing phenomena during 1960–2004. To what extent did libraries collect fiction and nonfiction published by self-publishing houses? Can any patterns be discerned in their collecting choices? Did libraries choose to collect more titles from “author services” publishers than subsidy publishers?" Dilevko, Juris  and Keren Dali, The self-publishing phenomenon and libraries, Library & Information Science Research, Volume 28, Issue 2, Summer 2006, Pages 208–234

"The boom in self-publishing has created a market of hundreds of thousands of new books a year. The Library of Congress doesn’t catalog most of these. Is it fair to dismiss these books as “vanity publications,” or are there some valuable resources in this book glut for collections-development librarians to explore? Are there sensible ways of acquiring these books? And how do Web searches affect types of content we haven’t always seen as having value?" Dawson, Laura. The Role of Self-Publishing in Libraries, In Library Trends 57 (1) Summer 2008: 43-51

The discussion of self-published titles in libraries has increased in recent years, in direct proportion to the angst surrounding ongoing ebook licensing negotiations with major traditional publishers. Prompted by the prospect of limited availability of popular titles or higher prices—probably both—­librarians are understandably weighing alternatives that might satisfy readership demands.

There are, however, very real barriers that must be overcome before self-publishing is likely to be even a small component of many collection efforts. Some barriers will fall away naturally as this growing market gains momentum and filters its way into downstream publishing markets like libraries, while others will require a more concerted advocacy effort to overcome. ... [continue reading:  Stigma; Availability; Scale & discoverability; Reviews; Enthusiasm vs. demand; Consider a different approach]. What’s the Problem with Self-Publishing?  by Josh Hadro, Library Journal, 2013.

 See also:

• Toronto Public Library, Information for Self-Published Authors   
• Adventures in self-publishing By Scott MacDonald Quill & Quire
• Self-publishing and Libraries, By Annoyed Librarian
• Self-Publishing Skyrockets | PubCrawl Library Journal
• Getting Your Self-Published Book into the Library, Interview by Lindsay Buroker, Indie Fantasy Author
• The Seattle Public Library, Purchasing Guidelines For Authors And Publishers: We also may acquire self-published books when they include unique local content, fit the scope of the Library's collection plan and meet our selection criteria.
• Do Libraries Acquire Self Published Books?
• How to Get a Self-Published Book into Libraries
• Self-publishing and Libraries | The Passive Voice
• Libraries need to catch up with self-publishing
• Self-publishing in Hungary. New challenge for libraries: indie authors and their content

Other sides of the debate:

• Why Not Consider Publishing Your Own E-Books
• Reasons Not to Self-Publish in 2011-2012: A List themillions.com
• PW Announces Self-Published Books Supplement; "Non-Traditional" Works Remain Sticking Point for Libraries by Josh Hadro  -- See more links here
• People-Powered Publishing Is Changing All the Rules : "Authors are actively choosing to self-publish books, giving them better control over rights, distribution, pricing and resurfacing trends like serialization."
• Self-Publishing Debate: A Social Scientist Separates Fact from Fiction | Digital Book World
• Diaspora Dialogues: There's now an MA program in self-publishing at the University of Central Lancashire.
• Digital Self-Publishing: It’s Still Self-Publishing
• AWP Nugget: The Bubbling Debate over Self-Publishing
• Traditional vs. Self-publishing is a False Dichotomy
• Sarah Baker on the great self-publishing debate | Sin and Syntax
• The Self-Publishing Debate Continues: Hardcopy vs. Electronic Books
• Seven Marketing Strategies for Your Self-Published Novel  millionpens.com