1Impact of Digital Publishing on Authorship as a BusinessAnthony CamposNorthcentral University, PhD Program (accredited)AbstractThe foremost problem confronting an author, who desires to maintain authorship as a business, is to strive to maximize the potential for profit by choosing the most suitable publisher and then to pursue a work etiquette to market and promote the book. In order to accomplish this objective in the self-publishing field, the author must become knowledgeable concerning all of the operating facets of digital publishing in order to properly integrate with the strategic planning that is necessary for success. Finally, the author must become aware that any path to a successful venture must include a plan of action that will maximize the potential for the successful marketing of literary work. In this case, it shall be shown with evidence if whether or not self-publishing does significantly increase an authors ability to maximize the potential to profit.Impact of Digital Publishing on Authorship as a Business Prior to digital publishing, authorship was considered to be more of a personal affair rather than a business. A writer would simply turn in material to an agent who would then try to get it accepted by a major publishing house. The better known authors would be allowed to deal directly with agents within the publishing complex, but for the most part, writing books was treated as a personal contract between writer and publisher. Once a book was accepted, it was the publisher that would take over the direction of the marketing phase and not so much the author. However, when the capability of Internet marketing became available and the barriers of entry lessened because of technological innovations, the impact of these events opened a new frontier that allowed authorship to become an actual business for the individual writer. It was no longer restricted to being just a personal affair between author and publisher. This paradigm shift caused changes to occur that now allow authors to independently market themselves and their books online.For the sake of setting parameters for this investigation, a simple set of hypotheses can be formulated. An hypothesis is a statement that explains or makes generalizations about a set of facts that must then be shown confirmation as to the viability of the proposition (The American Heritage Science Dictionary, 2005). To proceed through an orderly investigation and climax with a conclusion, a null hypothesis should be stated first followed with the alternate hypothesis. The procedure is to show that the null hypothesis is incorrect in order to show that the alternate hypothesis is correct which is the objective of this case analysis. While the focus of this analysis could be made to be more narrow in nature, it shall start with a wider stance by allowing two sets of hypotheses. However, the objective shall be to narrow the focus to the latter set which forms the crux of the conclusion.In the first set of hypotheses, the choice shall be made to employ either the traditional method or the self-publishing method. The null hypothesis shall be that choosing traditional methods instead of self-publishing will offer more advantages that will maximize the potential to profit. Therefore, the alternate hypothesis shall be that choosing to do business in authorship using digital self-publishing methods will maximize the potential to profit. If the null hypothesis is rejected, then the alternate hypothesis can be accepted. If the alternate hypothesis is accepted, then the final set of hypotheses can be tested by qualitative methods.In the final set of hypotheses, the decision shall be made concerning whether or not it may make a difference when choosing between self-publishing companies in the quest to maximize the potential for profit. The null hypothesis shall be that choosing to do business between any of the self-publishing companies will make no difference in maximizing the potential to profit. The alternate hypothesis shall be that choosing to do business in authorship using a self-publisher that is more suitable to an authors own criteria, since all self-publishing companies are different, will maximize the potential to profit. If the null hypothesis in this set is rejected, then the alternate and culminating hypothesis can be accepted. Determining the most advantageous path should always be the main concern for an author wishing to write as a business. As with any business, the bottom line is profit. It is profit that allows for a building of incentive to further production. First, the author must decide which publishing method to pursue based on the evidence available. Finally, if the author chooses to self-publish, then the author must decide which self-publishing company will maximize the potential for success.