Hot 50: SELF-PUBLISHING

Self-publishing came into vogue in 2009 with authors motivated by their own creativity.

This has prompted some authors to look beyond the page and explore digital platforms to broaden their books’ appeal. For example, designer, broadcaster and writer Adrian Shaughnessy and Tony Brook of Spin collaborated to form the publishing company Unit Editions, which launched its first book, Studio Culture: The Secret Life of the Graphic Design Studio last August.

Shaughnessy and Brook put interviews online as videos, along with new content. Their main sales route was via the website. Max Fraser, meanwhile, published the London Design Guide: 2010 in September, under his imprint Spotlight Press, which is sold online and at design events.

Browns Editions has been publishing art and design books since 1998, with many books written and edited by Jonathan Ellery, founder of Browns Design. And although Ellery’s love affair with books as physical artefacts has always been the focus, in November the first Browns Edition Bulletin was sent out as a summary of the most recent titles.